RACERS HONE IN ON RECORDS
9th May, 2025
Exciting racing action returned to the tarmac of Bouley Bay, Jersey's iconic hillclimb course, on Liberation Day as perfect weather conditions saw a packed field of 106 competitors speed their machines up the challenging road. With everything from classic 1960s motorcycles to purpose-built racing cars, spectators were treated to a variety of thrills and spills during the bank holiday.
Image - Leo Silva | Infinite Vision Photography
In the popular 351-500cc Motorcycles class, another massive entry delivered fantastic close racing. Adam Vibert led during the morning's practice, putting in an impressive time of 43.61 seconds, but it wasn't long before Matt Le Brun found his form and took the lead, posting a time of 43.45 seconds. Matt held the lead for the rest of the event, just keeping Adam at bay by a few tenths of a second. He went on to complete the day with a superb time of 43.12 seconds, once again coming close to the class record and outright bike record for the hill. Not far behind the leading pair were Jake Holland and Daniel Lagadu, who, separated by just 0.01 seconds, took third and fourth places in the class. Archie Langlois rounded out the top five of a 31-strong entry.
Another rider close to claiming a record was Greg Mansell, charging to the finish line just 0.05 seconds short of Andy Simpson's feat achieved in 2010. Greg went on to win the Motorcycles Unlimited class aboard his BMW, with Ryan Hidrio and Michael Milner completing the podium positions.
In the 4x4 Rally Cars class, Darryl Morris and his Skoda were in fine form as he chased his own record from August last year. Darryl ended the day only 0.05 seconds behind his 2024 time of 44.36 seconds.
Elsewhere on four wheels, Blake Hotton claimed his second win in the Road-Going Series Production Unlimited class. Blake and his Audi A3 led Bouley Bay newcomer Danny Goncalves to a respectable second position.
The JMC&LCC thank The Mansell Collection for their continued support, which ensures the success of these events. Racing is set to return to Bouley Bay on Tuesday, 15th July as part of the British Hillclimb Championship.
(words by Ryan Hidrio)
