News / Blog - Motorsport News

The fresh air in Petit Bot valley was the perfect antidote to the hang-overs that were the result of a late night/early morning at the annual Guernsey Motor Cycle and Car Club Dinner Dance.

The usual venue of St Pierre Park Hotel was packed for this years customary celebration of the Club's packed calendar of Motorsport competitions.

You only had to look at the amount of Silverware on show (that's not the sort the ladies like to adorn themselves with) to see how busy the year has been.

Of course the Silverware was in the form that Racers love - the Cup & Trophy kind!

There were competitors from all the Club's Classes of Motorsport collecting the reward of their endevours. Every Class from Autotests, Trials, Hillclimbing, Sandracing, Grasstrack racing and Sprints had a bit of 'bling' on the table. If you've never attended one of these nights, take it from me, there had been a LOT of Silver polishing done:-)

So, to get back to my original point. This annual 'do' is the perfect chance for many competitors to let their hair down - maybe not you Tom Scott ;-)

But Tom was one of the riders to benefit from the therapeutic fresh air at today's Trials and from what I saw he was bang on form.

You have to hate how well the youngsters can recover from a heavy night. Sadly those days are long gone for me :-(

I've added a new Trials Gallery featuring today's competition:
VIEW PICS OF TODAY'S TRIALS

I hope every Motocross rider found the time to thank their MX Captain on Saturday for the amount of effort he is putting in to ensure the Championship races take place.

Jason King has had to battle against the untimely heavy rainfall which has turned the track into deep muddy puddles. The thought of pumping, sweeping and creating drainage channels in those conditions is not a very appealing one... but some-one has to do it if the Championship is to reach its intended climax.

Of course there are many other people who donate their time to allow the racers to have their fun (not that I would consider it fun to get so muddy!)

My experience of being involved in various other Clubs - usually ending up on the Committee - is that most members seem to consider it their right to turn up to an organised event, have their fun and leave without offering a thank-you or having a thought for those who make it happen.

Can I suggest that the next time you have a chance to say thank-you... just do it :-)

If the guys who organise your fun decide that they have had enough of the unrewarding work you might just have to do it yourself. Now there's a thought!!
VIEW PICS OF ANOTHER VERY MUDDY MOTO-X MEETING

The next couple of Blogs will be short and simple.

Good, I hear you say!

I've discovered a few old folders of pics that didn't make it to the web-site at the time they were taken.

So it is time for a tidy-up. First up are Karting updates:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-9 OF THE SUMMER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

I do love technology. It's just a shame that I find some of the new stuff a bit confusing... it's an age thing :-(

But every now and then I discover something that is really useful and amazing at the same time. If you've seen it all before then sorry if I'm about to bore you!

What I am referring to is the technology that I am using to type this Blog. I am in-putting this text on my Apple iPad using the web-site Admin system for my web-site. Nothing special there I hear you say.

However that Admin program is actually running on my main computer, a computer running Microsoft Windows 8. The remote Windows computer is using Firefox to access the web-site admin.... all directly form my iPad!

Oh and I forgot to mention that I'm not even in the same building as the office computer... thanks to the Internet :-)

*Just for your information*
These updates were completed whilst I was working from my 'Town Office'..... the Cock & Bull pub. Now that's worth two smiley's :-) ;-)

So all these different systems are somehow talking to each other for me. I even completed the edit of today's pics remotely. In fact I can operate all my Windows programs directly on my iPad. I'm impressed! Photoshop anyone? Or how about Lightroom?

There is just one thing left to do... now to upload this Blog.

If you are reading it then you know it all works :-)

Today's pics feature the GMC&CC Trials at Portelet. Click the link to view them:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE LATEST TRIALS PICS

Last weekend saw the final round of the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Summer Kart Championship at The Track.

With some of the Classes still up for grabs it was bound to be a lively meeting and indeed the Rotax Max Classes Champion wasn't finally confirmed until the flag dropped and a double-check was made of all the seasons points (allowing for dropped races). I think there was just a point in it giving Matt Corson the win.

After the action had completed I took pics of the four Champions and also the successful 'Karting Guernsey Team'.

