HSA NEWS

Entries now open for all HSA 2025 competitions
15/02/2025

Entires are now open for all 2025 HSA competitions:

The Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship

The Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK Sprint Leaders Championship

The Woodford Trailers HSA Speed Championship

The British Sprint Challenge Cup (which runs under the British Sprint Championship)

The HSA Formula Ford Challenge (which runs under the HSA Speed Championship)

Full details can be found on the HSA website and you can find the start page for entries here.

A New Year's resolution?
05/01/2025

While you are considering your New Year's resolutions perhaps this might be suitable:

The Hillclimb and Sprint Association is the leading club for competitors, spectators, officials and enthusiasts of the sport of Speed Hillclimbing and Sprinting in the UK. It organises three important Championships (the Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK British Sprint Championship, the Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK Sprint Leaders Championship & the Woodford Trailers HSA Speed Championship), publishes Speedscene magazine and puts on a double header Sprint at Curborough each year. The HSA is represented on the MSUK committee for Speed events, has a comprehensive website, and is active on social media.

We are looking for new members to join the committee - in particular to manage the club's social media activities and also someone (or a small team) to take over responsibility for the club's website. The latter role would, in the first instance, involve maintaining the content of the current website but would later involve the transition to a new website.

Anyone interested in becoming more involved with the organisation and management of the club's activities and/or either of these roles should contact any HSA committee member via the website's contact page:

https://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/contactform.asp

2025 Woodford Trailers HSA Sprint Leaders Championship draft calendar
29/11/2024

We are pleased to publish version 1 of the Draft 2025 Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK HSA Sprint Leaders championship calendar:

2025 Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK HSA British Sprint championship draft calendar
28/11/2024

We are pleased to publish version 1 of the Draft 2025 Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK HSA British Sprint championship calendar:

2025 Woodford Trailers HSA Speed Championship draft calendar
28/11/2024

We are pleased to publish version 1 of the Draft 2025 Woodford Trailers HSA Speed championship calendar:
 

 

NOTE: Rounds indicated by an asterisk may not run a class for Junior competitors

NOTE. The six rounds indicated by a double asterisk above will comprise the Pre 1994 Formula Ford Challenge Calendar

 

 

MSUK Competition Rules 2025
07/11/2024

Motosport UK have published their latest version (V5 and without the 'trial' watermark) of the National Competition Rules for 2025. They can be found at their Resource Centre here.

HSA Awards lunch - November 10th
17/10/2024

The 2024 Hillclimb and Sprint Association's annual awards lunch will be held on Sunday November 10^th at the prestiguous venue of the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire which houses the world's largest collection of historic British cars. There are over 400 British classic cars for visitors to explore from the collections of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. Attendees will have access to the museum's exhibits included with their lunch tickets.

The awards event will celebrate the successful competitors in the 2024 Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK HSA British Sprint Championship, the 2024 Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK HSA Sprint Leaders Championship and the Woodford Trailers HSA Speed Championship. Full details of all the award winners will be published here shortly.

The after lunch speaker at this year's event will be the well known motoring journalist and hillclimb competitor, Simon Taylor. Appointed editor of Autosport at the age of 23, Simon went on to launch What Car? In 1973 and Classic & Sports Car in 1982. As well as providing motor racing commentaries on radio, TV and film, Simon has also written a number of motor sport books and the popular 'Lunch with.....' articles in Motor Sport magazine. He is also an HSA member of long standing and a regular competitor at Shelsley Walsh in his unique 1950 HWM sports-racing car, The Stovebolt Special.

