The European Air Racing Championship is a handicapped air race arranged by the Royal Aero Club Records, Racing and Rally Association.
History No sooner had aircraft developed to the stage that they would stay airborne for predictable amounts of time, than pilots had started to pit their skills and aircraft against each other both personally and on a national basis.
Schneider Trophy Whilst the Schneider Trophy is probably the epitome of air racing involving the most technically advanced aircraft, it soon became obvious that, with so many different types in development, there would have to be some form of handicapping of aircraft to level the playing field.
King's Cup Race The modern-day handicapped air race began in 1922 and was sponsored by King George V — called the King's Cup Race. In 1931 the rules were re-written to allow for what might be termed amateur pilots to compete and those same rules still apply today. The King’s Cup was the first and only air race to receive royal patronage.
Records Racing and Rally Association Whilst this was a British phenomenon, the handicapping concept has been used to stage races worldwide. Especially popular in the technologically superior Europe, it became known through the Royal Aero Club Records Racing and Rally Association. This organisation runs an annual programme of 14 to 18 races at seven to nine different venues, mainly in the UK but at least two or three in Europe.
European Championship In 2000, the organisation launched a European Championship aimed at attracting a wider audience of European competitors. This championship is run within the Royal Aero Club RRR’s normal season of races but the champion is the pilot/navigator combination that scores the highest number of aggregate points over 6 races held at 3 different venues. These venues have included the UK, France, Spain, the Channel Isles, Ireland and the Isle of Man.
Winners Year Pilot Winning Aircraft 2000 Geoffrey Boot Beagle Pup 2001 Robert Miller Slingsby T67 2002 Robert Miller Slingsby T67 2003 Peter Earp Beech Baron E58 2004 John Kelsall RV7 2005 John Kelsall RV7 2006 Peter Earp Beech Baron E58 2007 Peter Earp Beech Baron E58 2008 Alistair Allan SIAI Marchetti SF260 2009 Craig Beevers SIAI Marchetti SF260 2010 Robert Callaway-Lewis Auster 2011 Geoffrey Boot SIAI Marchetti SF260 2012 David Moorman CAP10B 2013 Dan Pangbourne Grumman AA-5B Tiger 2014 John Kelsall RV7 2015 Bob Ellis RV8
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