TOSSING pancakes is one thing, but tossing pancakes high in the sky is a whole new ball game.

Does gravity become an issue? Will those in charge of the frying pans have to worry more about wind speed?

And what about turbulence? Will the batter-based treats suffer under extreme conditions?

These are all serious questions that needed answering by staff at the seafront i360 yesterday as they marked Shrove Tuesday.

Armed with four pans, and a pile of pancakes it was a race to the death. Well, not quite death but certainly around in circles.

As the pod climbed to 450ft above Brighton, they raced around the circular viewing platform flipping pancakes as they went.

Steve Bax, executive director, made it to the final against Simon Hughes, head of facilities and maintenance. Mr Bax said: “The pancake race was a great bit of fun to start the day.

“I thought I was doing well but a last-minute slip of the pan and Simon had won.”

Complementary pancakes were available to anyone ordering a breakfast muffin from the brunch menu this morning.

Elsewhere across the region some planned outdoor pancake challengers were hampered by adverse weather conditions.

The association between pancakes and Shrove Tuesday may have arisen as it permits foods which are discouraged from being eaten during the Lenten season, such as butter, eggs and fat.

The specific custom of Christians eating pancakes on Shrove Tuesday dates back to the 16th century.