The 2011 Tony Marsh Trophy

Posted: Wednesday 9 November 2011 by Mark Kinnon in Labels: , ,
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A week ago I found myself suprised to find out that I was the recipient of The Tony Marsh Trophy for 2011. It is a rather splendid silver object presented by the SkiBob Association of Great Britain for the "Best First Time Racer". All this was a result of my unexpected involvement in the FISB World Cup as featured on the SkiBiker SkiBike Blog here
Now there have been some cynics who have suggested that it is a hollow victory when you are the only first time racer in the UK in 2011; which is a moot point.

In any case it wasn't my intention to brag, more to bring to the attention of readers in Great Britain that the Trophy will be up for grabs in 2012.

You need to be a member of the SkiBob Association of Great Britain, you need to know how to skibike and you need to enter a race, it really is that simple. What other sport can you participate in recreationally and find yourself at the starting gate with the best in the World? It doesn't matter if you're a pegger, but you will have to don footskis as it is in the race regulations, you shouldn't find it that difficult to convert. You can even hire a skibob for the race from a local team.

You can find out more about racing at the British SkiBike Racing website and let's see some competition for the Trophy in 2012.

This could be you - British SkiBike Racing

Lastly, for those of you who haven't heard of Tony Marsh before here is a quick history:
Anthony Ernest "Tony" Marsh (20 July 1931 – 7 May 2009) was a British racing driver from England. His Formula One career was short and unsuccessful, but he enjoyed great success in hillclimbing, winning the British Hill Climb Championship on a record six occasions.
Tony Marsh raced against such people as Stirling Moss, Graham Hill and Jack Brabham in the late 50s and early 60s. He took part in the famous 1957 German Grand Prix (famous because it was Fangio’s last win and favourite race) and the 1960 Le Mans 24 Hour race where, with John Wagstaff, he won the Index of Energy award in a Lotus Elite
As a septuagenarian, he also remained highly active in numerous other sports – notably ocean sailing, windsurfing, hydroplane racing, shooting and ski-bobbing (or ski-biking). He was a driving force behind ski-bobbing in the UK, a European champion and world championship bronze medallist in the sport and a long-time chairman of the SkiBob Association of Great Britain. While winning the seniors' trophy at the ski-bob British nationals 13 times from 1975-91, he was often fastest on the course. He declined, however, to claim the title of overall British National Champion, preferring to encourage the younger competitors.
You can read more here


Tony Marsh

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