fastonwater

Born: 10.01.68
Started racing: 1980 (in NT7)
Retired: 1991

It all started for Phil in 1975, when his father joined the Essex Powerboat Club as a ski member, but soon became rescue for the powerboat racing. A short while after Phil’s mother became the secretary for the club. This left Phil in the pits and at age 11, he "helping" the club's top driver Ken Deller.

For Phil’s 12th birthday, Ken bought him a junior boat; it was Owen Jelf's Phantom Yamaha, and this was when Phil’s racing started. He competed in the Essex Club Championships and won it in 1980. In 1981 he also raced in the British Championships, remembering, ‘I think I was last in every event with this very out of date and under powered outfit.’

Phil’s dad then bought a Dart/Mariner off a club member and the whole outfit was stripped, modified and rebuilt, and just needed a paint job. Fortunately through Derek Lee, Phil was offered a paint job from Jack Barclay/Tissot, and he could run as part of the team. He recalls, ‘without even having the chance to drive it, we went to Teifi for the first round of the 1982 British Championship and I came second in the first national. At Exeter later that year in a tight dock course which was quite rough but suited my boat and setup, I won two of the four heats. I finished second in the British Championship in 1982 and won the Essex club championship too.’

Phil had the same outfit for 1983 with the same result at the end of the season – 2nd in the British Championship.1984 and at 16 Phil was now too old to race juniors. His dad was unable to support his racing in seniors and he became pit crew for Andy Clark; going to various events over the next 4 years until 1987. In ’87, at the London Dock race Phil bought a Bristol monohull, and at the end of the season bought Dave Giggins' 60 Yamaha to race in T750.

Phil Recalls his frantic efforts in 1988, trying to get his licence endorsed for international status by the time of the Bristol Grand Prix. ‘I had to go through the whole process of the club racing to get the national licence, then the national's to get the international licence, I would do a club race at Iver on the Saturday, then off to Stewartby on the Sunday for another club race.’

Phil ‘fondly’ remembers the ’88 Bristol race. ‘By June I had done it, I was able to race at Bristol. It was an amazing feeling coming out under the swing bridge, looking up at the massive crowds; anyone that drove there I'm sure would agree. I was at the back of the field on the Saturday and the boat was taking a hell of a bashing, as was I; your back and kidney area in particular are affected. The boat was delaminating and in the last heat on the Saturday the thrust block broke off too. Sunday arrived with the boat patched up and a rapidly made thrust block; and I was on the start pontoon for the final heat. Unfortunately with only a bit of guessing as to where the engine should have been trimmed because we didn’t have the old thrust block to measure from, the engine was trimmed out a bit too far and the boat was just leaping out of the rough water and with one lap to go it landed on one side, throwing me out.'

So with a new boat bought from Andy Walder – a light weight Bristol – the national season continued. This particular year the World T750 Championships were being held in Southport. Phil wasn't in the British team (only 5 per nation) but he was in the national event, which he says, ‘I was lucky enough to win.’

Then to London Docks and again another major event. ‘I was now in a competitive outfit and was racing with the top guys in this class but in the third heat a collision between myself and Jon Kendrick ended my weekend's racing. I borrowed another heavy Bristol to finish the season. I then went to the Paris six hour race as part of the pit crew for formula 4 drivers Dave Giggins and Jon Swarbrick, and this was another amazing major event. We ran like clockwork, every hour changing driver and refuelling to take the win in the formula 4 class.'

In 1989 Phil bought Colin Jelf's Burgess that he broke the world F4 speed record with, and an old Johnson 75. ‘Unfortunately the motor frequently let me down and after failures at Carr Mill and Oulton Broad as well as the London Club, Phil Duggan loaned me a 70 Yamaha. I was now able to compete mid pack and was improving my driving every race. The major event for me this year was the Southport European Championships. It was run differently to what I was used to; instead of heats it was one 45 minute “Grand Prix”. With the entrants expected to be way over the water approval limit for the event, I went just hoping to get in the race. Qualifying was also different with each driver doing one flying lap on his own to decide the grid. I was towards the end of the timed runs and when I got back to read the grid positions I started looking in the “failed to qualify” section. I wasn't listed – great that means I'm in, and to my amazement I was 9th. On the Sunday the time came for the race. After the start I settled in behind Jon Swarbrick, a proven driver and continued to click off the laps, then the leaders came up to lap me. The Italian who was out in front passed me and as we went behind the second island his boat just broke up in front of me. Later Ken McCrorie hit some debris just after lapping me and his right sponson came off. At the finish I was 7th but Tim Rienman who finished 3rd was removed from the results because of an infringement in the pits and I was credited with 6th.'

1990 and Phil had to return the motor to Phil Duggan. With the rule changes coming for 1991 requiring all formula 4 boats to have a safety cell, Phil decided to save up for a new hull for the ’91 season. ‘Dave Giggins borrowed my Burgess and won Bristol with it and then I sold it to a London club member whose son was going to do club racing with it. I did have two outings this year in the last round of the British Championship at Nottingham in a T850 Blu-fin/Yamaha that Chris Tricks had bought. I think I qualified in the top 3, lead off the line for about half a lap, then dropped to second but after a few laps a blade came off the propeller forcing me to retire. I then got to drive Owen Jelf's boat at the last club race of the season at Stewartby finishing 3rd.'

In 1991 Phil acquired Colin Jelf's 1990 cell boat. ‘I’d been saving hard and bought the hull; Andy Elliot had given me his old cell suit but still no motor. Ted Jelf let me have one of the Jelf team motors and I was to pay him for it at the end of the season.’

The first national was Oulton Broad, again now a 45 minute race and around 15 entries. ‘I think I was last on the first lap but slowly I started picking off the other boats and with only a few minutes left of the race I was 5th. I noticed as I was catching the driver in 4th, that he was always wide into the Wherry turn, so as I ran down his outside by the park I waited to see his rooster tail drop when he backed off for the corner. I dived through it but this time he had gone in tight, the turn buoy was directly in front of me and I went straight over it, ripping the powertrim ram right off and leaving the engine at 90 degrees to where it should have been. Then onto Fairford. I was left on the start because, unknowingly the accident at Oulton had damaged the bush in my prop and when I went to go off the line the prop didn't drive. Then in the next race, probably due to over revving when the motor was out of the water in the Oulton crash, the middle piston came through the side of the block. The Jelf team repaired the motor for me in time for the next Faiford race, but unfortunately with no sponsor and no money left this was to be my last race.’

‘Without the help and good sportsmanship from people like Ted Jelf and his whole family, and many others, I wouldn’t have raced at all in the senior classes and be a part of this spectacular sport.’

Phil, aged 10 or 11, with Ken Deller at Grangewater.

Phil's 1982 Jack Barclay Tissot sponsored Dart/Mariner.

1982 Junior Nationals write-up.

Letter from Phil's 1982 sponsor, Jack Barclay European.

Phil's 1988 Bristol Yahama.

The 1991 Jelf Selva.

Paris, 1988. From right: Dave Giggins, Phil Lagden, John swarbrick, Peter Beard and ?