FASTEST HILL IN A DECADE: MENZIES AND HOLMES SHINE AT BOULEY BAY
14th July 2026
by Ryan Hidrio
On Tuesday 14th July, the famous twists and turns of Bouley Bay once again played host to a round on the British Hillclimb Championship calendar. Comprising rounds 15 and 16, the JMC&LCC-run event was treated to fine weather as some of the quickest hillclimb machinery in the UK gathered to take on the technical hill.
Image - JerseyMotoringMedia
BHC front-runners Matthew Ryder, Wallace Menzies and Will Hall were among the competitors who made their way over from the mainland, whilst Channel Islands talent including Steve Brehaut and Michael Salmon were hoping to prove their mettle against more powerful opposition.
Defending champion Ryder came into the event on equal championship points with title rival Hall, and as the practice runs came to a conclusion, there was little separating the pair again.
Neither driver, however, could match Scotsman Menzies, as he was the first to break the 40-second barrier during the morning's action. Menzies' form continued through both qualifiers and the all-important point scoring run-offs as he claimed a double victory to aid his title hopes for 2026 with a maximum points haul.
In the fastest run witnessed at Bouley Bay in a decade, Menzies' first run-off time of 36.52 was just a sliver outside of Trevor Willis' feat and outright record of 36.48 set in 2016. Willis, absent due to a cancelled ferry, will rejoin the championship at the next round in Guernsey.
With a 2nd and 3rd position each in the two run-offs, Ryder and Hall still remain very close in the standings but will be aware of an approaching Menzies following his dominance in the Jersey rounds.
Jerseyman Michael Salmon ended the day in good spirits as he put his local knowledge to good use by scoring two 5th place positions in the run-offs. Salmon's first run-off time of 38.43 seconds was also his personal best at the hill and only five hundredths of a second behind Dave Uren, who currently sits 5th in the championship.
Image - JerseyMotoringMedia
There was a shake-up in the 351-500 Motorcycles class as previous record holder Oliver Holmes returned to the hill after a three-year absence. Early on, Adam Vibert set the pace, posting a personal best time of 42.82 seconds to top the class heading into the lunch break, with Matt Le Brun and Holmes not far behind. Into the afternoon, Holmes went quicker, first closing the gap on Vibert with a 43.03 run and then, on the final run of the day, flying to the top in a time of 42.65 seconds to claim the class and outright bike record.
Vibert, however, enjoyed further success in the 251-350 Motorcycles class as he claimed the class win and improved on his own record from May once again. The new time to beat now stands at 43.69 seconds, shaving 0.16 seconds off the previous benchmark.
Jack Hinton lowered his own record in the 1401-1600 Rally Cars class. Having broken the record in April with a time of 48.94 seconds, Hinton and his Vauxhall Nova completed three runs under his benchmark and ended the event with a remarkable time of 48.00 seconds, lowering the record by nearly a full second.
Over in the 1601-2000 Rally Cars class, Ollie Le Bailly continued his run of excellent form as he made it four events in a row with a personal best time, creeping ever closer to the class record of Sam Touzel set in 2022. In his Ford Escort Mk2 and now within a tenth-of-a-second of the record, Le Bailly's time of 46.12 seconds earned him the class win on the day ahead of João Rodrigues and Connor Andrews.
The club would like to extend its gratitude to event sponsor The Mansell Collection, and to all volunteers who help ensure these events continue to take place.
Action is scheduled to return to Bouley Bay on bank holiday Monday 31st August with racing set to commence at 10am.
Images - JerseyMotoringMedia
