News / Blog - Motorsport News

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
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I'm just back from four days spent in Alderney.

Three of my days were filled by motorsport... one was all about walking, exploring and beer :-)

Once again, this year I was touched by the Alderney 'magic dust'... whatever that is?

I can't really articulate quite what it is that makes a stay in Alderney so special and memorable but at the start of every year I seem to forget the previous years and I question whether I should commit the time and money to another Alderney motorsport weekend.

I forget what a fantastic time I always have. In fact I don't actually have a decision to make. This weekend should be the first commitment in the diary!

If you've never made a visit to Alderney - it doesn't have to be for the motorsport - you have missed out on a most enjoyable experience that takes you back a few decades to a time when life seemed a lot more simple and relaxed. I recommend it to you.

But now I'm back home and the usual pressure on time and workload returns :-(

For me this means a day spent catching up with the editing.

First examples of my three days work are pics of the Alderney Fort Corblets Sprint:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE 2016 ALDERNEY FORT CORBLETS SPRINT

I wouldn't recommend my day today as a remedy for a five-day long hangover... but it seems I have no choice :-(

I've just returned from photographing the 2016 Jersey Live Festival. This year it turned into an intense five day photoshoot and party!

The festival ticked almost all the boxes... we had lots of great performances, rain and sunshine, booze (lots), and loads of fun and pics.

But real life returns all too soon :-(

In my case this means sitting at a screen trying to focus on the backlog of edits. The list includes a Hillclimb shoot, the Vale Earth Fair (big) shoot and an even bigger two days of Jersey Live.

But before all that I have Press submissions to sort out for the Vale Earth Fair, the Motocross 2-Day meeting and a quick edit of Jersey Live!

There are also the orders that came in whilst I was away that need printing and framing.

All this is enough to send my brain into a hungover spin!

However I expect no sympathy from you as it is all self inflicted and I imagine I'll do exactly the same again next year. As long as the body holds out!

To prove that I don't give up at the first sign of a hangover I've just put up the hillclimb gallery. More to follow:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GMC&CC HILLCLIMB PICS

A couple of days ago someone asked me where I've been on holiday.

This person had (logically) assumed that as I hadn't made any major updates to this website for around two weeks that I must be lying on a beach somewhere, beer in hand, not a care in the world.

If only!!

No, the lack of updates is for completely the opposite reason. I'm stacked with work at the moment.

Now if you were to ask my missus about this she would be quite happy and content. You see, if I'm dashing around on photoshoots I can't keep a check on how much time she is spending in the summer house reading on that new Kindle I bought her for her birthday.

Now I wouldn't want you to think that I'm disliking work at the moment. Far from it. I'm someone who will always find another thing to do rather than sit around... even on the beach!

But all this activity does cause a log-jam in my picture editing and web-site updates. I have just sorted out one though. The gallery features pics of the 2-Day Motocross meeting.

There are other updates on the way (Vale Earth Fair & Hillclimb) but they will have to await my return from photographing Jersey Live together with a couple of Commercial Tallpictures jobs whilst I'm over in our sister Isle.

I must also get around to writing a Blog to celebrate the 14 MILLIONTH viewing on this website... hopefully before the counter hits 15 MILLION ;-)

View the 2-Day Motocross pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE 2-DAY MOTOCROSS MEETING

Saturday was Hillclimb day.

Got a nice ring to it hasn't it :-)

I've lost count of how many hours I've spent crouched on the grass verges of Le Val des Terres taking pics of Hillclimbs. Or how many miles I've walked carrying a weighty backpack.

I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said weeks and a few marathons!

I'm lucky that on several weekends every year I get to call the 'Terres my workplace.

In fact if the hill could be fitted with a bar with a Real Ale pump somewhere along its length I'd be very happy to call it my office ;-)

However, for now, I have to entertain myself by trying to capture the best action pics of the racing.

Unfortunately at the end of the day I have to return to my little, dark office to complete the edit :-(

But now that I've finished the edit and uploads I can go off to my actual 'Town office'.... which incidentally does have Real Ale on tap!

Hey, it's been a long dry weekend and I deserve it :-)

You can take a look at the days work by clicking the link below.
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST HILLCLIMB PICS

There was action both on the water and the shoreline of Havelet Bay for Rounds 5 & 6 of the GPA Stanley Gibbons Series of Powerboat races.