Those pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE 2014 SUMMER KART CHAMPIONS & RACE 10

Today it was back to the Moto-X track for a bit of muddy action. I've already made a quick edit and the pics are on-line here:

VIEW PICS OF THE MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 7

Saturday saw me standing in a field near Icart taking pics of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club's second Grass Track meeting.

This event seems to be a perfect end to another busy Sand Racing season. Most of the Sliders made a showing. The Motocross boys enjoyed the grass/dirt track... much more like their chosen surface. And the few Grass Track cars that reside in Guernsey completed the list of competitors.

So that was day one sorted. View the Grass Track pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE GRASS TRACK RACING

Then today the same Club hosted a Trials event.

Now you may have noticed that there are very few landscape pics on this web-site. In fact I haven't been serious about taking landscape pics since my Camera Club days. Somehow I don't seem to have the time!

But today I got as close as I have in recent times. It was only whilst editing the days shoot that I realised that I had taken a few 'landscapes' (at least they feature the countryside and autumnal colours).

However there is one other small detail. There is a Trials bike in every one of the pics!

Maybe next time I will leave the bike out, but for now that's all I've got to show you.

Take a look at my Trials pics here:
VIEW PICS OF AN AUTUMNAL TRIALS EVENT

You can't beat a nice afternoon on the beach. And that was nothing like a nice afternoon on the beach!

Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining about the entertainment. Autocross racing will never disappoint on that front.

No, it was the fact that it poured down for the whole meeting!

I wont labour the point why it is so frustrating to work with cameras in heavy rain as I will only be repeating (many) previous Blogs. Suffice to say lenses, water, misting!

I'm pleased to say that I've now dried off, had a fantastic roast dinner (thanks to 'she who must be obeyed'). Add to this a couple of glasses of red wine and I'm back to being a happy chappy.

The editing has all been done in the warmth of my studio office and pics are now online:
VIEW PICS OF THE VERY WET AUTOCROSS MEETING

If there is any truth to the rumour that Motocross riders like to get their fun when it is wet and slippery then today must have been a bit special!

The heavy rainfall that heralded the change to the autumnal season meant that the dusty conditions of earlier races where a distant memory.

However for the race day there was a clear sky and quite a nice warmth to the sun that when combined with a gentle wind meant it was very pleasant standing at the side of the track taking pics.

There is no way though that I could be convinced that it was fun out there on a bike! Certain corners were simply churned, liquid mud... it was axle deep as well!

But of course this is all part of the sport and it can make for a few dramatic pics :-)

I've already completed the edit and a new gallery can be viewed here:
VIEW PICS OF THE MUDDY RACE-6 OF THE MOTO-X CHAMPIONSHIP

It's been a Motorsport 'Double Header' this weekend. Guernsey certainly knows how to put on a Motorsport event... or two!

Both main Clubs were involved with The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club first to the line on Saturday with the annual Petit Bot Hillclimb. Read my previous Blog for the story... but to save you time just think "WET"!

Today it was the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club's turn to prove that they know a thing or two about running a race meeting.

This was the second time that a Twisty Sprint has been run (exclusively for Bikes) at 'The Track', normally the home of Kart racing.

The entry numbers were disappointingly low after the Club had made such an effort to organise this 'Special'. Now I know that I'm not a racer but I do wonder why the Bikers don't turn up in bigger numbers? Sure the speeds are low - and we know that Bikers LOVE speed. But the level of riding skill needed is very high. This is a form of competition that develops a riders 'bike craft' and the best technician will come to the top.

I spoke with a couple of the fastest Channel Island bike racers and they confirmed that they thoroughly enjoy the Twisty Sprints so I think the 'no-shows' have to re-think about supporting this event next year. As I said, we know it doesn't offer high speeds... but it is still a race and that is why you get out of bed! Isn't it?

The other plus is that the competitors get lots of runs. Win, win.
VIEW PICS OF THE TRACK TWISTY SPRINT

It was only 'hard-core' racers who turned out for the very wet Petit Bot Hillclimb..... the same can be said about the photographers :-)

The last hillclimb of the season has a habit of testing our endurance, but it is always rewarding if you stick it out. This year's heavy rain at the start of the day eventually moved off and by the last runs the road was dry.

