Nympsfield duo aiming for European success (From Stroud News and Journal)

Nympsfield duo aiming for European success

TWO pilots from the Bristol & Gloucester Gliding Club, based at Nympsfield, are hoping to add to their already impressive list of successes at the European Gliding Championships which begin this weekend.

First into action will be 25 year old Leigh Wells who is competing in the 15m Class event which is being held over the forests and lakes of southern Finland. The 15m event begins this Saturday and will last for the next two weeks.

Club mate and current World Champion, Andy Davis, is competing in the Standard Class event which begins one week later in the mountains of Slovakia.

Both pilots are expected to do well in the competition which will see them racing each day around courses that typically will range from 200km - 600km in length, with speeds of up to 300kmph being reached.

Andy is one of the most experienced competitors in world gliding. He has represented the UK at every world championship since 1981 and has twice been World Champion. He is a British team coach and is leading the team responsible for hosting the World Junior Gliding

Championships being held later this year in the UK. Andy was awarded an MBE for services to gliding in the Birthday Honour list earlier this month.

Despite being the youngest member of the British team, Leigh has already built up a wealth of competition experience. He is the current UK champion in the 15m Class for flapped gliders and has been the Rolex Western Regional champions for each of the last three years. In 2003, his last year as a junior, he finished 5th in the World Junior Championships.