NEWS ARCHIVE

The Castle Hill car festival 2014
23/12/2013

The Castle Hill car festival is to be held at Filleigh, Nr Barnstaple, Devon on 9th/10th August 2014.

Entry forms for the track event are now available for download from the web site.

BRIGHTON SPEED TRIALS UNDER IMMEDIATE THREAT
21/12/2013

The Brighton Speed Trials, the UK’s longest running motorsport event, having first run in July 1905, is under threat. Over two hundred cars and motorcycles line up each September to take part in this world famous event, which attracts thousands of spectators annually. Now, Brighton and Hove Council is planning to refuse permission for it and to block the event from taking place on the historic Madeira Drive seafront course.

            You can help save it by signing a petition; either visit www.savebrightonspeedtrials.com or go directly to the petition on the Brighton and Hove Council website http://tinyurl.com/qjtbmub and sign it now. Don’t delay – the council will be making a decision on 23 January 2014! As well as signing the petition you can support the campaign by circulating the link to the petition to friends and family, FaceBook contacts and Twitter followers.

‘We are appealing to motorsport fans, local residents and everyone who enjoys a family day out at the seaside to help us save this historic event,’ said Tony Watts of event organiser Brighton and Hove Motor Club. ‘The loss of the Brighton Speed Trials will be the end of an era for Brighton with over 100 years of history and entertainment in the area gone.’ The end of the Speed Trials will also have a financial impact on tourism and trade for retailers and businesses in the area as it brings thousands of visitors to Brighton.

Updates will be posted to Twitter, follow on: @SaveBST  Check also the Facebook page:  www.facebook.com/savebrightonspeedtrials

PRIZES AT PRESCOTT
09/12/2013

A fine turnout of HSA members visited the Prescott Clubhouse on December 8^th for the Association’s annual Lunch and Prize Presentation. After an excellent lunch, HSA chairman Les Buck conducted the prizegiving ceremony which, as well as rewarding HSA class and Ginetta Owners’ Club Speed Challenge winners, the latter led by Matthew Eady, saw Alan Mugglestone take the premier award as 2014 HSA Champion in his Raw Fulcrum. Alan thanked the sponsor, the organisers, marshals & officials and his fellow competitors for such a good season. He noted that he had started out the season with modest expectations in an under developed new car and paid tribute to runners up Colin Satchell and Andrew Cottrill who both might so easily have won and fellow Class 2B competitors Chris Howard-Harris (4^th) and Tim Pennington (6^th) who provided some very stiff competition.

The awards were presented by Kim Broughton of Championship sponsor SBD, who we are delighted to say will be continuing their backing in 2014. Among the other major award winners, Nick Mugglestone kept it in the family by taking the Peter Stevens Memorial Trophy for the best score over four qualifying rounds aboard his Mazda MX5. For the second year running on behalf of the NSCC, Club President Vi Selby collected the Russ Ward Trophy, presented to the organisers of the best HSA Championship round. The Paul Squires Memorial Trophy was won this year by 1100 racing class constructor/contestants Tony and Adam Steel. Peugeot co-drivers Colin Satchell and Paul Drowne collected the HSA Dual Drive shield, while Westfield driver Tim Pennington took home the Championship shield after being voted HSA competitor of the year.

Finally our thanks to Ciaran and the staff at Prescott for making the event a popular success at this iconic venue.

A copy of the presentation in Powerpoint format can be downloaded here.

Full photographic coverage is available on our ‘Gallery’ page here.

New operators for Mallory Park
04/12/2013

Mallory Park, the popular Leicestershire motor racing circuit, has new operators.

Stuart Hicken and Eddie Roberts, both well known in the motorcycle racing world, have formed a jointly-owned company - Real Motorsport Limited - to run the circuit on a day-to-day basis.

They commented: "This is a great day for us both. We have grown up with Mallory Park, firstly as spectators, then as competitors and now running businesses associated with the sport".

Eddie owns Complog, a leading worldwide retailer of motorcycle tyres which also supplies the British Superbike Series. He enjoyed a 20-year racing career, which saw him compete in many events, including Grands Prix and the Isle of Man TT.

Stuart is owner of the Buildbase BMW Motorrad UK British Superbike Team. He started racing in the late 1960s, then managed successful racing teams for others, before setting up his own Hawk Racing squad. Stuart's career also included several years at Mallory Park.

The previous operating company went into administration, after a series of problems associated with the contravening of agreed noise regulations.

Both men commented: "We realise that there is a lot of bridge building to be done with the local community, but Mallory Park has been here for a long time and we are hopeful that - with understanding all round - it will have a long and successful future. We would like to thank circuit owner Chris Meek for giving us the opportunity of re-establishing Mallory Park and also Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council for advice regarding noise issues and the community".

The pair will now start a programme of works to get the circuit into shape for the forthcoming season and plan to stage their first race meeting in the spring, together with a programme of practice and track hire days.

