English title to Chch rider

Press, 28 August 1986, Page 24

English title to Chch rider

NZPA staff correspondent Peter O’Hara

London The Christchurch wetbike rider, Ken Chandler, survived “hurricane” conditions on the River Thames to win the English championship on Tuesday. Chandler narrowly beat the top English rider, Mervyn Phillips, and “atrocious weather” after retrieving his bike from below a wave on one lap. He recovered to get back past Phillips, who was second ahead of another Christchurch rider, Anthony Williams. Chandler, aged 28, said the event should have been cancelled because of the torrential rain and wind gusts from the tailend of Hurricane Charlie which hit England on August Bank Holiday week-end. “Several bikes blew to bits because of the constant jarring,” he said. ‘Tve never raced in a hurricane before. We held a meeting and the second day should have been cancelled, but we decided everyone had come so far from ail over Britain for it.” Chandler and Williams were fourth and fifth after the first day of the two-day event, contested by 20 bikes. The field was whittled down to seven for the last winner-take-all race. The wind was swirling around the 2km course in London’s dockland, creating 0.5 metre waves on the Thames. Rain was driving in hard on the wetbikes a combination of power boat, motorcycle and water ski. “We were mainly in the air, just revving the guts out of the machines,” Chandler said. He and the Englishman were within a metre of each other for the five laps, apart from when the Kiwi sank briefly. “A wave submerged the bike. I couldn’t see a - thing, my helmet and goggles were ail fogged up. I thought it was all over. “Fortunately I managed to hold on to the bike and it came up out of the water.” The Englishman went past Chandler while his bike was submerged, but the Christchurch rider caught him on a corner and beat him by about a metre. “His bike was faster, but mine cornered better.” The result for Chandler and Williams is their best in international competition. They will go on to the United states in i search of big prize- ] money. > “We put in a lot of 1 work and training for the < English nationals and I this result is very pleas- f ing,” Chandler said. He won a trophy but no 1 prize-money on the 1 Thames. He and Williams i had been invited to i America to compete in t the nationals in late Sep- i tember in Arizona. “The Ameicans offer $U525,000 i ($NZ51,250) for the < winner.” I