News / Blog - Motorsport News

The Annual 2-Day Trials meeting was organized by the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club last weekend.

I managed to get down to some of the sections but was limited for time this year. There seemed to be a good turnout of riders including visitors from Jersey, France and the UK.

It was a shame that the weather wasn't warmer with less wind as some of the conditions at exposed sections were pretty grim for the Marshalls. I hope their grit and stamina was praised by the competitors... it's never much fun sheltering from the wind and rain when you aren't taking part in the Trials action.

Even though the obvious, comfortable option was to stay at home there were good numbers of spectators spread around the sections and they were rewarded by some great riding.

An early springtime date for this meeting always runs the risk that it might be spoilt by inclement weather. But I've taken a look in previous years galleries and sometimes we've been treated to fantastic conditions. You really never know what you'll get with British weather!

I've just added a new gallery featuring pictures of the 2017 2-Day Trials meeting. Follow this link to view the pics:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2017 2-DAY TRIALS

Now who am I kidding? Summer is not here yet :-(

It might have been Round-1 of the Guernsey Autocross Club's summer Banger racing championship today but unfortunately one summer race doesn't make a summer.

So I'll have to wait a bit longer for the long hot summer days but there's no need wait for Motorsport action.... Beach Banger Racing supply's it by the beach bucket full.

When a photographer is offered so much action to capture there's no problem filling a gallery with pics. The proof is now online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF RACE-1 OF THE SUMMER BANGER RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

My work-time has been a bit disrupted recently as I've had to commit more and more hours to the care of my father.

It has been a challenging time trying to fit everything from a 'normal' work and home life around the substantial hours spent caring for my dad.

My father is now over 90 and up until recently he has managed to look after himself... with a lot of support from me. But as time marches on things change and during the last few weeks he has had several falls which have knocked his (and my) confidence in his ability to live alone.

However I'm really pleased to say that after I've stayed with him nearly 24/7 for the last week he is now getting back to normal and is getting stronger again. We have also had fantastic support from all the Guernsey Social Services... from Carers, Fast Response Nurses, Social Workers, St Johns Ambulance, A&E, Doctors.... the list could go on. Thank you all.

This whole episode has caused me to step back and re-asses what is important in life... what is really important to me. I have realized that spending so much time with my father has meant we have strengthened our love and friendship in a very special way. It has been very rewarding.

But, away from that commitment life has to go on and whilst it has been challenging in every way I think a care plan is now in place. I think dad will be able to remain at home - which his wish.

The lack of free time and the stress of trying to keep dad safe are now the main factors that we have to address going forward.

What this ramble is leading to is explaining why it has taken more than a week to update a gallery featuring Round-6 of the GVC Winter MTB XC. I've now sorted this out and you can view the pics by following the link.

Going forward is a bit of an unknown. I'm intending to stay fully committed to the caring of my father and fit as much photography around this as I can. You'll maybe have to be a bit patient if the updates are a little slow sometimes.

Thanks to everyone for the continued support and interest in my pics... life goes on... it's just a little different :-)
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND 6 OF THE GVC MTB XC SERIES

Just a quick couple of links to more sports action pictures from the weekend.

On Saturday it was Round 2 of the GK&MC Motocross championship held on the track at Pleinmont... and it was nice and sunny! The pictures can be found by following the link below.

After I had photographed a couple of the races I had to head off to the next assignment in St Peters. This was a football match between Sylvans and Saints. Those pics are also online.

Click below to open the Galleries:
CLICK TO VIEW ROUND 2 OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP
CLICK TO VIEW SYLVANS v SAINTS FOOTBALL

The chilling wind at today's Autocross meeting kept most of the spectators hidden in their cars - who can blame them!

The lucky people (or well organized) who turned up early enough were able to claim the 'ring-side seats' in the car-park overlooking the action and they could watch the racing in comfort with their car heaters on!

It was the Marshals and photographers who had to make sure that they put on an extra layer or two of clothing to keep out the icy blast.

