On Saturday, 4 February, some 250 racers, supporters, friends and family, converged on the Novotel, Southampton to celebrate the success of British Powerboat Racing across the sport’s many disciplines at the RYA Powerboat Racing awards ceremony 2016.
A staggering 33 awards were presented to the crème-de-la-crème of powerboat racers who last year clinched a whole host of British, European, World and Speed records across the sport’s many classes.
A highlight in the powerboat racing calendar, racers from across the three disciplines of Circuit, Offshore and Jetsport celebrated their successes – with world renowned powerboat racer Shelley Jory-Leigh and BBC Radio Solent’s Neil Sackley on hand to present the glittering array of trophies.
RYA Powerboat Racing Manager Jeni Jelf said: “Powerboat racing has had another strong year, with 91 racing events being held across the UK. 19 British National Championship titles along with various National and World Speed records have been contested by over 460 competitors of varying ages in different racing categories – so we had a lot to celebrate at the RYA Powerboat Racing awards ceremony!”
Throughout the evening a number of awards were presented to some of the younger racers on the circuit, including the likes of Harvey Smith, Ben Jelf, and Tiegan Goodfellow, who have consistently demonstrated skill, passion and determination to clinch their well-deserved awards.
“We had a fantastic turn out for the evening and it was great to see so many talented youngsters in the sport receiving accolades for their achievements. Their dedication and determination to succeed really does bode well for the future for our sport. We’d like to thank everyone who came along for such an enjoyable night – and especially Guille Design, Team WNT and Inverclyde Council and Riverside Inverclyde who joined us as the winners of the 2016 Powerboat Racing Industry Awards,” added Jeni.
And the winners are…
2016 RYA Powerboat Racing Youth Ambassadors
- Harvey Smith
- Tiegan Goodfellow
- Ben Jelf
2016 RYA Powerboat Racing Ambassadors
- Neil Jackson
- Sharon Atlee
- Bill Owen
Lifetime Service Award – Contribution to sport as a competitor & volunteer
- John Tassell
2016 RYA Powerboat Club Of the Year
- Lowestoft & Oulton Broad Motorboat Club
2016 RYA Amphibious Experimental Unlimited British Record 39.08 mph (Established)
- Rob Clemas
2016 RYA Industry Award : Best Contribution From A Marine Supplier
- John Guille / Guille Design
2016 RYA GT15 British Champion & RYA GT15 Sprint Champion
- Thomas Mantripp
2016 UIM Marathon C Stock World Record 80.24 mph (Established)
- Shelley Jory-Leigh & Dorian Griffith
2016 RYA GT30 British Champion & RYA GT30 Sprint Champion
- Ben Jelf
2016 RYA 3B British Champions
- Gareth Keast & Sue Cosgrave
2016 RYA OSY400 British Champion
- Jason Mantripp
2016 RYA Z150 British Champions & RYA Z150 British Record 69.63 mph
- Sharon Atlee & Stuart Atlee
2016 Ian Stirling Memorial – Contribution ‘in the Spirit of the Sport’
- Steve Lowe & Hollie Woodhouse
2016 RYA Industry Award : Best Contribution From A Host Venue
- Inverclyde Council & Riverside Inverclyde
2016 RYA F4 British Champion & RYA F4 Sprint Champion
- Sam Whittle
2016 Best Newcomer – Offshore Class
- Seb Watts & Josh Broadbent
2016 Best Newcomer – Circuit Class
- Leon King
2016 UIM Marathon C Stock World Record 88.47 & RYA Marathon C Stock British Record 86.29 mph
- Dorian Griffith & Shelley Jory-Leigh
2016 RYA T850 British Champion
- Bill Owen
2016 RYA V24 British Champions & RYA Club Class 3 British Record 71.70 mph
- Dave Corbet & Kerry La Patourel
UIM & RYA 0:1000 World & British Record 79.24 mph, UIM & RYA S:1000 World & British Record 78.23 mph, RYA F4 British Record 79.56 mph, RYA Clubman 1000 British Record 77.90 mph
- Ben Jelf
2016 RYA P1 SuperStock British Champions
- Sam Coleman & Daisy Coleman
2016 RYA Industry Award : Best Sponsorship Of A Powerboat Racing Team
- Team WNT
2016 RYA Club Class Unlimited British Record 93.01 mph & RYA Marathon C Stock British Record 89.22
- Tom Montgomery – Swan
2016 RYA F2 British Champion & RYA F2 Sprint Champion
- Paul Balfour
2016 RYA Marathon A British Champions
- Richard Carr, Steve Curtis & Paul Sinclair
BJ Noone Memorial Award – Outstanding Achievement
- Ben Jelf
2016 Tony Needell Award – Outstanding Service Contribution
- Osprey Rescue Team
Event Sponsor: Banks Candle Co., Your Print Partner Ltd & Powerboat GP In recognition of your valuable contribution and continued support of Powerboat Racing in 2016
- Stuart Maclaren, Jason Brewer & Luke Jones