Branson sets new cross-Channel record

LONDON – British entrepreneur, airline magnate and incorrigible publicity-seeker Richard Branson claimed the latest in a series of travel-based records yesterday after crossing the Channel by amphibious vehicle.

Branson, head of the Virgin Group, took a fraction over one hour and 40 minutes to make the crossing from Dover harbour, southern England to the northern French port of Calais in the futuristic-looking Gibbs Aquada. This smashed the existing record – held by two Frenchmen – of six hours.Branson, dressed in a formal dinner jacket and bow tie, joked that the record clawed back some English pride after the country’s football team lost a tantalisingly close Euro 2004 game 2-1 to France in Lisbon on Sunday.”We had to take something back from the French after last night and we are glad that we have exacted this revenge,” he said.”Maybe it is not as important as football but it feels important right now.”The Gibbs Aquada, a car that turns itself into a speedboat at the touch of a button, always looked likely to beat the record for the 35-kilometre crossing.Able to reach 160 kilometres per hour on land, the craft can touch 48 kilometres per hour on the water.Branson, 53, has undertaken a series of similar adventures over the years, breaking the transatlantic speedboat record in 1986 but failing in several attempts to make the first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon.Somewhat inevitably, before he set off Branson was keen to make a connection with his business ventures, threatening to use a fleet of Gibbs Aquadas to ferry Virgin Atlantic passengers to London’s airports.”Why not pick people up from the city in the Aquada, and if there is traffic on the roads, then they can just dip into the (River) Thames? That is something we will be offering our business travellers quite soon,” he said.- Nampa-AFPThis smashed the existing record – held by two Frenchmen – of six hours.Branson, dressed in a formal dinner jacket and bow tie, joked that the record clawed back some English pride after the country’s football team lost a tantalisingly close Euro 2004 game 2-1 to France in Lisbon on Sunday.”We had to take something back from the French after last night and we are glad that we have exacted this revenge,” he said.”Maybe it is not as important as football but it feels important right now.”The Gibbs Aquada, a car that turns itself into a speedboat at the touch of a button, always looked likely to beat the record for the 35-kilometre crossing.Able to reach 160 kilometres per hour on land, the craft can touch 48 kilometres per hour on the water.Branson, 53, has undertaken a series of similar adventures over the years, breaking the transatlantic speedboat record in 1986 but failing in several attempts to make the first non-stop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon.Somewhat inevitably, before he set off Branson was keen to make a connection with his business ventures, threatening to use a fleet of Gibbs Aquadas to ferry Virgin Atlantic passengers to London’s airports.”Why not pick people up from the city in the Aquada, and if there is traffic on the roads, then they can just dip into the (River) Thames? That is something we will be offering our business travellers quite soon,” he said.- Nampa-AFP