News / Blog - Motorsport News

A few of the Guernsey Power Boat Association's races have fallen victim of the poor weather that we have endured this summer. So it was a treat to have reasonable conditions for Race-8.

I have not been able to photograph every race this year... I did try a couple that were cancelled after I got very wet whilst waiting for a race start in a small Rib with waves rolling in! Never a good idea with several grands worth of lenses and camera getting wet:-) I also missed a couple of races whilst I was photographing Jersey Live and a Hill Climb.

The latest race was quite a spectacle with the course bringing the racers close to the St Peter Port harbour walls which provided an ideal viewpoint. The 2012 season has show-cased some close racing and the seed has been sown with a few new competitors for next year. Let's hope we get an 'old fashioned' hot summer in 2013 :-)

Race-8 pics are now on-line:
Power Boat Championship Race-8

As the Hill Climb season nears its end for 2012 I have been reflecting on some of the performances I have seen this year.

The records have been lowered in such numbers that it has probably created a new record of its own!

The quality of driving. The standard of preparation of Cars, Bikes and Karts and the total commitment shown by competitors places Channel Island Motor Sport way up the 'league' when it is judged against other National venues.
Motor Sport has also shown that it is near the top when judged by the level of performance compared to other local sports.

There are probably few sports that demand such brave commitment. It is also an expensive activity to compete in - particulaly when many of the younger participants have families to feed!

The Alderney weekend always makes me aware how many people have to be involved with a Motor Sport Club to make everything happen. Guernsey is spoilt by having three well run and supported Clubs.

May I suggest that any racer who has enjoyed the 2012 season should take a moment to thank the Committee members and many helpers who make all this happen. That way we can all look forward to even better racing days ahead ;-)

Alderney Hill Climb pics are now on-line:
ALDERNEY HILL CLIMB 2012

Well what can I say? Party on..... Disco dancing & smoke. Only the disco lights are missing!
Whatever music these guys are listening to it must be loud ;-)

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club have just returned from the Annual visit to Alderney. This is a highlight of the Channel Islands Motor Sport scene. There is no doubting that any competitor who makes the journey must LOVE their racing.

The logistics, cost and effort that goes into setting up a safe and successful weekend of Sprint and Hill Climb racing 'offshore' is massive. The Committee and all the many helpers and supporters are to be congratulated on another well run event.

Of course we were over in Alderney for the racing but the weekend always offers far more than that as all those involved mix for the social side as well. An outbreak of 'Alderney Flu' is the usual outcome by Sunday morning!

There was another helmet-full of new records.... something we have come to expect this year. Both events are extremely fast and inevitably attract the 'cream' of the racing scene. To watch this action from my privileged (and close!) viewpoint is quite astonishing. A certain red BMW paid me a rather close visit at the Hill Climb. I was most disappointed that no-one in the crowd of spectators got a picture of me legging it! I guess you have to be a 'pro' to keep clicking when it all 'kicks off', ha, ha!

In fact, on this occassion, even I missed the actual crash as I was breaking the 30 metre sprint record. Good job a 100 metre sprint wasn't needed - at my age!

It must have been a 'Red Car' thing this year as Tim Le Pelley had a big moment (actually it was more like five!) when his once beautiful Mini rolled over at the Sprint. He walked away having reaped the benefit of his careful car preparation. We were all very relieved.

I am now working through the weekends pics. First up are the Fort Corblets Sprint pictures.
PICTURES OF THE 2012 ALDERNEY SPRINT

With the previous Guernsey Kart & Motor Club Sprint at Vazon coast road being cancelled due to atrocious weather it was a relief to see near perfect conditions this time :-)
There was a good turn-out of competitors who enjoyed their track-time.

The speeds were phenomenal. How do you fancy 142mph over the quarter-mile finish line in a 'home-made' V8 powered chassis? If you want to know how that sort of speed feels along the substantial 'bend' that makes up the section on Vazon coast road you had better ask Scott Rayson. It was his 6,800cc custom-made car that did it!

This finishing speed was matched by FTD biker Adam Girard.
Adam also beat the 10 second mark with a time of 9.97. Again this represents a really 'ballsy' performance considering the bend, the changes in level and cambers. I'm impressed!

