MARCH has been chosen to host the first leg of the 2011 UK Paramotoring Championships this weekend.

The competition will be held at Burrowmoor Fen and will see paramotoring champions from across the UK take to the skies. Amongst those visiting will be British Champion Laura Turner.

Several different events will take place including slalom races, landing skills and an economy challenge – to see who can stay in the air longest on one tank of fuel.

Host of the event, Nigel Davies, said: “This is the first time Fenland has held anything like this and we are proud of it. It’s a coup for the area.”

Davies said he thought the sport, which is similar to paragliding except with a motor, could benefit from events like these. Currently paramotoring is a very small sport, with less than 1,000 pilots in the UK.

Spectators are welcome to watch the championships, which will start early tomorrow and continue on Sunday. Off-road parking will be available at �5 a car.

Amongst the events will be a cross-country paramotor, where pilots will travel up to 50 miles while thousands of feet in the air.

Despite these heights, Mr Davies insists the sport is incredibly safe: “This is the safest form of aviation,” he said. “If anything fails you can just glide down.”