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.