A gallery of pictures is now online. As always I have more pictures than get uploaded. Give me a call or e-mail if you want to view all your racing.
GK&MC SPRINT 08-09-2012

We all turned up at the bottom of Le Val des Terres with a weather forecast predicting rain. 'Not another wet one' was the pessimistic talk in the pits!

How wrong we all were. Whilst it was never blazingly hot, the track conditions must have been pretty good as the records dropped like the proverbial Autumn leaves. I think 10 new marks were set!

FTD went to Darren Warwick (just!) as he was pushed hard by James Shorto who pushed a little too hard on his last run... but the competition is so tight at the top they you won't be fast enough unless you are racing at the limits.

New record breakers were Tia Harvey, Matt Corson, Scott Rayson, Tim Le Pelley (for a few seconds before being retaken by Ben Batiste!), Tim Torode, Dale Crowsley, Steve Marquis and John Dunne.

There is one new record holder who needs special mention. Chris Guy lowered one of the longest standing records in the Racing Cars up to 600cc Class. The old record was held by Nick Saunders who is not known for being slow!

I am going to claim a vested interest in Chris's result as I have supplied a few close-up pics of the suspension working hard whilst cornering - this helps with perfecting the set-up. There can be no doubt that I can share the new record (not taking anything away from Chris's driving of course).
OK, lets just call it teamwork ;-)'
Long may this record stand!
Pictures are now online:
VIEW THE LATEST HILL CLIMB PICTURES

Saturday was spent on the beach. This is always a good idea on a sunny day, but if you are like me it is even better when you are inches away from racing Bikes and Cars.

There is a certain adrenaline rush that comes from the noise and speed and the 'edge' you stand on when surrounded by barely controlled racing machines. You have to keep your wits about you - and use the eyes in the back of your head (all motorsport photographers have them, take a look next time you see one!)

There was a reminder very early in Saturdays meeting that Motor Sport is potentially a dangerous and costly pass-time.
Martyn 'Rocky' Guilbert was involved in a nasty accident. First rumours were that he had broken a collar bone and had damaged an ankle. We all hope he makes a quick recovery and returns to racing again soon... although his bike was badly damaged - just to rub salt into his wounds. Think many £££££'s!

I have added new Sand Racing pics here - but no new ones of 'Rocky'. His racing was over before I even got there!
VIEW THE LATEST SAND RACING PICS

I also photographed the Karting at The Track on Sunday morning.
No major mishaps to report from here :-)
New Karting pics are here:
VIEW THE LATEST KARTING PICS

What problem? I hear you say.
Well, of course if you were a racer you were rewarded for the extra effort put in to get the racing up Les Val des Terres started earlier than usual.
The endeavour meant that an additional timed run was fitted in, even though there was a large entry of competitors.

So what problem? I hear you say again!
From a racers point of view the extra runs, combined with near perfect track conditions, presented the ideal setting to challenge Class records. The amount of new fastest times only go to prove this.

I think I have now established that there wasn't a negative for the competitors. No, it only impacted on us 'poor' photogs ;-(
More runs means more 'picture opportunities'... and who can resist those? Not me!
So I returned back to my studio desk with more pics than I intended to take and with the extra work needed to edit, optimise, catalogue and upload them.

The latest pictures are now online. I hope you find a few that justify the added work-load. Maybe you will even press the 'BUY NOW' button a couple of times?
With the success of the extended racing I have a feeling that I will have the same 'problem' again in the future ;-)
VIEW THE LATEST PICTURES OF 11-08-2012 HILL CLIMB

Congratulations to Anthony Queripel for taking the 'King of the Beach' Crown again on the sands at Vazon Bay. Anthony turned on the style and really only had to contend with Anthony Bougourd for the title.
A few quick updates have been added to my picture galleries. Take a look at Round-6 of the GMC&CC Sand Racing Championship here:
ROUND-6 OF THE SAND RACING CHAMPIONSHIP

The viewing counter has clicked past the 2.5 MILLION mark for this web site.
I was astonished when we passed 1 MILLION views almost exactly on the day of the first Anniversary :)
The new mark arrives with more than four months to go before the second Anniversary. My target has to be the 3 MILLION MARK after just 2 YEARS, fingers crossed!