But it was worth making sure I was dressed in the thermals as there was plenty of action to photograph....

My pics are now online in a new gallery. You'll notice the shortage of spectators lining the top of the beach!

We must keep our fingers crossed for a warm and sunny day next meeting as the best way to experience the noise and drama of Banger Racing is to be outdoors and Chouet beach offers a natural 'stadium terracing' giving the perfect view-point.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CHILLY AUTOCROSS MEETING

Due to other assignments I only made a short stop-off at the Motocross track on Saturday.

I'd made the drive out to Pleinmont as I didn't want to miss the first Round of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's 2017 Motocross Championship.

It's always interesting to get an early view of the racers as there are always a few changes in the line-up during the break.

Young riders move up Classes as they get older and stronger. New bikes are on show... will they produce the promised increase in performance?

You would be right if you told me that it is too soon to predict this years champions but I'm still going to back one young man who showed enough class on Saturday that it already seems likely he will be in the final running for the prestigious A-Group MX-2 crown.

I'm going to go on record (after just one meeting) as saying George Symons will be the young man to watch this year in the A-Group MX-2.

Make sure you pop back here at the end of the season to see if I have a proven eye for spotting talent :-)

My action pics of the Motocross are now online:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND 1 OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

Well, no surprises eh! It is the Winter Kart Series after all!

Round-2 of the 2017 Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Winter Championship at The Track started off very wet and ended just damp. Just like this photographer!

My day had actually started off at 7.30 am when I was up by the reservoir for the start of the Guernsey Triathlon Club's Reservoir Duathlon.

At that early hour things were very unpleasant for the competitors who had to endure two running sections split by a lengthy bike ride. It was the ride that really took its toll as the athletes got very cold due to the torrential rain and wind chill from the icy wind.

Taking pictures in such dreadful, dark and wet conditions meant I struggled to get any decent shots. Persistance is the only answer to that problem... combined with good waterproofs and an endless supply of dry hankerchiefs for the lenses - both camera and spectacles!!

I'll add a few pics of the Duathlon to a Gallery later.
UPDATE: DUATHLON PICS ARE NOW ONLINE HERE

Back at The Track the changeable conditions meant the racers had to adapt to the track each time they went out. This was great experience... especially for the Cadets who produced some exciting racing.

The Kart pics are now online here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-2 OF THE WINTER KART SERIES

Variety is good. It keeps things interesting.

However I don't like to stray too far from certain favorite themes... one of them is action photography, of course!

This morning the 'Action' mix included Round-3 of the Guernsey Velo Club's Mountain Bike Winter Cross Country Series sponsored by Ian Brown's Cycle. This round took place in the challenging pine forest at the Guet.

The course offered steep slippery slopes, tight bends around knarled tree trunks and longer level straights. However there were always tree roots laying in wait to throw off the riders.

The track challenged even the most experienced riders but all this didn't put off a sizable entry. I have a feeling this particular genre of cycling is going from strength to strength.

I only managed to find time for a short shoot at the MTB before I had to leave to cover the first of the Kart Club's Winter Championship at The Track.

Two things really struck me as I photographed these two events one after the other.

One was the contrast in noise levels. The Guet was a peaceful place to be - even allowing for the shouted support being given to the competitors from spectators. At the Track it was all about the sound of revving engines. That's the 'variety' I mentioned before.

The other thing that struck me was that one aspect was just the same between the events. That was the competition.

All sports have this same intrinsic element. Competitors want to be first. They want to be a winner and this wish drives everyone taking part to push their performance further every time they compete.

Oddly, this even rubs off on me. I'm actually a very competitive person. I've always managed to turn anything I've done into some form of competition. There's nothing more certain to get my competitive nature buzzing than when I see another DSLR camera lurking in the bushes :-)

Competition is usually good for us as it makes us push ourselves beyond where we were comfortable. We try and find a new level of achievement, hopefully! We're all winners then.

