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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

As I drove around the Guernsey coast this morning heading to the Dos D'Ane I was reminded what a beautiful island we live on.

Clearly this point hadn't been missed by the people already out enjoying what Guernsey has to offer.

The great thing about our island life is that most of the leisure activities are free and available to anyone who wants to get off their asses :-)

OK, I'll admit that we often have to invest in some sort of equipment to pursue our leisure... maybe a bike, fishing rod, surf board, running shoes, walking shoes!

But, to counter that cost, we have to spend very little time or money traveling to start the fun. Rarely more than fifteen minutes.

My morning journey to the Dos D'Ane was to take pics of the Guernsey Velo Club Downhill Mountain Bike racing sponsored by Adventure Cycles. A course had been 'rescued' from the overgrown hillside and I spent a very enjoyable hour trying to capture the action.

Then it was back around the coast which was filling with more people enjoying the summers day.

Aren't we so lucky?

In fact that shouldn't be a question. IT'S A FACT!

My pics are here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE GVC MTB DOWNHILL PICS FROM THE DOS D'ANE

We've just enjoyed another double-header Motorsport weekend here in Guernsey.

This small and beautiful island really is the place to live if you like variety in your Motorsport!

A quick look through my picture galleries will leave you in no doubt about what I'm saying.

Last weekend was a good example of what is on offer... some of it is almost unique in the British Isles - and beyond!

Saturday I was on Vazon beach capturing a rare Sandracing meeting... rare in the UK but just a normal weekend over here :-)

Then Sunday I photographed a Sprint meeting held on a closed public road twisting along the coast below the historic Vale Castle.

....and in the next few weeks there will be Hillclimbing, Motocross, Karting, more Sandracing, Banger racing, Trials, Autotests and Powerboat racing.

All that keeps a smile on my face ;-)

You can share what I saw by checking out these new picture galleries:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE SANDRACING
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE VALE CASTLE SPRINT

I've just discovered that I have a new talent... and it's a bit special.

It's one of those amazing abilities that you dream about as a child and now, at the ripe old age of sixty-one, I've just found it!

How would you like to be able to see into the future too?

Well I promise that if you follow my advice you too can possess the same super-power!

All I had to do was to attend the School of Popular Music's Summer Party at the legendary Fermain Tavern last night.

The SoPM's young and energetic team had organized the evening to show-case six of their new bands. There was huge support given to all the young performers who were treated to a full stage sound system and lighting all controlled by pro technicians. How lucky were they!

If that opportunity didn't fire up their passion for live music I don't know what else would.

To get back to my original point I think that last night I saw into the future of the Guernsey music scene and it looks good.

In fact my guess is that the talent on show could be destined to even bigger things. Maybe there was a future chart-topper among them?

... but that's just a bit too far into the future for me to see yet :-(

Follow this link to see into the future with me:
CLICK HERE TO SEE PICS OF THE SoPM 2016 SUMMER PARTY

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

This evening I popped along to Saumarez Park for a quick photo-shoot for the Guernsey Press.

The occasion was the OSA All Terrain Challenge. This is a week of running events over different courses.

Thankfully the temperatures were lower than last evening but the conditions remained hot and tiring.

I only needed to submit a couple of pics but the sunny evening combined with the floral displays deserved a little more coverage... so here we are :-)

*UPDATE* I've just added a few more pics to the Gallery featuring Friday evenings run up the very steep and tiring Saints Bay hill
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE OSA ALL TERRAIN CHALLENGE

OK, I know I'm a bit of a cynic. This often gets me in trouble with my missus ;-)

So I suppose I was in 'normal' mode as I walked down my road towards Guernsey's latest Music Festival. The site was almost in shouting distance of my Guernsey cottage and there were many more residences a LOT closer that mine.

So as I made my way to the festival site I was half expecting the whole thing to be shut down as soon as the Main Stage turned the sound level up to ten! It's a sad fact, in this modern world, that if one or two people make a complaint about noise their 'rights' can take precedence over the many.

But I'm pleased to say that I was wrong on this one. Maybe a first ;-)

Careful and sensible management of the sound levels and a refreshing tolerance by the neighbors enabled the full three days of performances to be completed. Thank you St Sampsons residents!