Thanks to all the regulars who like to follow the Gallery updates. Thanks also if this is your first ever visit. Come again soon :)

Here are a couple of tips that might help your enjoyment when returning to the web site again. There are now more than 40,000 pics in the Galleries!!! This can make it difficult to find one that you liked on the last visit.

If you have a few favourite pictures this may help....

• You can use the Shopping Cart as a way to remember your favourites.
  Click the 'BUY NOW' button beneath any picture. It will be added to the Cart which then appears at the top of the page and will be remembered for your next visit.
  This doesn't commit you to buy the picture... it just helps you to find it again. You might even be tempted to buy it in the future :)
  
  
• You can also share a link to your favourite pictures by clicking the Facebook icon below each one. Other links are also available.
  
  
• There is also an option to E-mail a link to any picture. Click the E-mail icon and send this to a friend... or even yourself!
  
  
• You can also try using the SEARCH button on the left. Type in a word or two and see what you find!
  
  
• When viewing a Gallery use the ARROW KEYS to move to the next picture.
  
  
• Have you tried the SLIDESHOW option at the top of the 'Thumbnail View' to view all the pictures in a Gallery. You need Adobe Flash Player installed on your system for this to work.
  

I am constantly trying to improve the viewing experience on this web site and always welcome any comments.
Here is my E-mail:
E-MAIL ANDREW LE POIDEVIN

The Guernsey Power Boat Association held Race-6 of their 2012 Championship last weekend. This is the first race I have covered since Race-2.
I missed a couple due to the weather.... I did try, but was only rewarded by getting soaked whilst bobbing about in a small rib whilst waiting for a race start - which was then cancelled!
Then Race-5 conflicted with the Guernsey Rounds of the MSA National Hill Climb Championship.
But, if you stick with something, you should get the rewards - eventually!
So I had no conscience when last Sunday morning was gloriously hot and sunny and I was offered a ride out unto the Little Russel to photograph Race-6.

Once again there was a good entry for this race. I have also heard strong rumours about a few more boats coming to the line in the future.
The mornings work is now online. I'm reasonably pleased with the pictures. However, whilst very grateful for the offer of a boat to shoot from, sometimes it can compromise the photography. My transport was a race control/marshal so had responsibilities for safety as a priority of course. This restricted our options to move.
I think I will have to buy my own boat so I can position the direction of shooting.... and of course you can never be close enough! I had better have a word with the accountant, me thinks :)
Power Boat pics can be viewed here:
PICTURES OF RACE-6 OF THE POWER BOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

Decide for yourself if you think I am biased (as a true Guern)!
After the very successful Jersey rounds of the Avon Tyres MSA National Hill Climb Championship the road-show headed for the sunny shores of Guernsey.
Anticipation was high after Jos Goodyear re-wrote the record book with some stunning racing whilst at Bouley Bay.
A large crowd of spectators were eager to see if the Guernsey drivers could reproduce their superb performances in Jersey that saw three Guernsey lads qualify for the Top Twelve run-offs.
Nobody was dissapointed.
Repeating their successes in Jersey the 'Donkey's' had a good representation in the run-offs with Darren Warwick, Nick Saunders, Geoff and Chris Guille all flying the flag.

Top honours must go, once again, to Jos Goodyear driving his G.W.R. Raptor Extreme who took another all time record. This time on Le Val des Terres.
I noted whilst watching Jos from various positions on the hill that the Raptor was indeed noticably more rapid through the 'bendy bits'. I think this chassis will be high on a few drivers wish list as, amazingly, I got the impression that there was still a bit more to come! Watch this space.
I have now added new picture Galleries featuring all the action form the Guernsey rounds of the National Hill Climb Championship.
VIEW THE ACTION FROM THE GUERNSEY ROUNDS OF THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