My pics from these two events can be viewed by following the links. Maybe they are just a little better than they would have been without the competition ;-)
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND 3 OF THE WINTER MTB SERIES
CLICK HERE TO VIEW RACE 1 OF THE WINTER KARTING CHAMPIONSHIP

My 2017 Motorsport season began last weekend with a GMC&CC Trails event.

This All-Day meeting was based around the beautiful setting of Fauxquets Valley.

I was unable to spend much time on the sections as I had other work booked but it was long enough to find out how muddy some of the tracks leading to the sections were. It was quite a surprise as Guernsey has just experienced one of the driest Decembers on record.

But somehow the mud was deep, sticky and very slippery!

Now, I'm never the most steady person when its slippery underfoot. When I'm also carrying a few grand of kit up and down the slopes trying to find the best angle I'm just one slide away from an expensive accident!

That's not mentioning how dirty the result would be!

Last Sunday there was an extra twist to my trying to keep on my feet.... and clean.

As I mentioned, my day's work consisted of photographing several other events. These were public affairs that required me to be fairly smart... definitely not covered in smelly mud.

As I made a couple of visits to the Trails between the other shoots I was swapping wellies for brogues with a practiced touch. I even managed to keep my hands clean... and more importantly the cameras, lenses and trousers.

It was worth all the effort though as I have been eager to get back to the Motorsport photography after the winter break. Looking at my calendar I'll be busy most weekends from now on so keep a look-out on this website for my regular updates.

You can view a few pics of the All-Day Trials here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE GM&CC ALL-DAY TRIALS

I love round numbers. Numbers like one million, one hundred, ten… in fact any number that ends in noughts. The more noughts the better though!

There is something nice and tidy about a number that ends in a nought.

I’ve no idea where I get the passion for numerical tidiness from as my office desk is proof that I don’t carry this zeal for tidiness into all aspects of my life!

But I won’t let that small fact spoil the pleasure I felt when my website viewing passed another significant mark… another of those cherished ‘round numbers’.

In fact I’m celebrating two new markers in one this time around. Just how happy can a photographer be???

The celebration comes as this website's total picture views passed through the FIFTEEN MILLION mark…. that’s SIX NOUGHTS you know ;-)

By coincidence this also marks a new record for the number of views within a twelve month period. In fact it is just eleven months since the website views passed ELEVEN MILLION, so for the first time, I have had more than FOUR MILLION views within a year.

That deserves a smiley face :-)

When viewings passed the THREE MILLION annual total I commented that it probably wouldn’t be repeated but now I’m getting cocky and have set myself the challenge of breaking an annual FIVE MILLION views.

To achieve this I don’t see any time in the near future when I’ll find a moment to get around to tidying the disorderly desk…. But that’s fine as ‘tidy’ round numbers will keep me happy ;-)

Thanks for the continued visits to view my pics. It is you who make up the numbers.

You can view a few of the old ‘Milestone Millions’ Blogs by following this link:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS 'MILLION' BLOGS

The last Motocross meeting of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's 2016 Motocross Championship was an exciting event as the final places were fought for.

Once again the weather turned out to be just about perfect with the overnight rain leaving the track in near perfect condition.

All the extensive work that a small band of helpers had done over the summer break on laying out a new track has certainly paid off. The re-designed corners and jumps have offered a new challenge to both racers and photographers as we all took time to find the fastest lines and best photographic angles.

These changes can re-invigorate all of us when the motivation starts to drop. Also the fact that most meetings have been dry and mild also helps I guess ;-)

I've added a new gallery featuring the final Race-8 of the Championship. Check-out the pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE FINAL MX RACE OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP

On a sunny day in the wooded Dos D'ane valley everything is as pretty as a picture.

With the leaves taking on their autumnal colours and the low sun I almost broke one of my 'mantra's'... that is that I don't take 'pretty' pictures anymore!

That all changed when I took up photography as a full-time occupation.

