Beaverbrooks's UIM presidency bid

[Ben Mazur]

Lord Beaverbrook would like to be the next President of the UIM. His own National Authority the Royal Yachting Association would not support him so he took advantage of his dual citizenship and received the support of the Canadian's to put his name forward. His views and plans make for some interesting reading.

The full text can be read here-
http://www.worldofpowerboats.com/Manifesto.html

[Ben Mazur]

A mistake in my previous post. I just heard that as of October 3 the RYA is supporting Lord Beaverbrook's bid and as of today, the nominations and their supporters are:

Canada/United Kingdom Lord Maxwell BEAVERBROOK
Egypt Nicolas IOANNOU
Estonia Riho UURING
France Jean-michel BARGIARELLI
Italy Raffaele CHIULLI
Turkey Ugur ISIK

[Dr Speed]

I like this part the most
"I would also like to encourage a real World Championship by improving relations between the APBA classes and UIM classes, particularly in Offshore Class1, and some circuit classes."

Would love to see class 1 over here. The new supercat 850 class is pretty close.

[Rupert Munro]

Well I'd like to see Class 1 back here! Damn fighting is just crippling the sport.

[shifter]

Looks like he has an agenda to move forward.

The race venues with multiple race types works real well. Sea fair in San Diego is done that way and it is one of the best races of the year. They have hydros big and small, offshore, skiffs, flatbottoms, jetskis, sst45, drag boats and the freakshow in the beergarden.

Sounds good so far.

pat W

[ciao]

The truth of the matter is this;

Powerboat Racing is a very expensive sport.

You will never have a "Staircase of Talent" as proposed. (point 9) http://www.worldofpowerboats.com/Manifesto.html

My boy was the youngest ever to do the measured mile on Lake Windermere at the age of eight years of age.

Cool! Nice certificate, signed by Princess Anne.

Got him a dinner suit and tie to pick up his award at the RYA ball.

What's next?

I finance him through his school years to go "K Class"

Not sure I understand that bit of the manifesto.

[ciao]

The most disturbing "Staircase of Talent" I ever saw was in Cape Town in 2002.
I was staying in a hotel, where international powerboat racers from circuit and offshore racing were staying.
I had to leave my room late one night to buy some smokes.
Got into the elevator to find an 8 year old black kid in there.
I asked him, "What are you doing in here at this time of night?"
He explained to me that he had never slept in a bed before, let alone a hotel and just couldn't sleep.
I said "ok, but why are you here?".
He had been picked out of a township, driven to Cape Town, "shown" how to drive a little powerboat, and then was told that he was going to race against 13 or 14 similar lads the next day.
Of course all the politicians were there "showing off " the future of SA.
I got my smokes, took the kid back to my room, and got my girlfriend to make him up a little bed on the floor, he fell asleep straight away.
I met the SA Sports Minister in the bar the next night - but thats another story!!

[Cookee]

I remember all of that - and I was only thinking of it the other day because they mentioned on TV that Rugby as a "white" sport - I remember thinking how it looked like S.A. were sorting out the race thing with what most would think of as a very elitist sport, but the South African Formula one (forget his name now) guy seemed very genuine?

[ciao]

Peter Lindenberg - LINK (http://www.southafrica.info/ess_info/sa_glance/sports/greats/lindenberg.htm) yep it was the rugby that reminded me of the story too.