15 replies to this topic

[Richard Jenkins]

Noted that Andy Priaulx won the WTCC title this year - the former Hill Climbing champion doing exceptionally well. Reading his biography, it mentioned he cut his teeth racing on the island.
Now, I've had a search on the BB & seen a few things about beach & hill-climb venues but does anybody want to expand on this in more detail? (where, memories, lowdown etc.)
Priaulx must be the most notable Guernsey Islander in motorsport ever, no? Or are there others???

Cheers

[tintin]

Priaulx's father was another famous Guernseyman who was also a hillclimb champion, but Andy has probably been more famous for the last five years.

[Vitesse2]

Tim Murray's posted a couple of times on Guernsey racing. Vazon Bay was the main race venue - I've been there and it's an ideal racing beach: flat, quite wide and the tide goes out a long way. I think Darren has a track map on his site.

[ghinzani]

I remember Alistair Lyall selling his F3 Ralt at the end of 86 to a guy from the Channel isles, however I dont recall whether it was Guernsey or Jersey. I know he was going to race it in France as that was easier to get to. I have a feeling his surname was Henwood but dont quote me on that.

[Nordic1]

Here is a small gallery of photos from the RAC hillclimbs in Guernsey.

1980
1981

the Tiga SC80 of G Priaulx is in the 81 section.

I would love to see some photos of the sand racers if anyone has some.

[RS2000]

The main Guernsey hill climb venue, Le Val des Terres, remains a round of the British Hill Climb Championship, running as a "double header" with Bouley Bay, Jersey, with a one day gap to allow for transit. The course actually starts on the sea front in St Peter Port, which is also the ferry terminal (unlike on Jersey where Bouley Bay is on the other side of the island from the ferry at St Helier and thus more difficult to reach). Val des Terres is an interesting course that involves running over the pavement (footpath) at one point to get a quick time. I believe Andy Priaulx's father Graham at one time had interests in a restaurant virtually on the start line.
In theory it would be possible to do Val des Terres in a day trip from the UK mainland. In practice its not so easy. The overwhelming problem for all the "offshore" motorsport in the UK is the cost of the ferries. There is one monopoly company currently serving the Channel Islands and when its name comes up in conversation with CI competitors, I've noticed they tend to turn and spit on the ground...

[Stephen W]

There is one monopoly company currently serving the Channel Islands and when its name comes up in conversation with CI competitors, I've noticed they tend to turn and spit on the ground...

It's the same with the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company!

[humphries]

My records of Le Val des Terres hillclimb are very sketchy indeed. If possible I would like much more detailed information.

The first event I have recorded is that held on 5 August, 1946 when George Bainbridge in an E.R.A. won comfortably in front of George Yates in a Maserati 8CM and Frank le Gallais in his supercharged 1.3 litre Wolseley-engined M.G. Special.

Thereafter very little, except Syd Logan was the winner with a 1.0 litre Cooper- (?) JAP in 1949 and Denis Poore in his magnificient Alfa Romeo 8C-35 took time out to win the following year in August.

Again in August (no day) in 1953 Frank le Gallais won with his LGS-Jaguar 3.4 Special beating Poore's 1950 time by a tenth of a second.

In 1956 I believe Bill Knight with a Cooper won and in 1959 Arthur Owen in his Cooper-Climax 2.0 did the same.

In 1962 Tico Martini was the winner in his Kart device powered by Triumph.

In 1964 Autosport did a fairly detailed report and Peter le Gallais in his kart special, LGS 2, was quickest.

1965 saw Peter Wilson in, or should that be on (!), the little Martini-Triumph gain first place overall a feat he achieved in 1969 and again in 1971 (31 May). About this time two events were being run, a club fixture and a "National". In 1972 Richard Shardlow won the "Nat" in his Brabham.

In 1973 Le Val des Terres became a round of the R.A.C. Championship.

Possibly someone with programmes might know of a "previous winners" list, 1946 (?) - 1972, and hopefully someone has all the official results (!!) or, more realistically, at least the dates. This intriguing Guernsey event is one I've always wanted to research but I have never got round to it. Mind you, a visit to Guernsey would not be too much of a chore, if only I could find the time.

John

[Stephen W]

First Championship event was run on 28th July 1973 and was won by Chris Cramer in a 2.0 March-Ford BDA 723 in a time of 33.60 seconds which was a new hill record.

The current hill record set on the 17th July 2004 stands to Adam Fleetwood in the 3.5 Gould-NME GR55 at a stonking 29.14 seconds.

This year's event saw a huge diesel spillage on Thursday before the event which was cleaned up but meant there were only two new class records and Martin Groves only got to within 0.4 seconds of the hill record.

[Tim Murray]

Originally posted by humphries
Possibly someone with programmes might know of a "previous winners" list, 1946 (?) - 1972, and hopefully someone has all the official results (!!) or, more realistically, at least the dates. This intriguing Guernsey event is one I've always wanted to research but I have never got round to it. Mind you, a visit to Guernsey would not be too much of a chore, if only I could find the time.

John

I have about a dozen programmes for events held between 1964 and 1973, but none contains a list of previous winners. There are a very few old results on the Guernsey Motor Cycle and Car Club website (http://www.gmccc.co.uk/). As John says, in the '60s there were two events a year, one in May run by the Guernsey Kart and Motor Club, and one in August run by the GMC & CC. Nowadays (see website) they run many more events. There is also an event (described as a time trial but sounding suspiciously like another hillclimb) run on the road leading steeply up from Petit Bot Bay.