I still had a few damp spots though :-(

There is nothing pleasant about standing around in the rain trying to keep yourself and your kit dry. But I have found (having done this many times) that there is a pay-off. This comes from having the chance to capture a different dynamic element in your pictures.

It's also true that I only get to properly assess the days work when I return to the office as it is impossible to see the camera's screen whilst is is covered in the steamed-up wet weather kit.

I've now completed the edit and I'm pleased to say that there are a few keepers! The pics of the days racing are now on-line:
PICS OF A WET PETIT BOT HILLCLIMB

If the rumours going around the pits at Saturday's Sandracing are true then next years season on Vazon beach could be something worth waiting for.

It's seems to me that the last couple of Sandracing seasons have lacked a bit of 'sparkle'. Some of the old faces have been missing and the number of Slider and Car entries has dwindled. This has led to a general reduction in spectators lining the sea wall.

The thing that is needed when this happens is something new. A change that re-generates the old interest and following.

Well, just maybe, we had a sneak preview into the future at last weekends Sandrace meeting :-)

Pierre Rive turned up with a newly acquired Sidecar... well who else would be so crazy? Ah yeah, Swifty!

And only Pierre (after loosing his first 'madman' side-kick) could manage to find a replacement passenger in a pub just the night before the meeting. From what I was told the new passenger had never seen a Sidecar set-up and had to do a quick search on the Internet to see what it was all about and to pick up a few techniques.

This was surely a recipe for disaster (after all it was Pierre Rive who was holding the throttle). But no, the team went out and were in control after just a couple of laps! Now there's a first!

Do you want to know the best part about all this?

Well the rumours suggest that there may be two or even three more Sidecars lined up as 'winter projects'. Now if that comes to fruition I predict that the crowds might well return to the walls of Vazon bay.

Who would have guessed that Pierre Rive could be the Saviour!! ;-)
VIEW PICS OF THE NEW SIDECAR IN ACTION

It was a Saturday of fun and emotion for me...

My short-list of photoshoots included:

1: Photograph Round 5 of the Motocross Championship.
2: Photograph the Charybdis wreath laying service at sea.
3: Photograph Round 9 of the Sand Racing Championship.

I love photographing Motorsport and you will see that my box was ticked by the weekends Moto-X & Sandracing.

But my most rewarding shoot of the weekend only took around an hour but the memories will last me a lifetime.

I had the privilege of spending a few moments in the company of the five surviving seamen from HMS Charybdis and HMS Limbourne when they attended a 'Service at Sea' with a wreath laying from the RNLB Daniel L Gibson. These ninety year old gentlemen experienced the horror of being torpedoed then finding themselves clinging to life-rafts and debris not knowing if they would ever be rescued. Many of their comrades didn't survive.

None of us can imagine what this was like but these men have carried that trauma with them all their lives. The emotion was evident as they shared their moments of remembrance.

The survivors families who were aboard the Travel Trident were equaly touched by the heartfelt tribute. I find it impossible to put into words how I felt watching these ageing sailors recalling the memories from so long ago.

However one single short sentence that I was told after the ceremony sums up what happened that night - simply and with great honesty...

'There wasn't a single atheist amongst us on that night'

May we never forget that our opportunities to have fun and enjoy our lives are owed to the many who gave their lives and suffered hardship for our freedom.
VIEW A SMALL GALLERY FEATURING PICTURES OF THE SERVICE AT SEA

I've now added a new picture gallery with the first edit of the Moto-X Championship here:

VIEW THE LATEST MOTOCROSS GALLERY

The GK&MC Alderney Airport Speed Event was no Sprint (for me).

Friday dawned and I had a relaxed breakfast at Braye Beach Hotel (a very nice Hotel, by the way). Then it was time to hit the road to photograph the Speed (Sprint) Event up near Alderney Airport.

