11 RECORDS FALL AT HILL FINALE
31st August 2026
by Ryan Hidrio
Monday 31st August saw Bouley Bay come alive with the sights and sounds of high-octane motorsport as the JMC&LCC descended on the north coast bay for the fourth and final visit of 2026.
With heavy rainfall overnight and in the early hours, a last-minute road sweeper was called in to tidy the debris and prepare the tarmac for the racing ahead.
However, once the wet conditions eased, an astounding 11 records were broken in what was a hillclimb that will be remembered for years to come.
Image - SnapRideJsy
The two-wheeled winner of the day was Matthew Le Brun, who picked up two records. Still fresh from his British Supermoto Championship performance, Le Brun got the better of a 26-strong field of competitors in the Motorcycles 351-500 class. With a blazing time of 42.64 seconds, Le Brun stole the class record and the outright motorcycle record from Oliver Holmes by the slimmest of margins - only 0.01 seconds. Previous record holder Adam Vibert was runner-up whilst Kerry Knowles claimed third place.
It was a similar story in the Motorcycles 251-350 class as Le Brun triumphed, but not without a colossal fight from Vibert. Le Brun snatched the record - set the month prior by Vibert - on the penultimate run by a mere 0.03 seconds with a rapid time of 43.66 seconds. He was immediately followed by Vibert crossing the line with a 43.67-second run - his personal best effort on the KTM 350 falling just agonisingly short of the new record time now held by Le Brun.
Guernseyman Jezz Mann returned a year after setting the record in the Scooter 150-249 class and ended the day by improving his time with a 53.46-second run aboard his Lambretta.
Image - SnapRideJsy
Jack Hinton continued his perfect form as he lowered the record in the Rally Cars 1401-1600 class to a time of 47.99 seconds. Hinton made it three for three in his Vauxhall Nova, breaking the record on every one of his visits to Bouley Bay this season.
Another driver on a charge all year was young up-and-comer Ollie Le Bailly. Edging closer to Sam Touzel’s record over the whole season, Le Bailly looked in perfect harmony with his Ford Escort Mk2 as he charged to the line in a time of 45.48 seconds, shattering the previous record of 46.03 seconds.
Previous Jersey Rally winner Ross Le Noa broke his own record from 2024, saving the best until last; he lowered his time in the final run by a tenth of a second to 44.91 seconds in the Rally Cars Unlimited 8-inch Wheel class.
In the Rally Cars up to 1400 class, Paul Vibert smashed his own record by over half a second to leave the record standing at 49.69 seconds.
Visiting UK driver Chris Harrison, behind the wheel of his eye-catching Ford Escort, knocked half a second off Kevin Rault’s 2015 record in the Sports Libre Saloon Unlimited class. His final run of the day set a new time of 47.08 seconds.
Stewart Barrow enjoyed success of his own as he continued to chip away at his record first set in May 2024. An improvement of two tenths of a second in his Lotus Elise left the Road Going Series Production 1401-2000 record sitting at 48.38 seconds.
Following his impressive top-five performances in July against Britain's best hillclimb talent, Michael Salmon continued his momentum into his best drive of the season and with it destroyed his previous record in the Racing Cars 1601-2000 class to set a new standard at 38.36 seconds. Salmon’s blistering time also earned him the fastest time of the day.
His brother Alex claimed a record of his own too. In the mighty Gould GR37, he thundered to the finish line in a time of 40.59 seconds to beat a seven-year-old record by a comfortable margin.
The club and Speed Committee once again thank all the personnel behind the scenes and to our sponsors The Mansell Collection.
Bouley Bay action will return in 2027!
Image - SnapRideJsy