Incidentally, Pete Wilson is still campaigning the original Tico Martini special - some forty years on from when he acquired it.

[Stephen W]

29th July 1972 - Le Val des Terres

Peter Varley's 1.6 litre Brabham-Ford/Vegantune TC BT21C-6 was used not only by the owner but also by two other drivers. Richard Shardlow stepped in and netted BTD with a 36.29 seconds which was also a NEW hill record. Peter Varley was third BTD whilst Maurice Ogier stepped into drive Varley's BT21C in the two 'fun-runs' at the end of the day after his own version ran its bearings in practice. Second BTD went to Peter Wilson in the tiny 750cc Martini.

Class winners: Gordon Banks (1.1 Austin Cooper S) 39.26secs - Class Record; Dave Lowe (1.3 MG Midget) 43.49secs; Richard Shardlow (1.6 Brabham-Ford/Vegantune BT21c-6) 36.29s - Hill & Class Record; Ricky Chadney (5.0 Crossle-Chevrolet) 39.20secs; Tony Chadney (1.7 Lotus-Ford/Holbay 22) 38.54secs - Class Record; Paul Jenner (2.0 Ford Escort TC) 40.95secs - Class Record.

If I spot any more Pre 1973 results I'll post them.

[simonlewisbooks]

I was lucky enough to have a guest drive in a sand racing event at Vazon in 2000 and enjoyed the freewheeling easygoing nature of the event and a lot of help from the freindly people who organised it and competed .
The beach at Vazon isn't massive and has rocks at either end, a high sea wall down one side from which you can spectate free, and an concrete "Atlantic Wall" fort, couresty of the third reich, perched on an outcrop overlooking one end. As a result it's quite compact, gives a good sense of speed and the track layut on the day I raced was a large oval that must have been about half a mile round, maybe more. It certainly didn't require any gear changes once the MG Maestro I was loaned had got up to speed ! The abiding memory is getting 'filled in' with sand and pebbles every time someone went past. The advice in advance was 'duck if anyone overtakes' and they mean it! There are no windscreens in the cars and those pebble hurt. I had bruises on my chest and shoulders for ages afterwards.

Though MSA sanctioned there are some local rules and exemptions(or were..) such as allowing the wearing of oilskins over fireproofs (more chance of getting drowned than burned..) and the mix of both car and bike races on the programme (not at the some time, naturally!). Intriguingly the sand racing on Jersey is to different rules and doesn't appear to be MSA sanctioned so the two islands seem to have largely seperate sand racing entries who don't seem to inter-mingle. There seems to be far fewer racing cars (and more touring cars and motorcycles ) competing on Jersey and they look more like autograss class 8/9/10 cars than the big monsters found on Guernsey.

At Vazon bay I spotted what looked like a 60's single seater among the "racing cars" class, which are mostly the classic Jaguar and Chevy engined/ladder chassis specials that you sometimes see on the hillclimbs. I inquired about it's identity but no-one seemed to know. It may have been a Lotus but sadly I had run out of film at this point so have no photo of this one. There were apparently a lot of 60s single seaters used at one time but their increasing value meant most were restored to original spec and sold on for historic racing. There didn't seem to be any great knowledge of the history of sand racing among those I spoke to, no one was even sure if it had started pre or post WW2 they just enjoyed the racing on the day and looked forward to the next meeting.

The event was extreamly good fun and everyone got 5 or 6 races in before the tide reappeared. The spectating was free and very safe, the commentator was a bit of a comedian and I'd recommend anyone on the channel islands to try and take in an event as there is nothing else like it in Britain and probabaly anywhere else.

The road that runs alongside the bay is also used for MSA sprints and the startline can be clearly seen , layered with rubber, beside an 18th century watch tower. There are also non MSA banger racing events on another beach and I also watched one banger event in St Samson's harbour itself at low tide - very muddy and pretty disgusting as racing surfaces go!
You could watch that from the harbour wall looking down into the pits which were arranged among the beached fishing boats and cabin cruisers... curious event!


Simon Lewis
Transport Books
www.simonlewis.com

[Tim Murray]

In the '60s and early '70s when I used to spectate regularly at Vazon, the car entry was predominantly single-seater, with only the odd saloon. The local star at the time was Maurice Ogier, who later moved on to Formula 4 racing in the UK. His car was an old (rear-engined) Emeryson fitted with a 2.5 litre Daimler V8. I really wish now I'd paid more attention to it and the other local-built specials at the time. Stupid boy that I was, I was far more interested in the 'proper' racing cars - the 2- or 3-year-old Coopers, Lotus, Merlyns etc that the richer locals and UK visitors took up the Val des Terres hillclimbs.

Simon is absolutely right - the sand racing is well worth seeing if you get the chance.

[chdphd]

I was driving around Guernsey on Sunday evening and I came across this. I didn't know it was on or I would definitely given it a look. Those two cars on the left were taken away by a pick up later on.


Sand racing on Vazon beach by chdphd, on Flickr

I love that you can drive on the hill climb course just outside St Peter Port.

[MCS]

I love that you can drive on the hill climb course just outside St Peter Port.

Me too! I was amazed how twisty it was - but the usual thing I guess. You look at a map and at pictures and you get an impression. Then you go there.

[arttidesco]

One of the highlights at Prescott on Sunday was seeing the three sand racers in action, amazing machines even when well out of their element