Full list of awards winners:

Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK British Sprint championship here

Woodford Trailers Motorsport UK Sprint Leaders championship here

Woodford Trailers HSA Speed championship here

HAIMES AND MOORE TAKE GURSTON SPOILS
27/08/2024

Right up until the very last round of the BARC(SW) Top Ten Challenge run-off, which concluded Sunday’s event at Gurston’s final Championship double-header of the year on 24/25 August, there was a possibility that Empire-Suzuki driver James Moore, the 2017 Challenge champion, was in with a chance of becoming the first driver to win both the Gurston Championship and Challenge titles in the same year. By close of play on Sunday, Moore had maintained his season-long advantage to win the class-based Gurston Championship, but in the Challenge, having already used up his double points opportunity in April, he had to give best to the flying Gould-Suzuki GR59 turbo of regular BHC contender Paul Haimes.
          With fewer points to drop and still with double points on offer at Sunday’s final round, Haimes needed only a top three finish to overhaul Moore who had led the Challenge series, in addition to the Championship, for the entire season. After giving full notice of intent with a 27.43sec run during qualifying, a time which would stand as the fastest of the weekend, a mere 28.02 was enough for Haimes to take his seventh Gurston run-off win of the season and snatch the Challenge title from Moore by six points, having already moved up the Championship table to finish third overall in that series as well.
          After a great season in his Honda Civic Type R, regular 2-litre Production class winner Russell Davies bagged second overall on the Championship table while behind Haimes, Neil Turner bounced back, wheel stud problems having sidelined his lightweight 16-valve Mini Cooper S from Saturday’s event, to finish fourth overall. After jockeying for position on the series table with David Nutland’s Mini all season, with both drivers running the same spec Brett Sims A-Series engine, John Davey brought home his MG Midget in fourth place, but it was former triple champion Mark Crookall, after a sterling final effort on this finale weekend in his OMS-Suzuki PR, that eventually rounded off the top six.
          The final run-off of the year saw a repeat of Saturday’s encounter with Paul Haimes well in charge and clear of James Moore as he secured the Challenge title from his rival. After Ben Bonfield’s somewhat tardy eighth place on Saturday, the engine in the Bonfields’ hard worked OMS-Suzuki finally cried enough during Sunday practice and with his father Tony stepping down, Ben shared their ‘old’ Jedi, courtesy of Gary Hull, finishing third in Sunday’s run-off. This fortuitous arrangement enabled Ben to move up the table a couple of places to finish fourth overall in the Challenge, but after one of his best weekends of the year it was Mark Crookall, with third and fourth place finishes respectively, that rounded off the top three on the table. Nic Mann, who hadn’t entered his Mannic Beattie, was thus elbowed down from third to fifth overall in the Championship, ahead of 1992 Gurston champion Mike Lee’s Force-Suzuki LM.
 

FTD man Paul Haimes took the Challenge title and third place in the Championship (Steve Lister)


James Moore won the Championship and was narrowly beaten to the Challenge title (Steve Lister)


Russell Davies and the Honda Civic R - Championship runner-up (Steve Lister)


Fourth overall in the Championship - Neil Turner (Steve Lister)