Firstly, on the water there were several more boats in the line-up than earlier races. With the return of Diablo after a new V8 engine transplant the spectators were treated to three of these crowd pleasers.... it's all about the noise me thinks!

The V8 rumble works for me, but hey, I'm biased as I've beem driving V8 AMG Mercedes for years :-)

When it comes to entertainment value there is no substitute to getting plenty race boats to the start line as there are inevitable gaps as the competitors spread out around the course it helps greatly in keeping the public's attention if there are more boats.

Races 5 & 6 were the best yet of the 2016 series. Well done guys 'n' gals.

And so to the shoreline. Well I think some stretches of the harbour walls were fully lined with photographers! This sport must be the most photographed out of all the many that take place every weekend in this Island.

So I'm sure that not a moment of action was missed!

I've just uploaded my contribution to the coverage:
VIEW PICS OF ROUNDS 5 & 6 OF THE GPA POWERBOAT SERIES

As the National Hillclimb Championship is now in its forty-third year it will be difficult, if not impossible, to find anyone to give me the definitive answer to the following question:

Were the 2016 Jersey rounds of the National Championship the best ever run up Bouley Bay hill?

The reason I ask that question is that so many 'right' things all came together on the fourteenth of July 2016.

The drivers were on top form and their cars were perfectly prepared.

The weather was near perfect... dry, warm and sunny.

The competition was 'hot' meaning the top competitors had to really push hard to achieve maximum championship points.

All these factors led to the outright hill record being smashed three times in consecutive runs as the racing came to the boil.

My memories don't go back to the first Bouley Bay National but I will be able to state that I was there... close to the action... on that legendary day in July 2016.

If you managed to miss all the excitement you can take a look at my pics. They don't give you the smells and noise that 'live' Motorsport offers but at least they will remain as a record of a great day when the competition hit the highest level.

By the way, if you (or anyone you know) wants to tell me about an even better day at Bouley Bay I'd love to hear your stories.

Please contact me here:
EMAIL A FEW WORDS IF YOU THINK THERE HAS BEEN A BETTER NATIONAL AT BOULEY BAY

Follow this link to view my pics of the 2016 Jersey National Rounds:
CLICK TO DECIDE IF THIS WAS THE BEST EVER JERSEY HILLCLIMB

Rounds 21 and 22 of the Avon Tyres - TTC Group 43rd Guernsey National Hillclimb Championship were held at Le Val des Terres on 16th July 2016 in what was the first true heatwave of the year.

After the multiple new records in Jersey just a couple of days earlier hopes were high for the Guernsey rounds but maybe the conditions were just a bit too 'good' as the cars don't reach their highest performance in such heat. This could well be why the outright record wasn't lowered this year... although it was close.

The highlight for all Guernsey motorsport fans was when Darren Warwick took an impressive second place in both run offs achieving a PB along the way. His performance was enjoyed by a large crowd of spectators who also had the chance to support the other local drivers who made the top twelve cut.

Each one of these competitors put in fantastic performances to go head to head with the very best drivers and cars on the National Hillclimb scene. So congratulations go to Darren Warwick, Nick Saunders, Chris Guille and Paul Le Messurier... you raised the Guernsey flag and once again made a local mark on this competitive championship.

I've added galleries featuring all the action and a few extra pics of the people and podiums.

Click on this link to take a look at all the pics...
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY NATIONAL HILLCLIMB

Last Sunday Soapbox racing hit St Peter Port roads at speed, literally in some cases, and I think it might become a fixture in the Guernsey calendar after so many people turned out to enjoy the fun... and ACTION... and there was PLENTY of that!!

Sunday was the first (of many I hope) Rubis Soapbox Challenge's through the streets of St Peter Port. As the sun came out so did hundreds of people to view nearly forty home-made Soapboxes take on the jumps, chicane's and bends.

The quality of builds varied from basic to brilliant. The speeds varied from tortoise to terrifying. The launches over the jumps varied from tiny to triumphant!

Now, if you're a regular visitor to guernseymotorsport.com you might be surprised that I've found room for a gallery which doesn't feature any motors, or noise and not much speed :-(

However the lack of all those things didn't stop the great action, the crashes, the red-haze and the competitiveness.

