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EDIT: What is the first rule of reporting... GET YOUR FACTS RIGHT!!

So I failed there then :-(

Paul isn't racing at the Sand Ace meeting this year... he'll be in Tayac, France for the World Longtrack Championship!

But he did have a good time in Guernsey and he was VERY fast:-)

.....Last Saturday saw one of the UK's top 500cc Slider riders make a visit to the Vazon sands.

Last Saturday saw one of the UK's top 500cc Slider riders make a visit to the Vazon sands.

Paul Cooper was over to familiarise himself with the beach conditions before the prestigious British Sand Ace Championship on July 4th.

The National Sand Ace Championship is about to hold its 10th event on the white Vazon beach and this year the quality of field - both Sliders and Sidecars - is the best ever!

This is testament to the fantastic job the organising committee of the Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club do in bringing all the details together to make everything run smoothly.

I'll be covering the event again... that makes it my tenth time also!

I've just added a few pics of the warm-up race to my Galleries and from the way Paul Cooper was 'at home' on the beach I think he is likely to be one of the top runners in the Sand Ace. Make sure you make a diary date for the 4th July... the action will be amazing!
VIEW PICS OF THE JUNE 6th SAND RACING

There was a buzz going around ahead of the fourth Full Boar 'Lock-In' Cage Fighting yesterday. It had been billed as 'Round-4, More Blood, Sweat and Beers'.

Could it live up to the hype and the three previous events?

I was certain that it would after I checked my web-site statistics and found that in the twenty-four hours between the fight weigh-ins and the start of the event there had been over 9,000 picture viewings of the fighters facing up to each other for the first time... its safe to say that the word was out!!
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 LOCK-IN WEIGH-IN

The fight night is always incredibly busy as I try to capture as much of the action as possible and this year was no different as the pace doesn't ease up for more than a minute.

But I'm privileged to be asked to, literally, take a cage-side seat (actually a ladder!) to give me the closest viewpoint in the building... that means I'm often closer to the combat than the Ref! :-)

I've started the gallery updates with pics of the Muay Thai British Middleweight Title fight between Josh Meadowcroft and Jake Brookfield. All other bouts will follow. Keep checking the gallery.
VIEW PICS OF THE 2015 FULL BOAR LOCK-IN

The Full Boar Motorcycle Club is about to hold Round-4 of its Lock-In Cage Fighting at Beau Sejour.

This event is entering its fourth year and it has earnt a great reputation for the high standard of organisation, fighting and entertainment.

I reckon it is the largest indoor sports event held in Guernsey with up to 850 spectators. This guarantees that the atmosphere is electric!

But the night before always sees the weigh-in of the fighters and the first chance for them to stand toe-to-toe with their opponents. The tension can be felt!

I'll be featuring all the Bouts in my picture gallery... but for now, may I introduce you to the fighters who will enter the ring for the White Collar Boxing, Kick Boxing, Muay Thai and MMA Cage Fighting...
TAKE A LOOK AT THE LOCK-IN ROUND-4 FIGHTERS

We all love a Eureka moment... well make sure you catch a gig by Eureka Machines if you ever have the chance. They played a storming set at The Fermain Tavern in Guernsey and they are now on my 'must see again' list!

It seems a Bank Holiday Sunday evening is a risky time to put on a gig as the turn-out wasn't that good. Logic would tell you that gig-goers would take full advantage of seeing another visiting band with the luxury of having the Bank Holiday Monday to recover on if things got a bit heavy. But you can never second guess these things :-(

Those faithful few who turned out for the Eureka Machines gig at the Fermain Tavern were in for a real treat as this band kept the crowd entertained in memorable style. I will not miss Eureka Machines if they ever return to Guernsey... I recommend them to you.

Pics are now on-line:
CHECK OUT PICS OF EUREKA MACHINES

It was a case of 'Six of the Best' at the Guernsey Kart & Motor Club's Bank Holiday Hillclimb with six new records set.

I spent time on nearly every bend during the day watching (and photographing) the action... and there was no shortage of that!

The racers were treated to five timed runs which is a credit to the organisation of the event and the efficient way the few 'offs' were dealt with.

The high standard of the racing was incredible to watch from the various positions I worked from with the fastest drivers producing performances that I reckon to be near 'superhuman' and very near the absolute physical limit of what man and machine can achieve?

If you noted the question mark at the end of the last sentence you will see that I wonder when that limit will be reached.

However I imagine that over the years many people have pondered the same question only to see that, remarkably, a competitor finds another tenth or two to make a new mark in the record book.

It was Glyn Ridley who cracked a major mark for all racers on the 'Terres... cracking the 30 seconds time. He now holds a permanent place in the records as the first Karter to crack 30s. The day only got better for the Ridley's when Glyn's son Daniel went on to lower his fathers old Class record in the 250 Singles.