HOT COMPETITION AT GURSTON
07/08/2024

Amid ideal conditions at Gurston Down, the leading Turbo Dynamics Gurston Championship contenders’ target times came under fire throughout the four rounds held over the BARC Southwest Centre’s early August double-header weekend. But despite the fierce competition, by close of play the top six positions remained unchanged. 1100cc Racing class contestant James Moore had led the series after the July rounds, but coming under fire from the non-registered Ed Hollier on Saturday, 2017 Top Ten Challenge champion Moore produced his first ever sub-30sec run at Gurston to take the class win and boost his score in the class based Gurston Championship. On Sunday, Hollier stepped up the pace with two 29s of his own, but Moore was equal to the task. Despite losing the class to the rapid Westcountryman, another brace of 29s kept the Empire driver well in charge of the Championship.
          Running within three tenths of his 5-year-old class record on Saturday, another good weekend in the 16v lightweight Cooper S kept Neil Turner firmly second overall on the table ahead of Graham Beale, who found enough pace in his turbocharged Cosworth powered Ginetta G33 to make the cut each day for the Challenge run-off. Still fourth on the table, a delighted James Wills set his first Gurston sub-40 on Saturday aboard his Clio 197, going on to repeat it twice the following day in pursuit of the class winner, regular sparring partner Russell Davies. The Honda Civic driver remained sixth overall, however, behind David Nutland’s Cooper S.
          The weekend’s events included four rounds of the Pre-94 Formula Ford Challenge and a 17-strong class provided superb entertainment each day. Top BHC contender Trevor Willis had another outing in Richard Summers’ elderly but extremely effective Van Diemen RF80, leading on Saturday before Shaun Macklin elbowed his record-holding Swift SC past by eight hundredths second time up. The following day Willis led again, but looked as though he’d blown his second run with an uncharacteristically scrappy run through Karousel. He’d already done enough, though, as Macklin failed to catch him by a mere six hundredths.
          The pace stepped up each day for the Top Ten Challenge run-offs, supported by Online Cleaning Technologies. Paul Haimes, despite missing the first two rounds in April, was by now in second place on the series table after a successful follow-up. With a couple of mid-27 runs in the Gould-Suzuki turbo he’d scored two more wins by the end of the weekend, along the way setting a 27.12 during Sunday qualifying that would stand as the overall best time. He still remained 15 points shy of James Moore, who had held top spot in both the Championship and Challenge virtually throughout the season, while both Haimes and Moore were split in each run-off by the spectacular 4WD Mannic Beattie of Nic Mann. On Sunday, Mann’s stupendous 1.79sec startline launch was followed by a storming 137mph passage through the speed trap on the approach to Hollow – 8mph faster than Haimes – and he remained third on the series table.
          A former triple Gurston champion in a Mazda, Mark Crookall is now one of the men to beat in the ultra-competitive 1100cc racing class and brought his OMS-Suzuki home fourth in each run-off, leapfrogging the absent Mike Lee into fourth place on the series table. The unfortunate Lee was not present, having opened his trailer after Wiscombe the previous weekend and discovered that his Force LM sports libre car had broken suspension lugs on one of his Force LM’s rear uprights!
          Both series looks set for an exciting conclusion, as with dropped points and double points coming into play at the late August finale, the outcome of this year’s Gurston Championship season is still in the balance.

 

The fastest Mini ever seen at Gurston, Neil Turner's 16v Cooper S lies second overall in the Championship (Steve Lister)


Third overall in the Championship, Graham Beale qualified his Ginetta for both Challenge run-offs (Steve Lister)


Second overall in the Challenge series, Paul Haimes set his fastest Gurston FTD of the year so far (Steve Lister)


Moving up to fourth on the Challenge table, Mark Crookall finished fourth in each run-off (Steve Kister)

