Graham Steel

Jerome

Malte

Michel and Malte

Sunday 9th September
Today saw the start to this year’s European buggy racing championships here at Pembrey Sands in South Wales. The first day of competition is taken up with the official checking of pilot’s buggies and equipment to make sure everyone is complying with the rules set down by ‘FISLY’ the governing body for racing. The rest of the day is spent as a free practise session for all pilots so they can acquaint themselves with the location and enjoy a day’s buggying without the pressure of competition.
There is lots of new equipment on the beach and this is a great day for meeting new riders, catching up with old friends and generally testing out your set up in readiness for the serious racing which starts the next day.
A short opening ceremony followed by pilot briefings and everyone enjoys a great BBQ set in the Pembrey country park which forms the backdrop to Cefn Sidan beach.

Monday 10th September
Early morning at the park and everyone is busy getting themselves ready to race. Marshals are briefed, pit area is set out and the day’s race course is being set by the organisers. The weather conditions are far from ideal and there is an air of nervous expectancy as pilots make their final decisions as to what wheels and kite sizes to make ready.

The wind is coming from the North West off the land and it’s starting to get very gusty..! The wind continues to build as the sun warms the land and becomes very thermal. This will be a very testing day for all the pilots. The pit area soon fills up with the pilots from all the different countries and looking down the beach it is a fantastic sight to see, all the different kites set out in readiness for the racing; it is truly a hive of activity in a sea of colour.
The first race of the day gets under way and with the wind coming down the beach and cross offshore makes for a long haul up-wind away from the start line. At the far end of the beach the pilots are sent out to sea to and then have a long fast down-wind leg before turning towards the land once more where they have to tackle the really dirty wind coming from the sand dunes at the back of the beach before heading once again up-wind to the start gate.

The race course is also two thirds wet and covered in ripples, the advantage of running disc wheels in these wet conditions becomes evident..!

The second race is called and the conditions remain very similar to the first race except the gusts are getting bigger! The pit area is hectic with activity, wheel changes, kite changes and some pilots changing from short lines to longer lines, everyone trying hard to find the perfect set-up to bring them success.

The course is the same for the second race of the day and with around 60 pilots in the fleet heading off once again this is a spectacular sight to see. The grey overcast start to the day has cleared giving better opportunities for the photographers to try and capture the moment. The race runs its course and is relatively incident free with fewer pilots failing to finish and less line breakages than in the first race.

The plan was to have two races per day over the week of the championships but due to the poor wind forecast for the week ahead the race organisers decide that we should make the most of the wind and try to get a third race of 45 minutes completed. The final race briefing is given and most pilots head out with 5 and 6mtr kites. The beach has now dried out and many pilots have changed wheels and are now running big foot wheels. Malte Luzt (world champion) gets an excellent start and is really flying with others trying hard to close the gap. The speed of the down-wind part of the course is blisteringly fast and fully powered at the bottom turn mark Malte has three lines break and his race is over.

Very shortly after this, disaster strikes as two British pilots both heading downwind on converging courses at full speed collide. This is a serious accident and help is on hand quickly as the race is cancelled to allow medical teams to treat the casualties.

Kevin Arlott from the Scottish team has a broken femur and is airlifted from the beach by helicopter and Greame Wass from the England team is battered and bruised but otherwise seems to be OK.
It was a sobering end to a great days racing and everyone wishes both pilots the very best for a speedy recovery.
Final results from the days racing:

Men
1st  Erwann Mievielle (Ozone) France
2nd Benjamin Bartholomeus (Ozone) France
3rd Malte Lutz (Ozone)Germany

Womens
1st Eva Schenker (Libre)Germany
2nd Annika Grab (U-Turn)Germany
3rd Karen Mansfield (PKD)England

Tuesday 11th September
Today the wind is very weak and from a similar direction from yesterday. Occasionally the winds blows well for 10 minutes or so but then dies away again leaving those who venture out with their kites stranded with lifeless bundles of sailcloth.

Shortly after mid day the organisers call a pilot meeting and decide to run a race, pilots scurry around, some in disbelief and some with trepidation but the wind gods are having none of it..!Kites are luffing and falling out of the sky all around and the race has to be cancelled.

It is a really warm and sunny day so most of the time everyone is just hanging around hoping in vain for a sea breeze to materialize but by 3pm the officials cancel the days racing.

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