SIR GEOFF SPARKS SUPPORT FOR READING POWERBOAT DUO
World Cup legend Sir Geoff Hurst, MBE, has thrown his weight behind two Reading businessmen who are racing on behalf of international children's medical research charity, Sparks, in the Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship.
Amidst all the World Cup hype, Hurst, Sparks President in 2010 and leader for the charity's team at this summer's BG Energy Challenge, praised the efforts of Robert Booker and Martin Wild's bid for British powerboating glory. He said: "More power to Martin and Robert for their high-speed efforts for Sparks. It is exactly the kind of sporting challenge that fits in with Sparks' sporting heritage and the race to save precious young lives through vital medical research.
"It is also contributing to the important challenge of raising awareness of Sparks through the splendidly-branded Powerboat on the circuit and via the media coverage it attracts."
Wild and Booker work for a natural oil and gas exploration company, The BG Group, and are racing in the UK's most exciting new motorsport at Grand Prix of the Sea events across Britain and Ireland between May and October.
Powering full-throttle at jaw-dropping speeds and tackling the ever-changing currents in some of the UK and Ireland's most challenging waters, adrenaline-junkies Wild and Booker charged their way to fourth place at the Galway Grand Prix of the Sea in their first-ever race.
Both gentlemen share a similar passion for living dangerously. Wild once rowed across the Irish Sea and will take part in the Round Ireland Yacht Race later this week, whilst Booker's fascination with motorcycles - he has four in total including two Harley Davidsons - keeps his engine ticking along albeit making him unpopular with his wife.
Among the two pilots' extravagant purchases, the Flying Sparks powerboat has to top the list. After watching a high octane highlights showreel on the P1 SuperStock Championship website, Wild and Booker took little time to sign up to the new series. He said: "I've driven boats since I was eight but I didn't need an awful lot of persuasion after seeing a video of the powerboats in action."
Since becoming an independent charity in 1991 Sparks has committed almost £19m to cutting edge medical research for children. What makes Sparks different is that it is the only UK children's charity whose sole remit is to fund research across the whole spectrum of paediatric medicine, rather than being a singe issue charity.
Sparks research covers such diverse areas as childhood cancers, cystic fibrosis, cerebral palsy, club foot, juvenile arthritis, muscular dystrophy, spina bifida, the many dangers associated with premature birth and much more.
Having worked with Sparks for several years, both Wild and Booker noticed the amazing opportunity to give something back to the charity whose research puts them at the cutting edge of medical science. Booker said: "It was a great chance for us to feed our adrenaline-fuelled appetites and promote the charity at the same time.
"The BG Group has had an affiliation with Sparks for a number of years and we believe that racing in the Powerboat P1 SuperStock Championship is not only a great way to get other people interested in the sport, but also raising awareness and helping generate some fundraising opportunities for Sparks too."
Regardless of this year's results, the dynamic duo's commitment to Sparks and Powerboat P1 is long-term according to Wild. He said: "We want to get this year under our belt and find out how competitive we can be. Hopefully with a bit more training we can be hugely competitive and make sure Sparks is on top of the podium."
