Practically ideal conditions have brought a landslide of personal bests at the latest two events and Matt Bougourd proved the leading example at Saturday’s Guernsey Kart and Motor Club hill climb, setting a stunning fastest time of the day – 27.69sec.
Having entered with a Le Val des Terres PB of 28.31, he powered his Force and its new Pirelli tyres to entirely new heights in breaking 28sec. three times at the weekend.
After his barrier-breaking third timed run, he was stuck in a dead heat with the in-form Steve Brehaut on 27.85, and so it stayed until a clutch fifth and last effort.
‘I can’t believe it,’ Bougourd said after his first ‘Valdees’ FTD in nearly four years.
‘I’ve been looking at the other guys getting those times for a while and that’s what I’ve tried to do. I’ve finally been able to do it.
‘I would have been happy to join it with Steve, but to be able to go quicker was amazing.’
Just on the periphery of the two much-improved drivers was seasoned campaigner Tim Tulie, who finished solidly third with 28.19 using his upgraded one-litre race car.
Joining them in the sub-29sec. club, and therefore taking a class record, was Sports Libra driver Ian Le Messurier.
He managed to squeeze just under 29sec. on three occasions, culminating in a 28.98 on his sixth and final run.
That enabled him to claim the Sports Libra up to 1,600cc record, beating Tim Torode’s 29.15 from four years ago.
The next-quickest drivers had been the racing Raysons.
Although both Scott and wife Emma managed 29.12s in their shared-drive Empire 00, it is the latter’s that will go down as the most significant performance of the day.
Any discontentment about not quite beating her husband’s time paled to the achievement of lowering the all-time women’s record, which she had set at 29.41 four years prior.
Her closest women’s rival, Jackie Le Cheminant, was not too far outside her recent best with a 29.70 in that same Racing Cars 601 to 1,100cc class.
Paul Le Messurier (29.52), Declan Brehaut (29.55), Simon Carre (29.62) and Torode (29.87) also went under the half-minute mark.
Chris Law missed his own record by finest of margins, leading the karts charge with a 30.66 in the Senior Gearbox 250cc Mono class.
Among the other competitors on four wheels, Callum Queripel further lowered his all-time ‘tin tops’ record.
He powered his eye-catching Subaru Impreza up the hill in 32.65, slashing 0.30sec. off his history-making mark from June in the Modified Limited Production Cars 2,001cc and over class.
In a busy period for visiting competitors, Jersey’s Darryl Morris shook up the Sports Libra Saloon Rally 4WD unlimited record books with a 33.06.
He was under James Labey’s mark from two years ago, 33.95, on every timed run.
Jamie Bacon continued his two-wheeled winning ways on his trusty Yamaha.
While his 33.58 was not quite a PB, it consolidated his position as a threat to Oliver Holmes’ all-time records and enabled him to win the stacked Motorcycles 351 to 500cc class. It had come at the end of the day after he bounced back from a minor incident.
Jersey’s Adam Vibert took second spot in 33.86, with Reece Hicks (34.03), Casey Mackrell (34.26) and Josh Pinchemain (34.35) all posting very competitive times in that class.
But Vibert’s biggest contribution came in the 251 to 350cc class, where his 33.88 on his smaller Supermotoland Race Team KTM marked a new record.
He slashed 0.91sec. from the previous record held by Guernsey’s Colin de Jersey and ensured that his first hill-climbing visit in seven years had been more than worthwhile.
‘I’m over the moon,’ the Jerseyman said.
‘The bike I’ve done the record on is new for this season and I’m still developing it, really.
‘I’ve surprised myself.’
His family had been on holiday to the island and brought over his bikes, allowing him to fit in a briefer visit around work and get 12 total timed runs up the ‘Valdees’.
But he has found Guernsey’s signature hill somewhat less forgiving than his native Bouley Bay.
‘Bouley, you make a mistake, you can pull it back,’ he added.
‘Here, you make a mistake, you’ve got no chance.
‘Thanks to the club, it’s been seven years and it’s been a warm welcome.’
The motorcycle classes were not without a few spills and misfortunes.
Best known as the fastest biker of all time in the Vazon Sprint, Adam Girard was the most significant victim, ending his day’s racing with multiple injuries.
