Ridley in blistering form

GLYN RIDLEY says he should know better. The 39-year-old loves nothing more than to tear along the Vazon straight at 115mph seated only 35mm from the tarmac in his Guernsey Crane Hire Anderson Rotax 250cc kart. At Saturday's sprint, he smashed the class record of 11.96secs that he set in April this year by finishing the course in 11.77secs.

'The conditions were right and the tail wind helped,' he said. 'I changed the gearing on the kart to get a better top speed and that also helped.'

Ridley has a busy schedule this summer.

With hill climbs and sprints in August and September, he pointed to the national hill climb on Le Val des Terres on 16 July as the main event and he is particularly looking forward to the Alderney hill climb on 17 September.

His aim of the season is to break his record on the Ridunian course that he set at last year's meeting.

For such an enthusiast, it is surprising to note that he has not competed in a kart racing championship since the mid-90s.

Family commitments and his football career with Vale Rec and Bels have limited the time he could spend at the Track.

The former Muratti goalkeeper retired from playing three years ago due to knee problems.

However, these days he can be found at the Track on race days helping his son, Daniel, who competes in the cadet class, and his brother, Neil, who races in the gearbox category.

Despite his off-the-track involvement, Glyn has no plans to hang up his racing suit for a career in the pits.

'At my age I really should know better,' he said.

'But as long as I keep on enjoying it, I'll keep on karting. I would like to thank my sponsors Guernsey Crane Hire, Cheshire Electrical and Transition, who make it possible for me to keep on going.'