I packed my back-pack to include everything that I could possibly need and then started the long walk up Fort Tourgis hill. As I progressed the sun stated that it was going to make its presence known by blazing down onto the shade-less northern isle. Oh, I forgot to pack the sun-cream :-(

The trek up the endless hill sapped my energy and I was already fatigued when I reached the top. But then the action started and the adrenaline began to flow and Alderney did what it does so well. It offered its visitors the hospitality and access that make the GK&MC annual visit such good fun. The short 'track' heading away from the Airport towards Fort Tourgis Hill is fast and offers a critical heavy breaking point into a sharp right-hander. Get it right and the time is good. Get it wrong (and many did) and you will stand no chance of setting a fast time.

I have to say that this years visit was as good as any before it... maybe even better. I spoke to a couple of Alderney Motorsport 'virgins' and they were already promising to be back next year.

That should say it all. The effort and cost that we all have to make to visit our sister island are huge... but I promise you it is worth it :-)

I've now added another picture gallery of the weekends racing...
VIEW PICS OF THE GK&MC ALDERNEY AIRPORT SPEED EVENT

Alderney was as hectic as usual!

Three days of Motorsport is always going to be fun... and it was :-)

I find the weekend turns out to be quite a 'work-out' due to the mileage that I walk - always carrying a hefty kit bag. I must weigh it properly next year as I don't know the fully packed weight. What I do know is Aurigny refused to let me take the back-pack on board as hand luggage with a comment that it was 'WAY over weight!' Added to the back-pack is a Peli case full of additional lenses... oh, and a change of underwear! I don't travel light :-)

When this heavy kit is combined with walking to the events... up Fort Tourgis hill (twice)... the visit to Alderney is my best work-out of the year! And I haven't included the evening trips (again up the steep hills) into the town for a bite to eat and a few beers at 'mission head-quarters' The 'Campania'.

So it is no wonder that I need a few days rest after the annual visit to Alderney (if only that was possible).

No, it is straight to work when I return to the office. I have to edit a few hundred pics.

I'm working through them in the order that they were taken. So it is the Fort Corblet Sprint that is first online. Check the pics out here:
VIEW PICS OF THE FORT CORBLETS SPRINT

The Powerboat teams were not only competing for the title of 'World Champion' in Guernsey last week. They also had one of the most prestigious Trophies up to grab too.

The Guernsey Gold Cup is only offered to the highest level of competition and it is to the credit of the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Championship that it was considered 'worthy' of this rare honour.

It was only after the action began that we could gauge if the level of racing was good enough to award this Golden Trophy.

By the end of Race-3 the question had been answered and we were in no doubt that the standard of competition was properly World Class.

The exclusive Guernsey Gold Cup was presented at a Gala evening at the OGH Hotel. The winning team was 'YKNOT' driven by Jeremy Gibson with navigator Rob Dyke.

Take a look at the pics here:
VIEW PICS OF THE UIM WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP GALA EVENING

You might have noticed that my Blogs are getting shorter.

Some may think this is a good thing!

It's not that I don't have anything to say... it's just that I don't have the time!

I've just finished photographing three amazing UIM World Powerboat Championship races together with the associated Decorated Boat Parade and the Gala Trophy evening at the OGH Hotel.

These photo-shoots were intense and busy. The number of pics taken amount to hundreds. The time to select and edit them takes hours.

That leaves little time to talk. Normal service will return soon?

But maybe not! I'm off to Alderney for four days to shoot three full-on Motorsport Events and yet more pictures. The days simply aren't long enough... but it's great fun :-)

Pictures of the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Powerboat Championship and the Decorated Boat Parade are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF UIM WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP & BOAT PARADE

I've enjoyed another fantastic morning photographing the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Offshore Powerboat Championship.

Having been spoilt yesterday by having a helicopter at my disposal it was no step-down to have a 39 foot cruiser to speed me around the course for Race-2.

Next week is going to be one MASSIVE come-down I think. So I had better enjoy it whilst it is so good :-)

I've made another quick edit of todays pics and the Race-2 gallery is now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE SECOND UIM WORLD OFFSHORE POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

The last few days have felt like I've been holding onto the tail of a Rocket and being dragged along at an unstoppable pace! Hence my choice of this pic for the blog. Do you think it looks a bit like a rocket taking off?

