Round 9 of the National Championships was started under a very overcast sky and in between rain showers that lifted mid afternoon.  With a rising tide and a stiffening breeze, the sand bars were coming into play making conditions very tricky for all Zapcat teams in both divisions.

Last years’ championship runner up Neil Frazer and Jeremy ‘Naz’ Nazarin were making their first appearance of the season and were out to prove that their goal of getting back into the top flight before the last race is achievable by winning their heats early on going toe to toe with Who the Hell.  Local boys Westgate were working hard to find their winning Barry form and the remaining Relentless teams of Exe Jets, Rusty Racing and the Dangerous Brothers were all having a great afternoon.

As the weather improved and the beach filled with spectators, the breezy and choppy conditions were making for some very exciting and entertaining racing including a few spills which the Rescue & Safety team were taking in their usual stride and professional manner.

In division one Bluesheets I were joined by Bluesheets II & III who were making things difficult for Team Championship rivals BladeRun and Delta Jets.  After a disappointing Prestatyn; Greg & Kieron Richardson in Team Suffolk were also back on form, so were Speedy Hire with Rookie leaders SeaVacation II putting in some great heat finishes too.

It seemed no matter how well or badly each team was doing everyone was enjoying themselves in fact Sandra Sidney seemed to have a huge smile all day – guess that just sums up Zapcat Racing some days it is bad, others good and some well all you need are those perfect choppy swell conditions, some wind, a fantastic beach, great crowd, sun on your back and a race day and it does not matter!

DIV 2    1st PatioDoorStore.co.uk 2nd Who the Hell 3rd Westgate Buildings
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DIV 1    1st Bluesheets I 2nd Speedy Hire 3rd Team Suffolk

Round 10 started following a brilliant night of Live Music from Anton and guests including Craig Davis on vocals (it made his Mum’s year – she is not fussed about all the GP and Championship wins).

Racers and officials faced very flat conditions, a sunny day and a slight breeze, a total contrast to the preceding day, after a couple of heats a leg of the extended pit lap was removed preventing any issues with potential stray swimmers as the sun heated up and the beach became even busier. 

Racing was back to its best as the tide covered the last sand bar with close contests between all the teams in both divisions for the next couple of heats.

Unfortunately for Speedy Hire and co-pilot Sam Hunka their weekend ended prematurely after hooking a turn, Nine Lives following closely behind but with a clear line ahead suddenly had a Zapcat sideways on to him; in front and faced with nowhere to go except up and over aided by a wave.  The Safety team were at the scene immediately and racing was halted whilst Sam was treated and taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

For everyone who watches or is involved in any sport, there is the intense excitement and enjoyment of the action and drama but it is also those fortunately fewer tense moments and hushed minutes whilst someone is attended to , followed by that surge of relief when the okay is given that is the fascination and hook of any sport.
 
Sam has informed us that he is unlikely to be racing for the rest of the season but is looking forward to watching the next GP from Aberdeen online and will probably still be trying to give Daren a few pointers via the Instant Messaging! 
 
We have received so many messages and phone calls regarding the incident, in particular passing on support and best wishes to Sam and Daren and praise for the professionalism of the Rescue & Safety team in how quickly they reacted and dealt with the situation.

Racing continued in a slightly subdued fashion for a while until teams realised that there were still places in the finals to compete for and that Sam had the all clear from the hospital.

The Division 2 final line up was almost a repeat of the previous day but a glancing of a buoy by Exe Jets and a ruling by the officials saw race leader PatioDoorStore.co.uk also disqualified; after the restart the outcome swung in favour of the Welsh Barry Island specialists Charles and Ed Morris, closely followed by Who the Hell and Mail Agent.

Westgate and Who the Hell finished in joint 6th over the weekend a very creditable performance from the top of Div 2.

Division 1 final proved to be equally dramatic with BladeRun taking an early lead from rivals Bluesheets I, which they held into the closing leg of the last lap and were less than 200 metres from the finish, when their team mate Delta Jets aimed for a nonexistent gap as Bluesheets III held their line and Ashley and Chris went for a swim!

Bluesheets I could not have lost the Barry GP from the previous days’ results unless they had a disastrous finish to the restart but this season has seen them take three wins from the mistakes of others and deny both BladeRun and Delta Jets round wins as a result as well as valuable extra points and possibly a GP or two. 

It was all very close and a round of applause for both finals along with much cheering echoed around Whitmore Bay and Barry Island beach.

With a Bluesheets I & BladeRun first and second, special mentions must go to Andy Foster piloting Dangerous Brothers for his first podium of the year whilst his usual co-pilot and brother Ben was watching online from Kuwait on his Birthday; as well as to Nial Hoddinott and Aaron Joyce in Bluesheets III, Nial’s highest finish ever in any weekend of third overall tying with Team Suffolk.

Another special mention to Nial again, for lending a hull to a fellow competitor and keeping them going for the weekend and to a podium finish; surely a contender for a repeat win of the ‘Racers’ Racer Award’ or maybe even the Commando Trophy?

Our thanks as always must go to the sponsors and supporters of the Grand Prix, the Vale of Glamorgan Council along with the residents and visitors to Barry Island who really have embraced Zapcat Racing and the championships, many of whom travelled across Wales for the event.

We look forward to returning in 2011 and watching the coverage on Sky TV and Channel Five later this year.