UKLA Grand Prix Circuits

Lakeland & Border Midlands Northern Scotland South Coast Eastern Thames Valley Wales Wessex
 
 

Welcome to the UKLA Grand Prix Circuits page

Circuits are split into regions - please click on each region to see what’s planned for the year.

Grand Prix events are run by clubs and are part of series. They are a great way to start sailing in an ILCA fleet and compete in a one design boat where sailor’s skill is not dis/advantaged by a boat design.

John Ling

John Ling is your man when it comes to grand prix events. He loves class racing and is a fountain of knowledge. He is the UKLA National Grand Prix coordinator and he would love to work with you to make your region an active ILCA sailing region. After all, its sailors in boats and boats on the water that count. Let’s go sailing and have fun!

Ping John

Grand Prix Regions and Reps

Grand Prix’s are divided into 9 regions, of which there is a representative, responsible for collating results, and helping to run the Grand Prix’s for that region:

Regions:

Thames Valley: Andrew Hill-Smith

Wales: Iain Maclaverty

Eastern: TBC

Lakelands: Richard Benson

North: Ian Lees

Wessex: Douglas Roberts

Midlands: John Ling

South including South West, South Coast and South East: Keith McQuillin

Scotland: Duncan Hepplewhite

Good ideas for Grand prix and Super Grand Prix Open Events 

 The idea of this is to try to share good practice about running the GP and SGP events. This is not meant to say “what to do “ but more a way of saying if you want to try …… in no real order just what I have been told by people  

  • Pursuit race ILCA 4 first then other two fleets and race for a set amount of time 

  • Limit entry to a max of £15 per day (some clubs cannot do this due to overheads)

  • Prizes: make use of the UKLA sponsors and encourage clubs to get prizes in advance (a cheap bottle of wine really is not that good)

  • Make sure prizes do not just go to the front three boats. Best home boat, lady, junior, youth, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, ILCA 7, newcomer, capsize and spot prizes

  • Use a club close to two regions to be included in both series 

  • Challenge another region to a battle! One event where both areas have to turn up with an agreed set of people who’s overall points would take bragging rights to betting the other region. After the event each teams gets the results for first ILCA 7, 6, 4, lady, youth and region with the lowest points wins.

  • Have a series within the main series. Could be a junior series where 3/4 events run and a prize for the junior who wins that smaller series thus they have less and more focused mini series. Other mini series could be sea events / big lakes events / girls mini series etc 

  • Try to collect the £1 UKLA fee for prizes for the overall series.

  • A group pub quiz at lunch time… sounds silly but was great fun at a club this year.

  • A good social Saturday night for the SGP and free camping (if possible)

  • Run SGP entry via UKLA website

  • Have an overall series prise for the club who gets the most people to travel to other clubs.

  • Ask the co-ordinator for your area to push out a social media post a week before for your club.

  • Encourage people to join the UKLA

  • Get someone to do a write up, include pictures and sponsors sending to UKLA and sailing press.

  • Pair good sailors with newcomers to give tips to before the racing and at lunch.

  • Spot prizes for middle and lower parts of the fleet.

  • Buddy system, pair someone good with a weaker person to help before after racing 

  • Use handicaps for a meeting or do fleet racing if enough of each rig is racing

Remember the coordinators for each series give a huge amount of time making this happen each year, along with each club (and the clubs volunteers) and let them know any great ideas to encourage more people to join in the racing. 

Happy Sailing,

John