At the end of the racing boat season, the British traditionally blow the horn for the chase. Then it's all about one thing on Coniston Water in the north of England:Chasing speed records! Drivers from all racing classes can compete. This makes the annual Coniston Power Boat Records Week a unique event.
The 47th edition of the spectacle at the end of October once again saw a series of records tumble. In a total of 182 attempts, 49 racing boat drivers from four countriesSix world and 21 national records on. Julian Clegg (Gas Turbine Prototype), for example, sped to the world record at 168.74 km/h.
Aquabike pilot Graham Leech (Ski Division F1 Class) set a world and British record of 113.96 km/h. Drew Langdon (198.58 km/h, Inboard Immersed Propeller Monohull Twin) and Ben Jelf (130.59 km/h, Formula 4) set national records. Coniston only managedracy racing boats?
Not at all. ForAmphibious vehicles there is also room on the track. Edd China accelerated his sea-blue quad ski to 74.21 km/h - a British record in the Experimental Class up to 2 litres. Hagen Jerzynski and his wife Melanie Oertel had travelled from Germany. Both brought a new boat to the start.
The Berlin couple immediately broke the German record in the P 750 modified class with the 50 hp catamaran. The 109.69 km/h achieved are within sight of the world record (around 114 km/h). "We'll go for it next year," promises Thundercat modified European champion Hagen Jerzynski. www.conistonpowerboatrecords.co.uk