Back in my RPS and Camera Club days I took as many landscape, sunset, sunrise, flower, wildlife pics.... (you get the idea) as any other hobbyist photographer.

Somehow that has changed now that a lot of my work is to a clients strict brief. My other two specialties - Music and Sport photography also don't offer many chances to make a 'pretty' picture.

But as I edited the recent Trails meeting held in the Dos D'Ane valley I noticed that I was getting close to making a 'pretty' picture - all by accident - as natures colours were beginning to glow.

In the end the pics I ended up with were still just motorsport pics but I loved how the seasonal colour added a bit of zing to some of the shots.

You can view the pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW TRIAL PICS WITH AN AUTUMNAL GLOW

In the 'old days' when November was just around the corner we weren't surprised if conditions started to get dull and overcast.

We could expect to have to add an extra layer of clothing to keep the chill of the sea breeze at bay. There would be little encouragement to go down to the beach... except for dog walking.

However nowadays the calendar date is no way to predict what the climate will have on offer. This is perhaps the influence of global warming on the weather? Who knows for sure?

So maybe it was that climatic effect that played a part in giving the latest round of the 'Winter' Autocross championship a very unseasonable feel.

On Sunday it was a glorious warm and sunny morning down on Chouet beach. My guess is that if the noisy Banger racing hadn't taken over the sands for the morning a few swimmers would have taken advantage of the lovely day.

But they were restricted to the equally pleasant afternoon as Round-4 of the Winter Banger racing championship churned up the sands in the morning.

I was out in the sun taking a few pics of the action. Check them out here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-4 OF THE AUTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP

A late update... so it's a quickie :-)

I'm on the road early in the morning so it has been a rush to get today's (actually it's now yesterday's) Motocross Gallery online.

The job's now a good'n as a complete Gallery of all the action from race seven of the GK&MC Motocross Championship has been selected, edited and uploaded.

It's been a rush but the pics are here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE MOTOCROSS RACE-7

Tarmac and sand wouldn't normally be used in one sentence when talking about motorsport.

But this is Guernsey and we do things a bit differently over here :-)

On Sunday those two contrasting surfaces both featured in my mornings photography.

Luckily the two events were timed with just a small overlap allowing me to get along to both of them.

First up it was tarmac that offered a track surface. This was at the aptly named 'The Track' for race eight of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's Summer Kart Championship.

Following on from this it was time to head off to the sands of Chouet Beach where a track had been marked out for race three of the Autocross Club's Winter Series.

So in just one morning I was able to enjoy two wildly contrasting events... in fact perhaps the only similarity was that it was motorsport so the competitors were fired up with only one thought in their head... TO WIN!

These races are always entertaining and I recommend them to you if you're looking for something different to occupy yourself with on a Sunday morning.

Follow these links to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE KARTING PICS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE BANGER RACING PICS

The final two races in the Guernsey Powerboat Association's Stanley Gibbons Investment Powerboat Series couldn't have been more different... bearing in mind they were separated by just twenty-five hours.

To be honest, race one of the weekend was a bit of a miserable affair when judged from a photographers point of view.

A dull, overcast sky will only offer a grey coloured sea. Also the colour of the race boats loose any 'zing'. And of course during the race the grey sky fulfilled its promise by adding a few heavy showers into the mix.

So perhaps we just need to forget race one!

That is because Sunday's race two turned everything on its head. When I first arrived there was no guarantee that the sun would appear. The sky was grey again. But as the minutes passed by, so did the cloud.

Photographers turned out in numbers... where were you all yesterday, eh?

We were given just the sort of light we like and we all snapped away.

It was nice to end the busy season on a sunny high. Next year is just around the corner. It's already expected to be one of the best ever as World Championship racing will return again to Guernsey's waters in 2017.

My two days of pics are now online:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LAST TWO POWERBOAT RACES OF THE 2016 SERIES

Sunday was another busy Motorsport photography day.

First up was the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club Twisty Sprint at The Track.

The event was sponsored by Channel Island Fuels and gave the Motorbike racers their first try of the new Track after the re-design and re-surfacing.