Last week saw the roadshow that makes up the Avon Tyres British National Hill Climb Championship reach our shores again.
This event is always a highlight of the Channel Islands Motor Sport year.
Tradition has it that the first stop is Jersey for the race up Bouley Bay on thursday. I made the trip over to sample this unique spectacle. Where else can you enjoy a beer literaly right on the start line!
The weather behaved itself - about time too - so the racing was held in near perfect conditions. Indeed they were good enough for Jos Goodyear to lower the outright record for Bouley Bay driving his very impressive G.W.R. Raptor Extreme.
I've added a new picture gallery for the Jersey Rounds of the MSA National Hill Climb Championship.
VIEW THE JERSEY MSA NATIONAL HILL CLIMB PICTURES

The Greenman MCC Chaos Festival is a bike Festival - with loads of music.
So it would be a suprise if there were no burnouts, wouldn't it?
If you visited the cliff-top site looking for the smell of burning rubber you were not disappointed :)
After the presentation of the prizes for the best bike catagories it was the turn of the tyre shredders.
The star, by quite a margin , was Neil 'Chopper' Looijenga. Lets just say that there was NO chance of him riding that bike home!
I have added new pictures to the Gallery showing the bike winners and burnouts. New Band pictures include Grant Sharkey & Pirate Party Brigade.
VIEW THE CHAOS 8 BURNOUTS

I have been working in Jersey this week completing some Commercial assignments and then covering the Jersey rounds of the Avon MSA British Hill Climb Championship.
This has delayed my selection and preparation of the pics I took at last weeks Greenman MCC Chaos 8 Festival on the cliffs at Pleinmont.
I have already commented in my previous Blog that once again Chaos presented all the ingredients for fun and chilling out.
The Festivals unique position on the cliffs might leave it prone to whatever weather rolls off the sea - but what a view from the mens loos! You won't get that anywhere else in the world. Sorry girls, it's a boys only thing :-)
The live peformances showcased many great acts on three complimentary stages.
Guernsey Gigs have made a fantastic video which really captures the atmosphere
TAKE A LOOK AT THE GUERNSEY GIGS VIDEO

I have now begun to catch up with the Gallery updates. They will still take quite a few days as there were so many Bands playing.
I am also completing a couple of important Commercial jobs which take priority - they pay the bills, unfortunately gig/motor sport photography doesn't!
I will also be adding pictures of the Jersey MSA Hill Climb (Guernsey this weekend) and a Power Boat Championship Race to their own new picture Galleries later next week.
Busy times then, love it!
The first Greenman MCC Chaos 8 Galleries are here (more updates will be added later).
First Bands include: Distant Shores, Deadwing, Big Machine, 2 Minutes 2 Late, Lydia Pugh, Robert J Hunter, Stone Em All, Skid Rue & Peppered Ant Legs.
VIEW THE FIRST GREENMAN MCC CHAOS 8 GALLERIES HERE

Event organiser Stuart Butler headlined his post-event e-mail to all the racers and helpers with the line quoted above.
Now the 'fun' part can be applied to both the drivers and spectators!
I was amazed at the reactions from the many spectators. I was rather expecting the general level of excitement to be somewhat lower than that of a 'proper' Hill Climb.
But no, the assorted mix of vehicles together with the 'show-boating' by JJ Gallagher and the many burn-outs (including the biggest I can remember on the hill by Zef Eisenberg) kept the crowd entertained!
There was also a queue for the passenger rides in a real race car.
First reports reckon on topping £30,000 raised for the chosen Charities of Headway Guernsey and The Lions Club.
This amounts to a job well done. My guess is that it will be more of the same in twelve months time.
My picture galleries are now complete. Please take a look and press the 'FACEBOOK LIKE' button if you want to add a link to your picture.
All pictures can be purchased by pressing 'BUY NOW' beneath any pic and you will be shown the options.
25% of any sales is donated to the chosen Charities.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PROFESSIONAL PICS OF THE HERITAGE HILL CLIMB

*************** HERITAGE CHARITY HILL CLIMB PICTURE GALLERIES ***************

*********** 25% OF ALL PICTURE SALES DONATED TO SELECTED CHARITIES ***********

........A copy of the e-mail I sent to Stuart Butler and all the organising helpers - and of course the guy & girl racers!

