Couple's 200mph race win a double delight

A COUPLE from the Isle of Man stormed to victory at the Alderney Air Races.

Pilot Geoffrey Boot and his navigator wife Suzie topped 200mph as they grabbed a maiden British Air Racing Championship.

The pair's terrific Alderney performance also meant they were crowned European champions for the second time.

Geoffrey, who was racing a Siai Marchetti SF260, said: 'We have been air racing for 20 years and it is quite an accolade to win the British Air Racing Championship for the first time, especially with the season finishing in such a wonderful place like Alderney.

'This is the second time we've won the European Championship, the previous time being in 2000.

'We are absolutely thrilled to have won it again and it was all down to the last race.'

The handicap races are organised by Alderney Flying Club and involve six laps of a circuit which follows the island's south coast from Fort Raz, across to Fort Albert, the Breakwater, Burhou and Les Casquets, before heading back to the airport. Aurigny, Bavaria and the States of Alderney sponsor the event.

'It really was a cracking weekend,' said chief organiser Ralph Burridge, a former Aurigny pilot.

'The weather was ideal for racing, with light winds and good visibility.

'Apart from being the venue of the final race at which both the British and the European Championships are decided, by having more aircraft racing than at any other venue during the season, the racing community gave Alderney another feather in its cap.'

Alderney is the traditional end-of-season venue for the eight-stage championship, which attracts pilots from Britain, Ireland, France and Majorca.

But while the competitors always enjoy flying in the island, the number of pilots and supporters visiting this year was down.

Geoffrey said that was due to various light aircraft restrictions imposed by Jersey and Guernsey.

'Alderney was a very aviation-friendly environment up until recently.

'It is a shame that parking fees have gone up and, of course, the recently-lifted Jersey zone restrictions were really putting pilots off,' he said.

'Private aviation is already expensive enough as it is. We used to fly down to Alderney just for lunch, but now – with the rising fuel costs and the introduction of parking fees – it is going to be a lot less likely.'

*

Anyone interested in Alderney fishing is being encouraged to view the recently-published White Paper.

The document includes recommendations that will affect the island's commercial fishermen and recreational anglers.

States members John Beaman and Boyd Kelly produced the paper, which includes suggestions about netting in bays, log books and the size of vessels.

The next step for the States is legislation, but that will be written only once a final consultation has taken place.

Anyone who would like to offer their views on the White Paper should get in touch with a States member or contact the chief executive, Roy Burke, at the Island Hall. His number is 822816.