I have logged only about twelve hours sleep in the last seventy-two as I juggle my photographic work between the Commercial and Elevated shoots and the fun that is photographing the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Offshore Championship 2014 being organised by the Guernsey Powerboat Association.

The Rocket ship feeling isn't too far from the truth as I spent the first race of the championship actually airborne! I was asked to capture the Powerboat action from a helicopter and it was a fantastic experience... I think the shots are pretty good too (thank goodness)!

Of course the capture of the pics is just the start to the job. The edit has to follow. You do need to shoot more pics than normal when photographing Powerboat racing (especially when using long lenses - 400mm to 600mm) as it is sometimes hard to time the shot when the boat (or helicopter) you are on is rocking wildly.

The shooting goes something like this.... sky, sea, sea, sky, boat, sky, sea, half a boat, sea... etc, etc.

So the challenge for me after the helicopter shoot was to do a very quick edit of around a thousand pics down to four hundred all in time to get to the Royal Guernsey Yacht Club to run a slide show for the racers during their evening Hog-roast.

I managed to get this sorted as I've done this type of quick edit on many occasions. For several years I have provided a slide show of the days best action for the British Sand Ace Championship and the British National Hillclimbs. Submitting work for publication has also helped me to learn how to work under the pressure of time.

However, it is always the day after that the fatigue sets in as the adrenaline is no longer running high.

But it is worth all the effort. The response to my Powerboat slide show was amazing and it is rewarding enough to be able to support the huge effort that the Guernsey Powerboat Association has put in to bring World Championship Powerboat racing back to Guernsey.

I am now looking ahead to Race two and the whole thing starting again... but this time I wont be in a helicopter... shame, I could definitely get used to that!

My action pics of Race-1 of the UIM Class3A &3B World Powerboat Offshore Championship 2014 are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF RACE-1 OF THE UIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POWERBOATS

I have a feeling that the latest update to my picture Galleries will be the first of many over the next few days!

Why? You might ask. Well the UIM Class 3A & 3B World Powerboat Championships 2014 are being held in Guernsey this week.

The Championship consists of three races and with a World Class entry the action is going to be amazing. Needless to say I will be giving full coverage.... hence my earlier comment.

If you enjoy Powerboat racing and Powerboat racing pics you will have plenty to check-out on this web-site. But, better yet, try and find time to catch at least one of the races which can be watched from the Castle breakwater. You really can't beat being there!

To start the ball rolling (and the weeks action) the Guernsey Powerboat Association held a support race for local boats not taking part in the Worlds.

I was on the water in Richard 'Turk' Vaudin's boat (thanks Turk) and captured the race which enjoyed warm low early evening light which added to the atmosphere of the shots.

Keep an eye on the site for more updates but for now here are the support race pics:
VIEW PICS OF THE UIM WORLD POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP SUPPORT RACE

I'm beginning to feel a bit like a Lumberjack.... but it's not OK!

I am currently trying to handle a serious log-jam of work!

This shouldn't be a problem really. I suppose it suggests that I have established a solid client base for my photography as the Elevated and Commercial work rolls in. Then there is the Motorsport & Gig photography as well.

However, I have always been some-one who likes to keep ahead of the game... or at least in touch!

So when I sat at my office desk this morning I wondered if things are going wrong?

A less than complete list of 'To-do's' reads something like this:

Edit eight Elevated Tallpictures shoots taken in Jersey & Guernsey during the last two weeks
Send out the Monthly Accounts
Update Galleries for:
The last two Hillclimbs
The North Beach Twisty Sprint
The Vale Earth Fair
Two Days of Jersey Live Music Festival
The West Show
Gig pics of Top Buzzer
Gig pics of Static Alice
The Tri-Ultimate Challenge

... and that list goes on!

Then add in this weeks big commitment to the World Championship Powerboat Racing Class 3A and 3B.

I think I will be unavailable for a while :-(

I have managed to tick off one from the list. Pics of the first ever North Beach Twisty Sprint are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST NORTH BEACH TWISTY SPRINT