MIKE DEAN is still waiting for that elusive first victory in the MSA British Hill Climb Championship. After five years of trying, the Guernsey mechanic has yet to stand on top of the podium. He was hoping to rectify that on Saturday at the Val des Terres leg of the British series, but a third place finish in round 19 and then a crash in round 20 put paid to that.

‘It just keeps going on,’ he said.

‘The longer it goes on, the harder it gets. The hunt continues.’

Dean picked up third place in the first run off after he went up in 29.83sec in his bright orange Gould GR55B. But disaster struck in his second run off as he went hell for leather and careered into the bank just before the finish.

‘I was on a mission, seeing the times the others had done,’ said Dean.

‘I thought I had to go for it. I was hitting the limit and it just stepped out a little bit.

‘I clipped the left-hand bank and that spun me round and I went backwards into the right bank. There was always a chance that it was going to happen.

‘I’ve damaged the right wing but it’s fixable.’

Proceedings had been held up earlier in the day when Colin Le Maitre’s Autocare Dallara Toyota had engine problems and spewed oil over the road by the Terres house. It took half-an-hour to make the surface safe.

It did not seem to affect Martin Groves who went onto break the hill record with a time of 28.97 to take the first round.

‘It felt a very quick run,’ said Groves.

‘It did feel good and it was one of those times when it all hooked together. It happens occasionally.

‘To go under 29 was really good. As long as I go home with the record, that’s all that matters.’

The Oxford driver’s joy was short-lived as his championship rival, Scott Moran, snatched the record from him in the very last run of the day. Moran posted 28.84.

In the local drivers’ competitions, Steve Marquis set a new fastest time in the non-tranaxle cars’ class with a time of 35.26 in his Citroen 2CV Special. Dale Crowsley, in his FRG Cars Citroen, broke the production cars record with 39.99.

He is the first driver in the class to go under 40sec.

Tim Torode in his Wheeler Develoipments Anglia also re-wrote the records book when he took 100th of a second off his own of 33.23 in the modified saloons 1801cc and over category.

The 44-year-old was delighted with his achievement but has admitted that he was missing pitting himself against his close rival, Darren Warwick, whose Ford has been out of action since crashing at May’s Pommeraye hill climb.

‘I’m missing the competition,’ he said.

‘No disrespect to the others but there is no one pushing me. I’m going for personal bests and records but it’s nice have some competition as well.’