Saunders sets standard as record books are rewritten

The 620m alternative ascent up Rue des Villains is the new kid on the block of Guernsey’s hill climbs, this being only its third edition – precisely why a bumper haul of 22 class records was possible.

But that detracted nothing from the excellent outright course record recorded by Saunders, who whizzed up in 25.06sec. to knock 0.37sec. off his own marker from four years ago.

In the only other edition in-between, held in 2018, torrential rain dampened the day and left many competitors off-pace in what racing could be salvaged.

So, after a three-year wait, competitors had to be thankful of much nicer conditions, though the course is no cakewalk on even the loveliest day.

It was initially the impressive Steve Brehaut, in his 1.4-litre Resolution IT Empire Evo, setting the pace from Saunders as both ducked under 26sec.

But hopes of a Brehaut upset, as seen at the Reservoir Speed Event in June, faded when Saunders and his 1.6-litre Eric Sturdza Reynick edged ahead on run two and then progressed to 25.08 and 25.06.

Brehaut peaked at 25.43 in run three, matching the previous record precisely and settling firmly in second. Matthew Bougourd ended his day with two 26.21s for third.

‘It was a great day and I love this event – I think it’s fantastic,’ Saunders said.

‘I think there’s still a little more to come, but there’s a very fine line between getting it right and getting it very wrong here – if you get it wrong, it’s going to bite you.’

Some competitors ended up on the wrong side of that line – though none were seriously hurt – and ultimately three crashes in the space of an hour led to a slightly early finish.

But competitors still managed to get up to five timed runs and enjoyed some great rivalries through the classes.

In the smaller racing cars, Emma Rayson clocked 27.22 to beat Jackie Le Cheminant in a duel for top woman.

Within an eye-catching karting competition, young Adam Le Ray’s 27.57 gave him the scalp of Mike Brehaut and also stole his 125 Gearbox record.

Brehaut would have lined up overall favourite on a rainy day, having stunned with the overall FTD in 2018, but here he was taking close second in his class with a 27.71.

On two wheels, no one could match the stellar form of ‘Imp’ debutant Andy Mechem.

Mechem, riding his powerful Yamaha YZF, posted 27.77 as Owen Poynder (28.65) and Ben Carre (28.69) headed a burst of riders in the sub-29sec. zone.

‘It’s very fast, and it’s just different – you don’t get to do anything like this anywhere else,’ he said.

‘It’s just been a good day, well-organised and well-run.’

The domestic hill-climb season concludes this coming Saturday with one last blast up Petit Bot.