So, as if to prove my point about records, today's fastest man in a Kart up the Guernsey hill lost one of his other records on the very day he achieved this amazing feat!

I wonder how long he will hold on to his new one?
SIX OF THE BEST... VIEW PICS OF THE HILLCLIMB

I've been photographing the Autocross 'Banger' racing down on Chouet beach for quite a few years now but last weekend's Fun Meeting was a bit more personal.

My father, as he approaches ninety years of age, has recently given up driving himself around. I hope I am still 'on the road' at a similar age... time will tell.

Having made that decision, we were left with a fairly worn-out Hyundai Getz in Seaside Blue to dispose of.

Maybe it was the name of its colour that triggered the idea that the Getz deserved one last swan-song before going to the crusher. So the car was offered to the Guernsey Autocross Club to be used in any way they chose.

That brings us to last weekend's Fun Meeting and the Inter-Insular championship... Guernsey v Jersey.

When I walked around the pits looking for the old car I needed to take a clue from the colour because once all the trimmings have been removed I find many modern cars seem to loose their identity.

But, of course, I soon found it and I met the driver who would be giving it one last burn-out... or maybe its first ever burn-out?!!

I then waited eagerly, camera at the ready, to capture the Getz's last hurrah... and it went out in style, even managing a jump off the ramp which I think was the fatal blow :-(

So it only enjoyed a short time on track but what a way to send an old lady to the crusher. I now have a few pics to show my father and they are sure to bring a smile to his face :-)

I've added a picture gallery for the Fun Meeting. Why not take a look how many times you can spot the Seaside Blue Hyundai Getz? Answers on a Postcard please.
VIEW PICS OF THE FINAL BURN-OUT OF THE HYUNDAI GETZ

The Stanley Gibbons Investment sponsored Guernsey Powerboat Association's Offshore Powerboat Championship is already attracting large crowds to see the action.

Encouraged by the bright evening there were hundreds of people lining the St Peter Port harbour wall to support Race-2 of the Championship. This was great to see as so much time (and money) is committed by the Association, helpers and of course the racers to bring Powerboat racing back to local waters.

The second race of the weekend was missing a few boats due to damage caused in Race-1 but there was still plenty of action to see at close quarters from the QE2 marina wall.

With more boats lined up for future races I fancy that Powerboating is now firmly re-established on the Guernsey scene :-)

I've added a few pics of Race-2 to a new picture gallery:
VIEW PICS OF RACE-2 OFF THE GPA OFFSHORE POWERBOAT CHAMPIONSHIP

On your marks, get set...GO

The Guernsey Powerboat Association's promise that this season will be its best looks like it was a good one.

The 2015 Offshore Championship started with a busy Race-1. I think there were around seventeen starters (with more promised in later races), but of course there were a few who dropped out. This is to be expected as Offshore racing is a brutal business on boats and crews. There's no need to tell that to the crew who's boat sank :-(

I've seen a few pics online that show some serious troughs and moments for some racers. Somehow we managed to find the flatter seas. But these spots allowed the racers to wind up the speed... and fly!

So we have seen the potential for this years Championship... and it's good!

Bring on Race-2 tomorrow.

Pics of Race-1 are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE GPA OFFSHORE RACE-1

Let me ask you to think about this for a moment... that's all the time it should take :-)

What concatenation is there between almost all celebrations and ceremony? (I'll let you look up the word if you need to)!

Or maybe I can make things easier. I'm asking what element links special events by, almost always, playing a part in the occasion.

You shouldn't struggle to come up with the answer... which is Music.

This can take the form of live or recorded, but as you should know if you read this Blog that LIVE is my preference.

There was plenty of the 'live' stuff around town for Guernsey's Liberation Day's celebrations. The music was in many, many forms.

The marching bands were out... no military event could manage without them. Then the Home Front Marquee offered a day of 40's music and song. It was so popular that it was hard to find a spare seat.

But no seating was offered for the final event of Guernsey Liberation 2015 at LibRockLive. This 'mini-festival' showcased six live bands that were intended to keep every-one on their feet and it worked all the way until midnight.

So my day finished with me capturing a few pics of the bands on an impressive stage. I've now added a picture gallery featuring Static Alice, The Recks, Buffalo Huddleston, Asylum Seekas, Fade 2 Grey and King Rat and the Soul Cats.

Check-out the pics here that prove us 'Guerns' know how to party:
VIEW PICS OF LIBROCKLIVE 2015

That was a day to remember... Liberation Guernsey 2015, fantastic!

The day was promoted as a day to celebrate and remember 70 years of freedom and it is likely to be the last one in the current form... but what a way to go out!