MANN AND MOORE AT GURSTON
23/06/2024

A combination of changeable weather, high speeds from the front runners and the non-appearance of some of the leading contenders provided a different look to the Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship table after the series’ second weekend double-header on June 15/16, while the run-off based Top Ten Challenge provided its own share of upsets.
          With series leader Luke Chard Chard-Maple not present all weekend and thus missing all four rounds, he slipped to 24th on the table. This played into the hands of the second placed Nic Mann, whose innovative Mannic Beattie was at last running more or less to his satisfaction. Apart from on the first wet run of the opening day, he ran consistently in the 29s – and once in the 28s – to rack up useful points and take the lead in this target time based championship. Top 1100 racing runner all weekend, James Moore got into the 30s on Sunday aboard his Empire-Suzuki and claimed the runner-up spot on the table. Third in the series after April’s rounds, Honda Civic pilot Russell Davies lost out despite a class winning time on Saturday, his non-appearance the following day leaving him 15th on the table at the end.
          Running well in the Force-Suzuki LM sports libre car, for so many years a familiar sight at Gurston in the hands of Jonathan Gates and Peter Sexton, Mike Lee moved into a championship third place ahead of Graham Beale’s lightweight, Cosworth YB Ginetta G33 turbo. 1400cc ModProd record-holder Neil Turner, without pressure from regular sparring partner Jim White’s own 16v Mini, whose clutch had cried enough on Saturday morning, failed to get close to his record but scored enough points for fifth place, while sixth on the table was James Wills, delighted with his class win in the Clio on Sunday despite the absence of Russell Davies’ Civic.
          Among other class highlights were a weekend-long record-swapping duel between Steve Cox in his VW Golf R and Simon Neve’s EVO 6 RS in Gurston’s new 4WD Road Car class. Cox had established the record in April and the pair disputed it all weekend before it finally fell on Sunday to Cox, a second and a quarter inside his original mark. It was good to see Simon Taylor returning to Gurston for the first time for ten years with the famous Stovebolt Special HWM-Chevrolet. Although, understandably, he could make little impression on the three relatively modern single seaters in the Historically Interesting class, led by Fyrth Crosse’s Ensign and with Neal Masters making his first appearance in the ex. Sue Hayes Palliser, it was great to see the famous ex.Moss machine being put through its paces again.
            As expected, it was Paul Haimes and Nic Mann who set the pace among the Top Ten Challenge contenders in each day’s run-off. But it was 2017 Challenge champion Moore who led the way in the Empire coming to Gurston. Mann had missed out on a run-off in April when the Mannic Beattie refused to start and Haimes had yet to score – out in April after a trip into the barrier at Ashes. Top ten British hillclimb contender Haimes began to make his mark on Saturday, winning the run-off with a 27.93 FTD. He ran even faster during Sunday practice the qualified his Gould-Suzuki turbocar on 27.35, the best time of the weekend. Mann chased him home in Saturday’s run-off, followed by Moore, but after a day of sunshine on Sunday, rain came in to dampen the closing stages of the shoot-out and penultimate qualifier Mann just scraped home for the win ahead of Moore. Haimes was out of it, having blown the run on the wet startline.
          So with consistent running, Moore still led the Challenge, but Mann had moved up to second place and the same pair led both the Championship and the Challenge. Mike Lee was now holding third on the Challenge table ahead of the absent Steve Holland. But perhaps the biggest grin came from Tony Bonfield, back aboard the Jedi shared with son Ben. First away in the shoot-out, his 32.92 looked increasingly good as the runs progressed and conditions deteriorated. By the end, it was good enough for third place – his best ever run-off finish!

 

Paul Haimes set the outright pace for the weekend with a 27.35 (Steve Lister)


Mike Lee lies third in both the Championship and the Challenge (Steve Lister)


Steve Cox came out on top in a record duel with Simon Neve (Steve Lister)


Simon Taylor fights the mighty Stovebolt round a damp Ashes bend (Steve Lister)

Clive Wooster
20/05/2024

We have received the sad news that Clive Wooster has recently passed away. The HSA and his colleagues on the committee extend their condolences to Clive's family. Clive has been a popular and successful competitor at Sprints and Hillclimbs for many years and was an HSA committee member. We will all miss him greatly.

Paul Parker
Chairman
The Hillclimb and Sprint Association

Pembrey Summer Sprints June 1 & 2
09/05/2024

BARC Wales will be running their Summer Sprint week-end at Pembrey on June 1st and 2nd.

The events are rounds of:

2024 Woodfield Trailers HSA Speed Championship
2024 Woodfield Trailers Motorsport UK HSA Sprint
Leaders Championship
2024 Woodfield Trailers Motorsport UK HSA British
Sprint Championship
WAMC Fairfield Motor Co. Welsh Sprint &
Hillclimb Championship 2024
Midland Speed Championship 2024
MG Car Club Speed Championship 2024

the events are also open to competitors who are members of a club registered to one of the following Regional Associations: Welsh Associations of Motor Clubs and Association of South Western Motor Clubs and this includes the HSA.  

