Swindon teen heading to National Powerboating Championship final 

South West champion looking forward to the final...

Sixteen-year-old James Lawton from Swindon has beaten 10 other youngsters aged between 13 and 16 to win the south west regional heat of the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship 2011 and will be competing in the final at the PSP Southampton Boat Show on Sunday 18 September.  

At a fiercely fought event hosted by the Royal Torbay Yacht Club last Saturday (27 August), James posted a time of 1:28:00 – beating Morgan Peach (14) of Torquay into second place, and Jamie Dawson (14) of Lympstone into third. This was the first time he had entered the competition, and he is therefore “over the moon and looking forward to the final.”  

Challenging conditions

The event saw a total of 25 youngsters in two different age groups battling gusty winds and showers as they raced the Rigid Inflatable Boats around a course laid to the seaward side of Haldon Pier in Torquay.

Younger age group

The winner of the 8-12 age group was Jonathan Wills (11) of Paignton, who posted a time of 1:58:66, beating George Turgoose (12) of Lympstone and Cody Griggs (10) of Brixham by a considerable margin.  

The Honda RYA Youth Rib Championship, sponsored by Honda and Ribcraft, is a National Championship in which 8-16 year old RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) drivers can demonstrate their boat handling skills in a race against the clock in the hope of winning a 5m Ribcraft or Honwave T40 for their club.  

David Hodgkinson, Marketing Communications Manager for event sponsor Honda said: "We are extremely proud that in 10th year of sponsoring the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship, we continue to inspire and encourage more young people than ever before to pursue their passion for boating, and also give them the skills to do so. It allows us to underline our commitment to safety and best practice, something which we take extremely seriously as a major manufacturer of engines and inflatables."  

Thanks to Championship sponsors Honda and Ribcraft.  

Find out more

For more information about the Honda RYA Youth RIB Championship, details on how to get involved and a list of regional finals scores visit www.rya.org.uk/go/hondayouthrib