EuropaClassicRace.com
Title
Pigeon Sport Promotions Europa Classic One Loft Race
Description
September 2002
Many months ago, Derek Nicholls (Europa Auctions) managed to find a superb ten-acre site in Peterstone (in between Newport and Cardiff, South Wales) to put up a specially designed 138- foot pigeon loft to host the above-named new one-loft race. The magnificent loft was designed by Derek himself but was built by Norton Lofts, West Midlands and can house in excess of 750 pigeons. It was delivered to the quiet and secluded site in December 2001 and duly erected on a concrete plinth, an aviary added at a later date. The race was advertised and promoted at some of the winter trade shows and the entries started to come in slowly.
Derek asked Paul Smith of Regency Lofts fame if he would act as Race Co-ordinator and also do the administration side, as he had so much knowledge with these type of one-loft races literally all over the world during the past 20 years. Paul has held the Race Co-ordinator's position in scores of International one-loft races and he duly accepted and agreed to work closely with Derek and notify and keep all competitors up to date of the progress of their pigeons. Frank Harper MRCVS, a most respected pigeon veterinary surgeon and author was appointed. He was to make regular visits to the loft during the period the pigeons were in training and use his vast knowledge to keep the entrants in tip-top form for the task in front of them. Darren Harrold from Deister Electronic had promised to supply and fit out the loft with the Unikon Electronic Clocking System which could be used to collate all the training, ‘Hot Spot Races’ and ‘Final Race’ information. This would then be forwarded on by Paul Smith to all the competitors on a regular basis. Brian Wall from Gem Supplements also assisted us as a sponsor and offered to supply all the veterinary and medicinal products that the pigeons required during their time in the loft. He also very generously offered to supply enough Beyers pigeon food to keep the pigeons in first-class condition right through the training and race programme. A race programme was drawn up by Derek Nicholls who would act as Loft Manager. Derek was without doubt a champion in his own right when he was racing his own team of pigeons. He won the federation many times with young birds, including 1st federation six consecutive weekends running against more than 2,000 pigeons in each race.
With this quality team in charge, the training and races could only be a success and this proved to be the case, with competitors telephoning on a regular basis and thanking us for the newsletters they received after each ‘Hot Spot Race’ prior to the ‘Final Race’ taking place. This of course gave competitors confidence to pool their pigeon/s in the ‘Final Race’. A total of 200 pigeons were actually originally entered and these were whittled down to about 120 before the major training started. The programme included daily training, gradually building up the distance on a weekly basis, providing, of course, that the weather was favourable.
