Martin Groves has now won eight national rounds in Guernsey. (Picture by Andrew Le Poidevin, 0608357)
MARTIN GROVES’S love affair with the Guernsey hill shows no signs of ending.
He chalked up his eighth national win on Le Val des Terres on another entertaining and thrilling visit by the national series contenders on Saturday.
And while his hill record of 27.86sec. was never threatened, Groves was more than happy simply to win and narrow the gap on series leader Scott Moran, who had done the double at Bouley Bay 48 hours’ earlier.
‘We needed those two wins,’ said Groves on returning to the early evening shade of the pits. ‘The car was not very good in Jersey. We had a few handling problems.’
But there was nothing amiss with the Gould Gr55B 3500 at rounds 19 and 20 and his double took him to within one victory of his big rival, who has now won 10 rounds to Groves’ nine. There are 14 left.
The day’s other big star was local driver Nick Saunders.
Remarkably, he qualified third fastest for the second top-12 run-off of the day, having set a class record 29.90 in his second timed run.
His Office Solutions Reynick has only half the power of the big machines, but it tore up the hill to shake up the natonal establishment.
Only Mike Dean, a former regular in the national series with a much more powerful engine, has gone more quickly than Saunders, a point the young driver was quick to point out.
He also highlighted that the Reynick is now the quickest motorcycle car ever on the hill.
‘I’m well pleased.
‘I’ve known it was there, but it’s doing it. I’ve finally done a 29.’
Groves paid his own tribute to the local man, while at the same time emphasising that as in many sports, a good big ’un’ will always beat a good little ’un.
‘You can do it here in a small car,’ said Groves, who shared his Gould with Paul Ranson.
‘I was third in a Mallock Clubman car in the mid-90s.’
Guernsey had three qualifiers for the first top-12 run-off, two in the second, Andy Bougourd unfortunately just missing out on both occasions.
But he at least had the consolation of a class record with a 31.51 in his deep-red Condor Ferries OMS.
In the first run-off Roger Moran, first off the line, clocked a 29.73 and held the lead until four from the end when Trevor Willis lowered the target to 29.28.
Jos Goodyear immediately chipped another 19-hundredths off and Groves took it to 28.25 before Scott Moran, who had taken the racing cars 2001cc and over class record, in qualifying, had to settle for second with a 28.71.
In the second run-off, Ranson soon had the hill buzzing and the technicians wondering how, when he stopped the clock at 26.66.
Clearly a faulty time, he went back down the hill and clocked a completely realistic 29.85.
Willis took over top spot with a fine 29.66 and there was only Groves and Scott Moran remaining when Saunders went up for the last time.
Again, he gave it his all only this time, less than halfway up, his chain snapped.
Moments later Scott Moran posted a 28.91 to throw down the gauntlet to the Guernsey expert.
Groves, focused and capitalising on year-by-year experiences on the Sarnian hill, put his foot down and went 23 hundredths quicker with 28.68.
Article posted on 21st July, 2008 - 2.29pm
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