Whilst the essential layout remained as before a new complex that now includes a tight hairpin corner added to the challenge as the correct braking point would be critical to achieving your best time.

The riders had what seemed like an endless number of timed laps and were kept very busy with the continual swapping of tyre warmers.

In the end I made two visits to The Track - split by a trip to Chouet to photograph the Autocross Banger championship.

These two events completed a busy and varied weekend of motorsport - in the dry!! A welcome change to Saturdays damp Petit Bot hillclimb.

I'm working through the edit and have just added a gallery featuring the Twisty Sprint. I'll add another link to the Autocross Bangers when they are also online.

Follow the links to view the pics:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE TRACK TWISTY SPRINT


The Autocross Banger racing galleries have now been updated with pics of Round-2 of the Winter Championship:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST AUTOCROSS PICTURES

Petit Bot Hillclimb 2016 turned out to be an event that tested my patience and stamina! I will explain more below.

This end of season Hillclimb is a bit of an odd one in the calender.

Firstly no formula single-seater's are allowed to race. This automatically excludes some of the fastest racers.

Then you have the challenging and narrow track (maybe the reason the single-seater's are banned) which most years really is green.... a motorsport term for a track that hasn't been rubbered in by regular racing.

But when the term is used for Petit Bot hill it is because the road surface actually is green! This is caused as the damp tree-lined valley receives little direct sun and a layer of fine moss covers much of the road.

The thing about the Petit Bot Hillclimb is that sometimes it turns out to be a seasons highlight.

But then sometimes it is a bit of a damp flannel (maybe an oily rag would be a better motorsport term)?

2016 was one of the non-vintage years. The event suffered from many delays which were only dampened further by a few showers that lasted just long enough to be uncomfortable.

Now I should also add to these comments that I haven't gone soft. Delays and getting wet are all part of sport photography. I've enough stamina left to handle a bit of that :-)

What really finished off a rather flat day for me was that after spending an extended time on my Petit Bot picture edit (longer than usual due to the low and varied lighting) I somehow managed to loose the full two hours work by pressing the wrong button in Lightroom!!

When this happens at 1am in the morning you know you've had a bad day which just got badder :-(

So the edit had to be done again... this time making sure to be more careful which buttons I pressed!

The jobs now re-done and the pics are online:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2016 PETIT BOT HILLCLIMB

Sometimes even the best plans go wrong.

That almost happened to me today when I arrived at The Track to capture Round 7 of the GK&MC Summer Kart Championship.

I was a bit later than usual as I had to finish an edit that needed to be submitted before a deadline. Normally I would still be in time to capture plenty action... but not this time!

With just two Classes racing and a meeting that that had clearly run very smoothly there were just the two finals to go.

So it was action stations and finger on the button with no time to waste.

It seemed that before you could count ten laps it was all over :-)

As I'm still trying to work out the best shooting angles for the new track layout I need all the track-time I can get.

So I've made a note in the diary for the next race meeting: 'Must not be late'.

My pics are already online here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-7 OF THE SUMMER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

Somehow life always seems to find a natural balance... even when it comes to my funtime/worktime equilibrium.

It seems that whenever I find time for a bit of motorsport action photography there is always a payback lurking just around the corner!

This shouldn't be a surprise for me, after all I've been in this game for over a decade now.

But, like a well earned hang-over, after the fun comes the less welcome recovery.

With photography this is represented by the picture edit. An unavoidable outcome after the fun part of taking the pics.

So there we have it. I've been lucky to spend three days in Alderney photographing the motorsport weekend. So when I returned home there was no way of avoiding the extended edit.

There is good news though. I've just completed all the picture galleries and I didn't even need the help of any painkillers!

They can be viewed here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ALDERNEY FORT CORBLETS SPRINT
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ALDERNEY AIRPORT SPEED EVENT
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE ALDERNEY FORT TOURGIS HILLCLIMB
[url]