With fewer and fewer guernsey residents having personal memories of the liberation of the Island after the occupation during WW2 our national holiday on May 9th will probably be 're-invented' in future years. So this, perhaps, is why the 'Guerns' were out in such huge numbers and with such party spirits all around St Peter Port on Saturday.

The atmosphere was infectious which is just as well because I had a VERY long day working all around the event. The energy and enthusiasm of the crowd kept me going :-)

I was commissioned by the States of Guernsey (together with Chris George) to capture the days colour and atmosphere. I also worked for the Guernsey Press.

This meant me putting in a 21 hour day and my iPhone App recorded a total mileage walked of 14.9 miles... not bad to say that was all done between Market Square and North Beach car-park!! My aching bones and blisters didn't need an App to remind me of the mileage covered!

Now is the time to take a seat to work on the edit of the long days work. I've made a start and the first gallery is now online. This features some of the day-time spectacle. I will be adding another gallery featuring the night-time bands shortly.

Follow the link to view the Liberation Guernsey pics:
VIEW PICS OF THE LIBERATION DAY 2015 CELEBRATIONS

I missed adding a Blog on the day it actually happened but tradition has it that I try and mark each time the viewing counter for this web-site breaks through another MILLION recorded views.

The NINE MILLION figure was smassshed a couple of days ago when I was stacked with the Bank Holiday work. Hence the late Blog.

So here we have the latest landmark and it seems to confirm that when the TEN MILLION mark is passed that will herald a new 'twelve month' best of THREE MILLION views in one year! Nice.

You may have noticed that I quite like the word 'MILLION' as I have used it (in Internet swearing CAPITALS) so many times already in this Blog!

Thanks a MILLION (just one more for luck!) for the continued interest in my work and I hope you find the time to visit again soon.

Here is a link to some of the previous MILLION marking Blogs:
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PREVIOUS MILLION MARKING BLOGS

What a shame about the Guernsey Spring weather.

I suppose we all think that once April is out of the way that the Summer has arrived. Of course that is really just a bit of wishful thinking. Last weekend seems to confirm that they aren't just 'April Showers'.

So all the events I attended were affected to some extent by damp conditions. In the case of the Hillclimb I guess we were lucky that it was well into the afternoon before the heavens opened by which time the competitors all had what was going to be their best time of the day.

This inevitably resulted in so many 'no-shows' coming to the start-line that racing finished early.

From my part I was relieved that the effort of carrying my umbrella around all day paid off as I avoided getting too wet. I still had more than enough shots in-the-can and those endeavours are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE RAIN AFFECTED GMC&CC HILLCLIMB

It was another busy weekend of Motorsport in Guernsey.

There was something for every-one... Sandracing, Karting, Autocross and a Hillclimb to complete the mix. There was even a 'Tri-Fest' event for visiting and local Triumph bike owners!

It's a great shame that the weather wasn't on best behaviour as all the events had to endure some spring showers but, of course, racers and bikers are a hardy bunch and I think a great time was had by all.

The 'Summer' Kart championship got under way with a very eventful race meeting during which the Clerk and other officials (including the Ambulance and Paramedics) were kept pretty busy. However they all did a fantastic job and there was plenty of action for the spectators!

I just wouldn't like to face all that paper-work!

I've added a gallery featuring some of the racing:
VIEW PICS OF THE SUMMER KART CHAMPIONSHIP

It's not shaping up to be a particularly pleasant weekend, unfortunately.

Yesterday was windy with occasional showers and the showers have been hanging around all day today.

This is a real spoiler for several events planned including the 'Trifest' gathering of Triumph bike owners. I met many of them at the Vin D'Honneur held for them at Castle Cornet after the many riders who have travelled from the UK and Europe arrived on Friday.

It is a great shame that their bike rally was spoilt by the rain today. I also suffered whilst photographing the Sandracing at Vazon.

But life and work goes on and I have uploaded the resulting pics from today's racing. I'm keeping fingers crossed that Sunday's and Bank Holiday Monday's events have better weather :-)

First pics from this busy weekend are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-2 OF THE SANDRACING CHAMPIONSHIP

I'm not going to claim that my life as a photographer is full of drama and action, shame :-(

But I do get the chance (or invitation) to go to places and events that I wouldn't normally make the effort to... but I usually end up really pleased that the opportunity was offered to me.

This was the case yesterday when I was phoned (late in the day) by the Guernsey Press and asked if I could cover the Under 16's Football League Championship play-off at Blanche Pierre Lane. The game was between Vale Rec and Sylvans.

OK I said :-)

I arrived just four minutes after kick-off but already vehicles were being turned away as the car-park was full... obviously this game had attracted a fair bit of interest.