So there you have the reason I have given such big coverage in the latest picture gallery... Soapbox racing ticks all the right boxes in my mind :-)

You can view a full gallery of pics (no less than 267) here:
CLICK TO VIEW A GALLERY FEATURING ALL THE SOAPBOX ACTION

After a really grotty week of weather that messed up most of my planned work I was more than pleased to see the sun shining for Saturday's Motorsport fun :-)

As I headed to Vazon Bay for Round-5 of the Sandracing Championship I couldn't hide the broad smile on my face... I needed a break from the days of editing pics in my small office.

So my spirit is re-kindled after enjoying a few natural rays... and whilst energized I have also completed a speedy edit of my Sandracing pics which are already online. It's amazing what effect a few sun rays can have on your spirit :-)

The pics can be viewed here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF ROUND-5 OF THE SANDRACING CHAMPIONSHIP

Early on Saturday and Sunday morning as the sun rose over the misty airport I was very snugly tucked up in a sleeping bag in the back of my studio van parked in a clifftop field at Pleinmont.

Both the previous nights had been loud, heavy and just a little boozy. That's what the Greenman Chaos Festival is all about isn't it? Tradition has it that I stay on-site so I don't miss any part of the fun :-)

I had enjoyed a really good nights sleep when the phone alarm went off to remind me that two more rounds of the Stanley Gibbons GPA Powerboat Championship were about to start on the other side of the Island outside St Peter Port harbour.

If I'm honest, both mornings I just wanted to roll over for a few more hours recuperation but experience has shown me that once the sun rises the back of a black van becomes very hot very quickly... the comfort soon disappears!

So that was the motivation to get up, complete a few quick freshen-up tasks then head across the Island to photograph the Powerboat racing. Also it hadn't been missed that a couple of hours of fresh sea air would set me up for the return to Chaos later :-)

It was all worth the effort and I've just added two new Galleries of pictures displaying my time spent capturing the action... as the seaside breeze worked its wonders.
CLICK TO VIEW RACES 3 & 4 OF THE GPA POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

I've been able to make an interesting comparison over the last two weekends. This was between the equivalent Jersey & Guernsey Sprint meetings.

It was the Jersey version that I photographed first. This was purely by chance as I only found out that it was on after picking up my media pass for Jersey Folklore Festival. The Jersey Sprint happens to be run just along the road from the Festival site.

I knew as soon as I came across the closed road what was likely to be happening and naturally I didn't want to miss the chance to photograph the event for the first time. Luckily for me the Clerk of the Course recognized me as an Accredited MSA photographer and I was allowed access on to the course. :-) Thanks.

I enjoyed a couple of hours shooting and came away with two impressions.

Firstly, the access given to the public in Jersey is so distant that they really can't get a 'feel' for the speed of competitors. Maybe that accounts for the low number of spectators there?

Secondly, there was a very small number of competitors. These were predominantly bikes. Where were the cars? The cars that did race were mostly road cars! :-(

So it was easy to make a comparison to the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's Sprint just a week later.

Immediately it was obvious that there was a lot more interesting 'kit' on show. Everything from an exotic McLaren 675 LT to Dallara single seaters to custom-made Sprint Honda Fireblades to Mallocks and Westfields.... and lots of bikes too!

Then the other dramatic difference was the proximity that spectators are able to get to the 100mph+ racers. In Guernsey it is maybe three meters... Jersey perhaps twenty?

It makes a huge difference when you can literally feel the turbulence from a racing car as it punches its way through the air on a fast run. You also hear and 'feel' the noise. That's what Motorsport is all about :-)

So in this case I think it is a clear win for Guernsey ;-)

I've just added pics of the GK&MC Sprint to my Galleries. This is the first up as I needed to complete an edit for the Guernsey Press. My pics of the Jersey Sprint will follow....
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GUERSEY SPRINT


The Gallery featuring the Jersey Motor Cycle & Light Car Club Sprint has now been added. Check-out the pics here:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PICS OF THE GMC&LCC SPRINT

After a very frustrating day I think we are getting back to normal service :-)

I try to keep this site as easy to navigate and responsive as possible as there is nothing that will lose the interest of visitors quicker than slow viewing.

This is quite a challenge as the number of pictures and galleries continues to grow.

Of course the speed and reliability of the servers that host this website are essential to continued service. And from what I understand about these things (not much in my case) it was the Data Centre which caused the recent drop in service.

But we are back again :-)

So I've continued the Hillclimb updates with a new gallery featuring the Bikes. Take a look here:
VIEW THE LATEST HILLCLIMB BIKE GALLERY