GURSTON SEASON OPENER
01/05/2024

Despite overnight rain for each day, the opening rounds of the 2024 Gurston Down season got underway in dry, if cold, conditions on April 27/28. With each of the four competition runs over the weekend’s two events counting towards the Turbo Dynamics sponsored hill Championship, it was series newcomer Luke Chard-Maple who led the series after the opening rounds after two decisive wins in the 2-litre Modified class aboard his Renault Clio 172. Lying a Championship second after the first weekend was Nic Mann, despite a disappointing end to the weekend in his amazing Mannic Beattie, in which he set FTD both days. Third overall in the standings was last year’s third place Championship finisher Russell Davies who overcame David Newman’s MX5, Saturday’s winner of a well supported 2-litre Road Car class, in the following day’s event. In the same class, Paul Haimes’ son Will made his hillclimb debut in James Wills’ Clio 197 although his father had a disastrous weekend in his turbocharged Gould-Suzuki, removing the car’s nosebox and front wing against the Ashes barrier on Saturday’s second class runs when clearly in contention to challenge Mann’s FTD.
          Elsewhere in the class runs, Stephen Moore was out in his own Clio on Saturday, but scored both Championship and Challenge points in one of his potent Mitsubishi Evos on Sunday. It was good to see David Franklin, 1978 champion in both British Hillclimb and Sprint campaigns and more recently a noted historic racer, back at Gurston for the first time in 44 years at the wheel of Chris Stone’s Porsche 911 RS, while on two wheels it was KTM Duke rider Paul Jeffery that set the pace among the NHCA riders both days, with a best time of 33.93s to win Sunday’s motorcycle run-off.
          Having set the weekend’s only sub-30s run with a 29.91 in Saturday’s Online Cleaning Technologies Gurston Down Top Ten Challenge run-off, with closest opposition Paul Haimes unfortunately sidelined Nic Mann looked odds-on to win Sunday’s shoot-out as well, having once again qualified top. But he, too, was forced to non-start when the complex Mannic-Beattie’s ancilliary turbo booster refused to fire up on the start line. This left the door open for 2017 Challenge champion in his Empire-Suzuki, James Moore. Having finished runner-up to Mann on Saturday, Moore took Sunday’s run-off win and with it the lead in the 2024 Challenge series. Third each day and ending the weekend second on the Challenge table was series sponsor Steve Holland, his Caterham’s Hayabusa engine now stretched to 1719cc. But he nearly didn’t make it. Locking everything up in a huge cloud of smoke under braking for Karousel, he looked set for a trip up the escape road. Amazingly, he scrabbled through with a wheel on the grass to clock a time good enough for second place. 2023 hero Ben Bonfield was next up, OMS mounted this year and finally coming good after a weekend of mechanical and electrical problems.
 

Luke Chard-Maple leads the Gurston Championship after round four (Steve Lister)


Nic Mann set the outright pace both days and took a Championship second place (Steve Lister)


After a run-off win on Sunday, James Moore heads the Challenge table (Steve Lister)


Defending Challenge champion Steve Holland lies second after two rounds (Steve Lister)

Registrations for 2024 HSA organised championships now open
17/01/2024

In 2024 the HSA will be organising three major Championships and two Challenge competitions.

Registrations for the Woodford Trailers Motorsports UK HSA British Sprint championship (including the 11 round Challenge Cup), the Woodford Trailers Motorsports UK HSA Sprint Leaders championship and the Woodford Trailers HSA Speed championship (including the Pre '94 FF Challenge) are now now being taken on-line and by post.

Competitors who register on-line for two Championships (excluding the Challenge competitions) at the same time will receive a discount of £20 and competitors entering three Championships will receive a discount of £30. You can start the registration process here.

The Pre-94 Formula Ford Register Challenge
17/01/2024

The 2024 Pre-94 Formula Ford Challenge will take place over four weekends this season. The Challenge runs within the Woodford Trailes HSA Speed Championship is open to competitors with vehicles manufactured prior to 1.1.94 and complying with the relevant Formula Ford Guidance notes and who hold an RS Interclub licence as a minimum

Competitors may register for the Challenge by either registering for the Woodford Trailers HSA Speed Championship in Class J1 or by paying a registration fee of £7 here.

If you would like to learn more about the Challenge, or wish to be added to the Register, please contact Charlie Reilly via charlie.reilly@sky.com