Diary
Guernsey - the finals!
15 Sep 2005
In case you have not already heard - WE WON!!!!
Libby and I are the 2005 British Honda Powerboat Champions!
It was an incredible weekend! Below is part of the official Honda Press Release which sums up the weekend and then - if you want to - you can carry on reading my waffle!...
'Team Raymarine' wins Honda 225hp powerboat championship.' The only all-girl Honda Formula 4-Stroke pairing, Shelley Jory and Libby Keir in 'Team Raymarine', won the final round of the 225hp series today (September 11) to claim the 2005 championship title.
Jory and Keir started today's race just three points ahead of the team that has dominated this year's 225hp contest, Rob Lister and Will Nocker in 'Fat Boy Racing'. Lister and Nocker were favourites to win the title as the fourteen teams arrived at this weekend's Condor Ferries Grand Prix of Guernsey, but their retirement yesterday and a fifth place today forced them to settle for second overall. Two phenomenal wins by Jory and Keir gave them their first ever championship title.
"I can't believe it," said Jory, "we'd given up on the title and were really trying to consolidate second or third overall. But after yesterday's victory we knew the championship was in our sights and that it was all down to today's race. There was so much pressure on us and I was feeling sick with nerves this morning. But then everything just went right for us in the race. We got a good start, took the lead at the first buoy and then just had to hold onto it. When we saw the chequered flag we were elated. It's been an incredible season and we've got the result we were looking for. Fantastic.”
Race Day 1
The weather was perfect and conditions were excellent in Guernsey. We had an enormous entourage of supporters with us, including our coach Neil Holmes, Libby's Mum, Dad and sister, and lots of friends who had come over in their own boats. Even the local fishermen were all rooting for us!
We had a good start and took the lead straight away, but were being chased very closely by Warmup who was determined not to let us girls get ahead. Unfortunately R2 Composites barrel-rolled on the first lap after their steering broke. Both crew members were unhurt but were in the water on the racing line…safety always takes precedence and all race boats were red flagged to stop. We couldn’t believe it – it was agonising as we thought that might have been out ‘great start’ taken from us. The adrenaline drained from me, but Libby was fantastic and as we drove back to the muster area for a re-start she encouraged and convinced me I could do the same start again… and we did! In fact it was an even better start than the first one – and we went straight into the lead. Everything worked perfectly on the boat and we lead from start to finish. On top of this excitement, we already knew that to keep our second place in the championships we needed to win the race, but when we saw that Fat Boy Racing had retired on the second lap, the championship was within our reach again…
As most of you know, I had not been expecting to drive in the last race. At the beginning of the season, we had arranged for James Shepherd (last year’s champion) to drive with Libby. I was due to fly to Harrogate for the International Trade Bridal Fair – a very important work commitment for me! But when I explained the situation after the race to Mum and Dad (already on their way to Harrogate with Michelle, a member of our staff), they told me to stay and win the championship!!! Mum and Dad – I want to thank you so much. Although you were not there with us in Guernsey, your support has been overwhelming for the past 8 years of my racing career - you won this championship with me!
So, having decided to stay, I needed poor Neil to move the seat back into position for a 5'.4" driver as opposed to a 6'.2" driver. James was fantastic – he took all the changes of plan in his stride, gave us a hug and told us to go and win the title that he had held for the past 2 years. Thank you James – you were a star.
Although the pressure was on, we did manage to celebrate our first win that night at the best Honda Party yet – the Last Night of the Proms! Bangers and mash, Union Jack flags and hats, silly games and singing along to the radio broadcast of the concert in Hyde Park. It was another brilliant idea and perfect organisation by Karen from F4SA.
Race Day 2
Libby copes very well with nerves - she always eats a good breakfast on race day. I, on the other hand, force a banana down. On Sunday my nerves were worse than ever. We just about managed to stay focused in the morning. It was important for both of us to chill out and stay away from the pre-race banter, " wind is getting up, going to be rough out there" and "Fat Boy Racing have got a new engine on after yesterdays damage and it is going 3mph faster" etc. It is so easy to be influenced by this, but Libby dragged me away and we waited quietly for the biggest race of our lives!
The wind was increasing all the time and the weather was deteriorating, but it was comforting to see how nervous all the men were too - lots of cigarettes and trips to the loo!!
We had a good start, but so did Negotiator and Heights of Abraham and we ran the whole start run to the first mark together. At that first mark Libby made a great call and we managed to take the lead as we rounded a very nasty corner. We were now in clean water and we knew it was all ours if we could hold everything together for the next 13 laps! We spent a lot of time discussing when to take our pit lap and managed to come to the perfect decision - increasing our lead even more!! When we saw the chequered flag and crossed the line we were too stunned for words! A first for Libby and I!
The reception we received as we moored up was fantastic. Crowds of people greeted us. Julia Bradbury and the TV crew were elated for us, and there were lots of joyous tears and hugs - it was an amazing moment!
On top of that, the podium managed to be even better. Not only had we won the 225 Championship overall, but we had also won the Four Nations Trophy, an extremely beautiful award presented to the 150 or 225 team with the most points. You can see Neil proudly holding it in the pictures attached. You will also see in the photos where Libby and I look like drowned rats…this is thanks to our male competitors deciding to give us a Champagne shower…we didn’t even have a chance to get the corks out of our bottles!!!
So here we are! Four days later and we are still grinning!! I did make it to Harrogate by Monday lunchtime and managed to buy some lovely wedding dresses. Libby stayed in Guernsey and packed up our winning boat and got it safely on the ferry home.
This weekend we will be at the Southampton Boat Show for more press interviews - how can we cope with the fame?!? I will be reporting from the boat show for BBC Radio Solent from 6am tomorrow morning, so if you are up listen in! The Honda Powerboat Championships coverage will be airing on Channel 4 over five weeks in October. We will let you all know the dates and times asap. Don't forget to look at www.keith-slater.org.uk for more great pictures of the past weekend.
Libby and I have huge plans for next year, and I am sure there is plenty more press to come following this win - watch this space and we will keep in touch over the winter.
Finally, we would like to thank everyone for all their help and encouragement over the past year - you are all champions and part of Team Raymarine!