Hi Stuart

Wow, that was a great success. You even arranged the weather!
The 'buzz' in the pits was fantastic and I think you now have another annual event on your hands.
I really enjoyed watching the racing from various corners on the hill and think I have quite a nice set of pics of each racer.
I will be adding a picture gallery to my web-site later today and would like to give 25% of any picture sales to the Heritage Charity Hill Climb's selected Charities. Hopefully this will raise a few more £'s as in the previous two years Charity Sprints.

The Galleries will have a link from this page:
VIEW THE HERITAGE CHARITY HILL CLIMB GALLERIES HERE LATER TODAY
Well done for organising such a successful day with great support from the local Motor Sport Clubs.

Kind regards,
Andrew Le Poidevin
MSA Accredited Motor Sport Photographer
07781 144525

Last weekend was a busy one!
Guernsey hosted two massive events, and I photographed both of them.
Each shoot needed pics submitted before print deadlines and saw me working until 3am on a couple of days ;-)
This is no complaint though. It was great fun and when you capture a few pics that you are happy with it makes all the long hours worth while.
The first spectacle was the ACU British Sand Ace Championship followed by two days at the Guernsey Festival.
The best result for me has been having my ACU British Sand Ace pics published in Speedway Star Magazine. I have also had double page spreads of both events published in the Guernsey Press. There are also a couple of other National publications looking to publish pics, fingers crossed.
However, unfortunately, there is no short cut when it comes to editing and preparing a large amount of pictures.... so the answer is to take as few as you can! Less is more!
Even with this aim I have had to sort through many hundreds of images, and the job still has a way to go yet :-(
A few more long days (and nights) will get the job done.
So far I have completed the picture galleries for the Sand Ace Championship. Guernsey Live will follow shortly...
VIEW THE ACU CONDOR FERRIES SAND ACE GALLERIES

Congratulations go to Danny Warwick after he won the ACU Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championship on the beach at Vazon Bay, Guernsey.
There was a good sized and high quality field of Solo riders out on the track. The racing was action packed and competitive and a large crowd of spectators lined the walls to enjoy their motor sport.
Supporting the 500cc Sliders were two heats of 1000cc Sidecars. There was an excited buzz around the track each time these guys raced.... they were fast and spectacular!
I have just added a few pics as a 'taster' to my Galleries. Full coverage will follow.
I have had an incredibly busy weekend as I was also official photographer for the Guernsey Music Festival.
This was another massive success. Guernsey rocked this weekend!!
Pics of the Guernsey Festival will also follow shortly....
VIEW A FEW 'TASTER SHOTS' FROM THE SAND ACE RACING

Down came the rain,
Again!
Was it wet?
You bet.

OK I'm clearly no poet... but you get the idea ;-)
What have the Motor Sport guys done to deserve the reliably wet racing that 2012 seems to provide them with?
Sunday morning at The Track provided a very wet outlook with 'wets' being the only option for tyre choice.
The conditions challenged the competitors and a smooth driving style combined with the nerve to grab any opportunity to squeeze past a fellow competitor if they left the door open paid rewards.
Photographically, a rainy race meeting is both good and bad.
The 'bad' is having to get wet (again)... the good is that it is possible to capture some great shots.
I have photographed Karting at The Track for many years so it is nice to grab some different pics. I can make use of the low light, the spray being thrown up by the tyres adds drama and if I take care in my positioning it is also possible to capture some great reflections on the wet track.
I hope you like the new pics (I suffered for my art!). Please remember that the pictures on this web site are VERY low resolution and do not give a true feel of the detail a print will show.
As always you are welcome to press the 'BUY NOW' button beneath any pic you fancy... spare a thought for a soggy photographer, thanks ;-)
View the new Gallery here:
PICS OF A VERY WET ROUND-4 OF THE SUMMER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

Round-5 of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club Sand Racing Championship was held yesterday on Vazon beach. This was the last meeting before the Condor Ferries British Sand Ace Championship and everything seemed to run smoothly.
The GMC&CC have worked hard to be permitted to run the first ACU British Sand Ace Championship for many years. The opportunity to race on the sand has attracted a top class field of ''''slider'''' riders. Their races are going to be supported by a group of Grass Track sidecar racers.
So everything is in place for an amazing spectacle... make a diary date for 23rd June at 2pm.
Round-5 pictures can be viewed here:
VIEW ROUND-5 SAND RACING PICTURES