'Top Gear' stunt revealed for Bournemouth Air Festival
Bosses hope this year's event will be another big success
A Top Gear themed high-octane stunt in the air and sea has been revealed ahead of this year’s Bournemouth Air Festival.
Sunseeker’s high performance day boat, the Hawk 38, will be pitted against aerobatic plane G-JPIT, in the new Sea and Sky Sprint at the UK’s best free air, land and sea show this September.
G-JPIT is a custom built, highly modified Pitts Biplane that gives it enhanced manoeuvrability and unparalleled power-to-weight ratio.
Meanwhile the Sunseeker Hawk 38 delivers an incredible top speed of up to 70mph (62kts).
The Sea and Sky Sprint will take place on Saturday September 3 and Sunday September 4 of the four-day festival.
Bryan Jones, Marketing Manager at Sunseeker International, said: “We are delighted to have helped put together this incredible stunt which will see the Hawk 38 being driven at its limits across a 1km slalom course just in front of the beach, while the plane will be following both a horizontal and vertical flight path in an attempt to cross the finishing line first.
“Given the agility and performance of both machines, it’s going to be an exceedingly tight race.”
Jon Weaver, Air Festival Director said: “We are delighted that renowned aerobatics pilot Rich Goodwin has agreed to take on this exciting Sea and Sky Sprint challenge. He has had a regular presence at the Bournemouth Air Festival for a number of years performing mind-blowing aerobatic stunts in his muscle biplanes.
“The Air Festival provides a great platform to showcase the prominent international status of local brands including Sunseeker International, based in Poole. We are looking forward to our partnership going from strength to strength and we cannot wait to see this spectacular demonstration play out on sea and in the air.”
Cllr Beverley Dunlop, Portfolio Holder for Tourism, Culture and Vibrant Places, said: “Now in its 14th year, Bournemouth Air Festival is the biggest date in the area’s calendar.
“This Platinum Jubilee year, the festival is not only a chance for residents and visitors alike to celebrate, it also represents a major opportunity to showcase local businesses and for traders to get in front of consumers.
“In 2019 Air Festival made a major contribution of £32m to the local economy attracting over 600,000 visitors, retaining its reputation as an important attractor event for the region.
“With stunts like this Sunseeker and muscle bi-plane on the display programme to draw in the crowds, we hope this year will be another huge success.”
Retired RAF pilot Richard Goodwin, who will be flying the Sabio Group-sponsored Muscle Biplane, G-JPIT, will be pulling off some dare-devil loop-the-loops and barrel rolls at between 200ft and 1,800ft as part of another individual display during the air show.
He said: “I am very excited by the challenge of doing something a little bit different at the Bournemouth Air Festival; an event which is a real highlight in the UK Air show calendar and one that I look forward to each year.
“We aim to push the boundaries of science, technology, engineering and mathematics to create a unique experience and I am passionate about inspiring our future STEM aviators and engineers.
“Taking on the incredible Sunseeker Hawk 38 at Bournemouth Air Festival is a great opportunity to push the boundaries of aerobatic flying once more. It’s shaping up to be a wonderful occasion!”
Across the weekend a myriad of exhilarating aircraft will rip through Bournemouth’s skies including the RAF Typhoon and The Battle of Britain Memorial planes – the Spitfire, Hurricane and Lancaster.
The Bournemouth Air Festival will run from September 1 and September 4.