Law delighted as he breaks 32sec. barrier on his quad

Those were key talking points from the Guernsey Motorcycle and Car Club’s bank holiday two-day hill climb, where the fastest time overall unsurprisingly went to single-seater star Nick Saunders.

Saunders peaked with a 28.34sec. third run on Sunday, when conditions were faster, to get the decisive upper hand on flying rivals Tulie and Steve Brehaut.

His best time after two runs was 28.81, sandwiched between Tulie’s 28.80 and Brehaut’s 28.82, which ultimately earned them second and third overall.

Matt Bougourd, Dan Bichard and Tim Torode also broke 30sec., while Jackie Le Cheminant took women’s honours with a quick 31.03 on a disappointing day for Emma Rayson and her new car.

But Law arguably pulled the star turn on his Yamaha Banshee.

He was in record-breaking form from the practice, where he broke 32sec. by the finest margin, but he followed that up with official runs of 31.92, 31.36 and 31.41 and is confident that there is more to come.

‘I’ve always wanted a 31 – I’ve been wanting it for the last two years and I managed to get it,’ he said.

‘I did it in practice, which was an eye-opener.

‘I did it quite easily and watching the footage back on the GoPro, there’s definitely time there. It wasn’t bad.’

Law also called the two-day format ‘awesome’.

‘Two days, you can’t get better. The first day, you get used to the set-up, the second day, you hammer it,’ he added, although Monday’s conditions meant that was not the reality for many competitors, including him.

There were several close calls but Dale Crowsley was the only other competitor to beat an existing record, lowering his unlimited rally cars mark to 34.50.

Three competitors broke 35sec. on two wheels, with Leigh Digard’s 34.04 leading the way from Andy Mechem and Colin de Jersey.

But there was misfortune for saloon driver John Dunne, who was one of several competitors crashing out over the weekend and could not continue his record-breaking ways. He was uninjured.

A damp road on the bank holiday Monday led to slower times overall, but Tulie had plenty to celebrate.

He got five timed runs in and clocked 29.31 on the fourth, pushing ahead of Saunders, who had banked a 29.48 before sitting out to address a clutch problem.

Saunders ended the afternoon with one last blast – a 29.35. His long run of FTDs was over.

‘I’m very happy,’ said the surprise winner.

‘Obviously, the conditions were not the best, and it has taken a while to find a dry line in the middle.

‘There was a dry line but it’s still not 100% dry, so it was a bit of a shock to get the 29.31 that I got.

‘All in all, it has been a good day and it’s been a great weekend of motorsport for the club. I am thankful they can put a two-day event on like that.’

Tulie had come off a disappointing 2021 targeting a return to the 28sec. range, which he had achieved on Sunday.

‘To do a 28 again, I’m over the moon, and as the weather gets warmer and conditions get better, I am hopeful I can try and improve on that,’ he added.

De Jersey dominated the motorcycle showdown in posting 34.72 – within a tenth of the previous day’s time.