Coniston Power Boat Records Week 2022 – Round Up Summary

Saturday 5^th November 2022

As a Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM – World governing body of powerboat racing) calendared event, Coniston Powerboat Records Week is open to competitors from around the globe. This year we were delighted to welcome international competitors from Germany and France, not to mention from all corners of the UK.

Some of the week’s highlights include:

The 1st run of the week was 40-year-old Cumbria-born, Adam Brown who established a new World and British National Record in the Diesel Outboard Outright class. It was quite fitting that Adam was the first run of the 50th Records Week as Adam’s father Robin Brown was the Chairman of Records Week for several decades as well as being instrumental in bringing the event to Coniston in 2005.

The power behind Adam’s entry was Cox Marine, a leading British design and engineering innovator of diesel engines developed for marine applications globally. The CXO300 engine, a 4.4 Litre V8 diesel outboard that began development in 2010 was fuelled by Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil.

After further runs throughout the week, Adam left the record at 62.84mph.

The youngest competitor of the week was 15-year-old, Kyle Horton. Kyle, from Southport in Lancashire, had entered 3 Aquabike classes; Runabout GP3, Runabout Naturally Aspirated, and OCJSR OCJ-200 J3. Kyle has been competing in competitions throughout the year after switching to the sport from Motocross.  Kyle’s fastest run of the week was at 70.11mph which saw him establish a new British National Water Speed record in the Aquabike Runabout Naturally, Aspirated class. By the end of the week, Kyle was a multiple record holder with 2 British National and 1 World and British National record which at the age of 15, makes him one of the most decorated junior drivers we have seen at Record Week.

George Elmore was also one of the youngest competitors of the week. 17-year-old George from Kent is already the 2022 British Sprint Champion in the GT30 class and has been competing in the British Powerboat Championship throughout the year as part of the Jelf Racing team. Although it is George’s first time at Coniston, he leaves having held the British National record in the Clubman 1000 Monohull class at 51.93mph.

The fastest run of the week was by Sam Whittle. Right from Day 1 and despite the breezy conditions, Sam was making strides to claim the Formula 2 World Record which was held by his father. On Thursday morning in near-perfect conditions Sam recorded an average speed of 133.23mph making him the new World and British National record holder in the Formula 2 class. Sam, 30 from Portsmouth has been competing in the World F2 Championship during the 2022 season prior to coming to Coniston. In addition to setting a new World record, Sam also managed to set a new British National record in the Formula Grand Prix class at 133.79mph in his Baba Catamaran hull.

Also competing in Catamaran classes this week, with a combined age of 58, were Jonny Brewer, Ben Jelf and Oban Duncan.

Jonny Brewer set the second-fastest run of the week at 122.44mph which established a new British National record in the S2000 class.

Ben Jelf was putting a new F2 Mercury 200APX engine through its paces which paid off in the form of a new World and British National record in the S Unlimited class at 121.80mph. Ben also established a new British National record in the Formula 2 200 APX class at 119.40mph.

Throughout the 50 weeks of record-breaking there has been no shortage of female drivers, from Lady Arran, Gina Campbell, and even HRH Princess Anne as a co-pilot in 1991. This year Oban Duncan, 16 from Balloch, Scotland kept up this tradition in her F4 Moore-built catamaran hull. Competing in the boat for the 1^st time throughout the 2022 season in the British Championship Oban took to Coniston Water and set a new British National record at 74.73mph in the Clubman 1000 Catamaran class.

Coniston Water is synonymous with world water speed record-breaking and each year attracts international competitors to Record Week to emulate the achievements of their heroes who have gone before. This year two teams of overseas competitors made the pilgrimage to Coniston, both returnees to Record Week.

Husband and wife team, Mathieu and Tiffany Chiarini-Dutto from the South of France returned to Coniston after 5 years to attempt a record in the P750 Modified class. Mathieu and Tiffany usually race their ‘Thundercat inflatable boat called ‘Catflyer’ on the seashores around the world and are multiple French National Champions. This year the newly married couple set a new World and French National speed record at 74.58mph  

The other overseas competitor returning to Coniston for the second consecutive year is German driver Hagan Jerzynski with Co-Pilot, Stef Scheepers. After attempting a record last in a ‘Thundercat’ boat last year which ended in the boat flipping without a record, Hagan brought his solid V-hull boat called ‘Chica’.  The change in class and the thousand-mile journey from Berlin paid off as Hagan set a new World and German National record in the UIM B-300 class at 76.70mph.

The offshore classes from the OCRDA were well represented this year. The OCRDA F1 and F2 classes were both hotly contested. Unfortunately in the OCRDA F1 class none of the four entrants could get to the Current record speed of 68.17mph which was set previously by Bob McCarthy in 2021.

In the OCRDA F2 class, Robert Hingston and John Bunyan both became British National Record breakers. Firstly, the record was taken by Robert with co-driver Michelle Murray at 60.83mph. After 9 runs each throughout the week, John Bunyan eventually broke Robert’s British National record in the OCRDA F2 class at 61.28mph.

Records Week is the only event where all disciplines of powerboat craft can be seen competing in the same event, which is one of many attributes that make Records Week truly unique. One of the most entertaining classes is always the Aquabikes. In addition to the already mentioned Kyle Horton, the Record Week stalwart Graham Leech was back setting records in three classes. Graham has taken a break from competing around the world to set a new World and British National record in Aquabike Sport GP at 71.22mph along with British National records in the Runabout 4 stroke stock class at 59.59mph (a bizarre side note is that Graham’s usual race number is 59) and a new British National record in the Aquabike Vintage class at 52.71mph.

A new face at Record Week was Aquabike rider, Dale Williams. Dale from the Wirral established the fastest Aquabike record of the week at 84.33mph in the National Aquabike OCJSR OCJ-300+ J1 class.

Record Week people, you should be extremely proud of everything that has been achieved in the Cathedral of World Water Speed Records this week;

·       31 Entries

·       164 Attempts on the run

·       7 World Records

·       14 British National Records

·       1 French National Record

·       1 German National Record

2023 will see the 51^st annual Power Boat Record Week take place on Coniston Water between 30^th October and 3^rd November. We look forward to welcoming the World of Powerboat Racing back to the spiritual home of world water speed record-breaking