I had also wondered as I made my way to The Gathering if such an ambitious set-up spread over three days could be pulled off when this was the first attempt... and (for maybe only the second time) I had got this one wrong too!!

Cage & Stage Productions must be praised and congratulated on how well organized and 'complete' their first Festival was. There were a few small problems but hey, I'll give them an impressive 9 out of 10 for most aspects and I think there is a very solid base in place if they have the enthusiasm and energy to give it another go in 2017.

Fingers crossed :-)

I hadn't intended to take many pics... we all need a break sometimes, but it seems I got into the atmosphere and the cameras started clicking! So I will be adding quite a few picture galleries in the next couple of days.

First up are two of the most popular bands in Guernsey. Fade to Grey and King Rat and the Soul Cats. Check-out the pics here:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE GATHERING

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

This time of year my Commercial work hits a high. This is good... this is what pays the bills :-)

But this means that some of my other work has to take a back seat.

Like every previous year I'm left with a pile of editing to catch up with. The problem is compounded by the amount of events I have booked in for the next few weeks.

So, there is really no time to waste Blogging, just the time to add another link to an update.

The Greenman Chaos Gallery continues to fill with new Band pics, Tattoo pics, Burnout pics and pics of the Twelve course 'Exotic' meal competition...

View the updates here:
CLICK TO VIEW THE LATEST CHAOS PICS

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

One of my first jobs each year is to fill in my diary.

This involves ring-fencing certain dates which then become no-go areas to all possible conflicting events.... dental appointments, family weddings, painting the cottage, WORK.... you get the idea!

Now it should come as no surprise to any regular visitor to this website that these 'protected' dates feature special events that are close to my heart. Anyone want to guess what they might be?

Of course most of them involve either Motorsport or Music! Well done if you guessed correctly, you know me well :-)

Every year there are the 'must be there' events like the two National Hillclimb Championship days, the British Sandace Championship and music Festivals like Vale Earth Fair, Jersey Live and the far from chaotic Greenman Chaos Festival.

So you understand that I always have something to look forward to, there is always something to keep me busy and excited.

The other side of this coin is that as I tick off these events it is a reminder that another year is flying by... not a nice thought when you get to sixty-one! But it is also a reminder that every day should be filled with things that make us happy :-) :-) :-)

This Blog is slowly leading me on to giving you a link to my latest Gallery updates... and it is safe to say that the first pics that have been added should go some way to proving that I still know how to fill three full days with fun!

The Greenman Chaos Festival 'The Dirty Dozen' was the source of all the weekends revelry and rowdiness and I thank them muchly :-) These guys know how to organize a party.... Beer, Music, Beer, Music, Bikes, Beer, Sleep, Beer, Music................. Bikes, Burnouts, Music, Beer, Music.......

Why change a perfect formula?

As always it takes a couple of days for my body to recover (but it's worth it) and now that I'm sober enough to drive a keyboard and mouse I've added pics of the three Chaos Main Stage headliners to a new Gallery.

Three great bands that brought each day to a crescendo, I think they were pretty good too (from what I can remember)!!!

Pics of PUNiK, Kill II This and Static Alice are now online. More to follow shortly.

Moving on, I've already added the possible dates (end of June) for next years Chaos to my diary... well some things must not be missed!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE GREENMAN CHAOS FESTIVAL 2016

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

I'm just back from Folklore Festival in Jersey.

My overall impression was a good one with a couple of disappointments... but until we can control the weather there was not a lot that the Folklore organizers could have done to change things.

The positives include the fantastic secluded Festival setting in a valley below a high reservoir dam.

Folklore also has a very friendly, family vibe. This is re-enforced by the line-up of bands which played sets chosen to build a fun, party atmosphere... nothing too dark or heavy. This is a summertime festival after all and the Folklore site is within a few hundred meters of the expansive sands of St Ouen Bay.

All the ingredients were in place for the perfect summertime festival.

But then the weather had different plans!

This led to the other disappointment. Unfortunately two of the bands that many of us were longing to see didn't manage to land at the fogbound Jersey airport.

