PAUL BUCKINGHAM posted the fast time of the day in yesterday’s Guernsey Kart and Motor Club run hillclimb. The 31-year-old police vehicle examiner went up the Val des Terres in 31.51sec in his Channel Seaways Dallara single-seater racing car.
After rain fell for most of the morning, bright sunshine greeted the competitors in the afternoon and while drivers talked about the slipperiness and the coldness of the surface, more than eight class records fell at the Black Horse Offshore-sponsored event.
‘That’s the first FTD I’ve ever had and that’s my personal best by half a second,’ said Buckingham.
‘Everything was working really well. My sponsor, Channel Seaways, sorted me out with some new tyres and it all came together.
‘I’m just really pleased. I’ve been promising them a victory.’
Buckingham’s next meeting is when the British Hillclimb Championships come to Guernsey on Saturday 21 July. He believes he has more to offer than 31.51.
‘I think I can go quicker than that,’ he said.
‘I think it’s possible - all the components are coming into place. The national boys are coming over, so hopefully then.’
Among the record-breakers was Tim Torode, whose Wheeler Dev. Ford Anglia took the sports libre special saloons 2001 and over mark in 33.20.
‘Who would have thought we’d have a day like this,’ he said.
‘It was raining this morning and then the sun came out at dinnertime. So you’ve got to be chuffed with that in these conditions.
‘I struggled with the grip through the right-hander of the S bend all day. I think there may have been some oil down from where they’ve been chainsawing the hedges.
‘Everybody had to deal with it but if it wasn’t there, I think we would have seen the 32.’
Another driver who spoke about the oil was Tim Le Pelley, who broke the Sports Libra Special Saloons up to 1400cc class with a time of 36.40 in his Maximum Security Mini 16v.
‘Today I believed in the car,’ he said.
‘I found the right-hander was the one I had to get right today, due to the oil. But if you kept your line, it was great.
‘I really didn’t expect to get a record today.’
The youngest class record breaker was 12-year-old karter Kasey Watson in his Zip Young Guns Mini Max.
The Grammar School student broke the Junior Rotax Max record when he crossed the finishing line in 35.32.
He smashed the old time by 2.5sec.
‘I was quite pleased with that, it was a big chunk out of the old record,’ he said.
Fellow karter Matt Corson also set a new record.
The 20-year-old finished ahead of close rival Darren Konken to take the 125 ICC Karts with a time of 32.09.
‘I just wanted to be as quick and as smooth as I could,’ he said.
‘It’s good to have some competition as well. Darren was pretty close and I definitely wanted to beat him because he’s always been quick up here.’
Other class records went to Antony Poynder in the motorcycles 701 and over on his Turx Custom Workshop R1, John Watson in the senior Rotax max class and Phil Brehaut in production saloons 1401cc and over with a time of 36.25.
Tim Luscombe smashed up the front of his Cycle World Honda CRX in the tunnel section but walked away unhurt.
Article posted on 29th May, 2007 - 12.00am
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