I parked around the corner and made haste to get to the game but I had already missed a Sylvans goal.

As the game progressed it was Sylvans who continued to show the best form and by the second half they had more of the play than the 2-1 score-line suggests.

When I left the grounds I was satisfied having enjoyed an entertaining evening... one that I wouldn't have made the effort to see if it wasn't for my profession.

I've said it many times before, I love my job.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW PICS OF THE U16's FOOTBALL PLAY-OFF

Our small Island always amazes me by the huge amount of activities it offers to those who make a small effort to attend or partake in them.

Last weekend was a great example with another packed diary to choose from.

In the end I found myself photographing Daz Carre as he finished his 24 hour run at Footes Lane in aid of the Rhys Daniels Trust. Daz's achievement was not far short of super-human and was best seen in the context of what people were doing in the London Marathon... that was just a stroll in the park compared to what Daz achieved!

I also photographed The Mouse Outfit on the Fermain Tavern stage at the latest Get Down. That was another brilliant night, thanks to Andre 'oneofakind' De Carteret :-)

Sunday offered plenty of entertainment too.

The Guernsey Powerboat Association organised an open day to showcase the start of their new race season. The line-up of boats was very impressive and there was an air of excited anticipation in the pits. With new headline sponsors Stanley Gibbons Investment on board 2015 will be their best yet.

Between all the chasing around I also photographed the first (I guess of many) Guernsey Velo Club Urban Downhill Mountain-bike races in Castle Cornet held as part of the Heritage Festival in association with Adventure Cycles & Visit Guernsey. 'Conquer the Castle' was raced through the historic passages and gateways of Guernsey's main castle and drew a large crowd of spectators.

Like I said, Guernsey is never short of things to do...
VIEW PICS OF THE CONQUER THE CASTLE MTB EVENT
VIEW PICS OF DAZ CARRE FINISHING HIS 24 HOUR CHARITY RUN
VIEW PICS OF THE GUERNSEY POWERBOAT ASSOCIATIONS OPEN DAY

Last weekend was mad and chaotic. I'd like to say that is just how I like it but with all the shooting comes all the editing :-(

So I'm afraid it is the editing that has taken up the last couple of days.

If you are a regular visitor to this site you will probably agree with me when I say that there are quite regular updates. However, what you see on this web-site only represents a part of my weekly work-load. In fact my main income as a professional photographer comes from work that is rarely seen here.

But I have to admit that I do love photographing the action that features here and I know it has a large following. Thanks for the interest.

I've just added another gallery... this time it features Round-4 of the Guernsey Autocross Club's Banger racing. View it here:
VIEW PICS OF ROUND-4 OF THE GUERNSEY AUTOCROSS CLUB'S BANGER RACING

The Guernsey Kart & Motor Club concluded its Winter Kart Championship at The Track last Sunday.

It might have been labelled as a 'Winter' Championship but that didn't prevent plenty of hot action on the track with a great spectacle of close racing. The winter never sees as many drivers competing - some seem to hibernate through the colder months - but the slightly small entry hasn't stopped the spectators turning out knowing that the competition will provide good entertainment.

I've enjoyed photographing this seasons action and, of course, will be back for the Summer Champs! See you soon.

I've added a Gallery of pictures featuring the race 4 action:
VIEW PICS OF THE WINTER KART CHAMPS - RACE 4

I photographed the final game in Guernsey Rugby Club's season in the National 3 London & South East league at Footes Lane last Saturday. The visiting side was Westcombe Park and they were to contribute to a hard-fought game.

It was a tense affair at the start due to Guernsey needing a good result to keep them up in this league next year. As the game progressed into the second half it was Guernsey who got their game together and by the final whistle the score was 42- 28 in the local sides favour... job done!

Whilst there wasn't a particulaly big crowd the conditions were bright (good for photography) however there was quite a strong and chilly wind which might have put a few of the supporters off.

I was down on the side-line and managed to capture some of the action.
CLICK TO VIEW PICS OF GUERNSEY v WESTCOMBE PARK

Saturday saw the first Guernsey Motor Cycle & Car Club Sand Racing meeting of 2015... and the signs are that it could be a good season :-)

The main event of the year will be the well established Sand Ace meeting later in the summer but it was clear from this first local meeting of the year that racing is going to be close. The Saloons Class produced some really good racing with signs that the Championship will be close, fingers crossed!

Then we had the spectacle of three side-car outfits on the beach with the promise of maybe one or two more to come. These are certain to pull in the crowds along the sea wall at Vazon. Lets hope the guys can keep their bikes reliable so we see some close racing.

So things are well set-up for a memorable season... see you at the next meeting.

Pics are now on-line:
VIEW PICS OF THE FIRST SAND RACING MEETING OF 2015