There was a lot of reorganizing, rearranging and negotiation behind the scenes to bring the whole festival back from disaster with the headliners, the Levellers, graciously agreeing to play an earlier set to allow time for the guitarist from another of the bands, The Charlatons, to make a delayed appearance.

In the end the goodwill shown by many allowed Folklore to run smoothly and most people I spoke to were more than satisfied with their day out.

However the members of one of the bands were walking around with grins from ear to ear. Buffallo Huddleston were the proof that every fog bank has a silver lining.

The band had opened the festival in the heavy drizzle with only a few die-hard fans to play to. But after the fog affected the arrival of Slamboree and Showhawk Duo, Buffalo Huddleston were offered the chance to play again - this time to a much bigger crowd... and in the sun.

Buffalo Huddleston fully justified their opportunity and I reckon they were the band that got the party going.

Maybe you could even say that the Guernsey band came to the rescue of the Jersey Festival! Proof that we are all part of the same Channel Island family :-)

I'm working through my pics and the first galleries featuring Levellers, The Charlatons, Dubioza Kolektiv (a really great band), Buffalo Huddleston, J-C & the Loony Tunes and The Smooth Hounds are now online. Others will follow:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF FOLKLORE FESTIVAL 2016

Guernsey Velo Club welcomed visiting MTB riders from Jersey for two Downhill races in two days at two completely different venues.

This led to two enjoyable and very competitive events and ended in the Guernsey team actually winning an Inter Insular... we haven't won many of those against Jersey this year :-(

Day one's race was set within the historic walls of Castle Cornet. This was the second time that the 'Conquer the Castle' Downhill racing has taken place along the narrow, ancient pathways.

The whole thing works really well and attracts a sizable crowd. Let's hope it's now established as an annual event.

Then for day two it was a complete change of scenery with the roadshow moving to the picturesque Petit Bot valley and the narrow pathways with specially built jumps and bends.

Once again the good weather encouraged the supporters out and there was a fantastic atmosphere at the top of the hill. It was also notable how much help was being given by competitors at the end of racing to strip down the track markers. There is a commendable 'spirit' in the Club.

I thoroughly enjoyed photographing the racing and judging by the smiles on competitors faces I think they had a good time too!

I've added two Galleries to my website featuring all the action:
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF CONQUER THE CASTLE
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF THE PETIT BOT DOWNHILL

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

I'm sorry that this website has been completely down for a large part of the day and when the technical issues were identified it eventually re-appeared but in a VERY SLOW form :-(

This was all out of my control and my website administrator has been working hard to return things to 'normal service'.

The whole event is VERY frustrating but Photium... the web admin that I use, have a very, very good record of reliability and are extremely quick to respond to problems. Indeed they come with my full recommendations.

But sometimes these things are out of all our control and patience and understanding is all we can ask for.

I'd be feeling a little bit pleased if the 10,000+ daily views that this website gets had bought the internet down but I can't make that claim to fame!!

Please bear with us while we get things back up to full speed.... thanks.

UPDATE: The website has returned to normal and speedy service. I would like say a big thank-you to the Photium team for keeping me up-to-date with the problems... which were out of their control. These things happen but thankfully are extremely rare!

Andrew :-)

The Inter Island Kart Championship proved to be exciting and entertaining for the large number of spectators who lining the track. They were treated to fantastic close racing on the newly re-surfaced and extended 'Track' at Victoria Avenue.

Tarmac Services had completed the job in time to allow the running of the Inter Island competition on the new layout which proved to offer extra overtaking opportunities. This promises to maintain the interest of drivers... and maybe even tempt a few to return to the sport?

The majority of the days racing was of a high standard showcasing the talent from our two Islands. Only a rather poor incident near the end tarnished what was a well run, exciting and competitive meeting.

Oh, and to top-off the historic day..... Guernsey won the trophy :-)

Afterwards I spoke to many of the local and visiting Jersey drivers and support teams and the overwhelming feeling was that the event was a great success and is a 'grower'. Bring on 2017!

Channel Island Karting is going to be the ultimate winner.
:-)

I've added a gallery featuring the Inter Island Kart Championship...
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE INTER ISLAND KARTING