Mazda Aerobatic Scholarship Winners Triumph In British National Championships

DARTFORD, UNITED KINGDOM – July 21, 2009: The Mazda sponsored British Aerobatics Foundation (BAeF) Scholarship scheme proved effective for the two 2009 recipients at the weekend, with both winning their respective classes in the Mazda Junior National Aerobatic Championships at Conington airfield in Cambridgeshire.

Ben Thompson, 25, a corporate finance associate from Manchester, triumphed in the Intermediate class flying his newly acquired Extra 230. Victory came after a hard fought contest with German pilot Marco Kalweit who finished just 7.02 points out of 4,000 ahead of the British pilot to take gold. However, Ben took the national title as the first British national.

“I wanted to finish in the top 10,” said Ben Thompson. “Last year I finished in 11th place and my objective was to better that position, but to take the title was a huge bonus and really validates the BAeF scholarship programme and demonstrates that the extra funding from Mazda is getting results. My sights are now firmly set on advancement and securing a place in the British team in the near future.”

Emily Todd, 25 and a civil servant from London, took first place and the title in the standard class flying a Pitts Special beating off strong competition from 17 other pilots. The result made more impressive by the fact that it was just her second powered aerobatic competition.

“Having won the Mazda BAeF scholarship I was hopeful of a reasonable result, particularly after taking fourth place in my first aerobatic competition earlier in the year,” commented Emily. “The Mazda scholarship has enabled me to progress much faster thanks to the intensity and level of the training it provides. I am very grateful to Mazda and the British Aerobatics Foundation for the all support they have provided. I had hoped to do well but to win the Mazda Standard National title was incredible, it now means a step up to intermediate for next year and hopefully on to represent Britain in international competition.”

Both pilots won the Mazda BAeF scholarship earlier this year and have benefited from the extra training that the Mazda sponsorship has provided.

“The purpose of the scholarship is to accelerate training for young pilots who show talent for the sport,” said David Cowden, founder of the BAeF. “The aim of the BAeF is to provide the training and opportunity for pilots to eventually represent their country on a World stage. The fact that both Emily and Ben won their class in the Mazda National Championships demonstrates that the scholarship works and the training we are providing is effective.”