AVON TYRES/TTC GROUP MSA BRITISH HILLCLIMB CALENDAR 2014
21/11/2013

April 26/27               PRESCOTT                         Bugatti OC

May 10                    BARBON MANOR             Liverpool MC

May 11                    HAREWOOD                      BARC (Yorks)

May 24/25               GURSTON DOWN             BARC (SW)

May 31/Jun 1           SHELSLEY WALSH           Midland AC

June 7/8                   LOTON PARK                    Hagley & DLCC

June 21/22               DOUNE                               Lothian CC

July 6                       HAREWOOD                      BARC (Yorks)

July 17                     BOULEY BAY*                  Jersey MC & LCC

July 19                     LE VAL DES TERRES*      Guernsey MC & CC

July 26/27                WISCOMBE PARK            Woolbridge MC

August 2                  CRAIGANTLET*                Ulster AC

August 16/17           SHELSLEY WALSH           Midland AC

August 23/24           GURSTON DOWN             BARC (SW)

September 6/7         PRESCOTT                         Bugatti OC

September 20/21     DOUNE                               Lothian CC

September 27/28     LOTON PARK                    Hagley & DLCC     

All events are Avon/TTC Group Hillclimb Leaders rounds except where marked *

2014 SBD British Sprint Championship calendar announced
18/11/2013

The calendar for the 2014 SBD British Sprint Championship has been announced:

22-Mar Castle Combe, Bristol MC
05-Apr Lydden, SEMSEC
21-Apr Croft, DDMC
17-May Snetterton, BRSCC
18-May Snetterton, BRSCC
31-May Pembrey, BARC (Wales)
01-Jun Pembrey, BARC (Wales)
07-Jun Anglesey, Chester MC
08-Jun Anglesey, Chester MC
19-Jul Knockhill, KMSC/BMSA
20-Jul Knockhill, KMSC/BMSA
09-Aug Kirkistown, 500MRCI
10-Aug Kirkistown, 500MRCI
25-Aug Brands Hatch, SEMSEC
04-Oct Anglesey, Longton & DMC
05-Oct Anglesey, Longton & DMC

The provisional 2014 SBD HSA Speed Championship calendar announced
18/11/2013

We are pleased to announce the provisional calendar for the 2014 SBD HSA Speed Championship. Most of the dates are firm but please be advised that there may be one or two changes prior to permits being issued over the coming months.

March 16 Rockingham, BARC Midlands
March 22nd Castle Combe, Britsol Motor Club
April 5th Lydden Hill, SEMSEC (cancelled)
April 21st  Loton Park, Hagley & DCC
April 26th Gurston Down, BARC SW
April 27th Wiscombe, Woolbridge MC
May 3rd / 4th Shelsley Walsh, MAC
May 3rd Werrington, Plymouth MC
May 4th Werrington, Plymouth MC
May 17th Snetterton, Borough 19
May 18th Snetterton, Borough 19
May 24th MIRA, MAC
May 31st Pembrey, BARC Wales
June Ist Pembrey, BARC Wales
June 7th Anglesey, Chester MC
June 8th Anglesey, Chester MC
June 14th Prescott, Longton MC
June 15th Prescott, Longton MC
June 15th Curborough, Owen MC
July 6th Harewood, BARC Yorkshire
July 12th Blyton Park, Westfield SCC
July 13th  Blyton Park, Westfield SCC
July 19th Llandow BARC, Wales
July 20th  Llys y Fran, Swansea MC
July 26th / 27th Wiscombe, Woolbridge MC
August 3rd  Hethel, BRSCC
August 23rd /  24th Gurston Down, BARC SW
August 25th Brands Hatch, SEMSEC (cancelled)
August 31st Loton Park, Hagley & DCC
September 6th Aintree, Liverpool MC
September 13th Thoresby, Nottingham SCC
September 14th Thoresby, Nottingham SCC
September 20th Shelsley Walsh, MAC
October 11th Curborough, Hillclimb & Sprint Association

Regulations and entry forms will be psoted on this web site in due course.

DAVID GRAY
04/11/2013

Scottish motorsport has lost one of its great characters with the sudden death of David Gray. This larger-than-life competitor loved his big TVRs and won the Modified Production class in the British Sprint Championship in 2006 with his ex.circuit racing 4.2-litre 420 TEAC. Latterly, he had been running a mighty TVR Griffith in the Classic classes with great success, including a class win at the recent Bo'ness revival meeting. Scottish events will be the poorer for David’s absence and we extend our sympathy to his family and many friends.

2013 SBD HSA Championship full results
27/10/2013

The full list of the 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship class and award winners has been published. It can be downloaded as a doc or pdf file and is archived along with previous year's results here. Please note these results were revised on 7th November.

Congratulations to Alan Mugglestone winner of the HSA Championship trophy (presented by SBD and ALDON), runners up Colin Satchell and Andrew Cottrill as well as all of our class winners.

Also announced are a number of other award winners including:

The Nottingham Sports Car Club winning the Russ Ward trophy for the second year running for their excellent organisation at this year's Thoresby Park event.

The Ashton Mobile Services trophy to Colin Satchell and Paul Drowne who had the highest combined scores of drivers sharing a car.

The Ginetta Speed Challenge trophies to the top three Ginnetta drivers; Matthew Eady, Nick Stevens and Rob Pallett.

The Paul Squires Memorial trophy to Adam & Tony Steel for the most meritorious performance in an 1100cc racing car nationally.

The Peter Stevens Memorial trophy to Nick Mugglestone for the competitor with the highest score (a perfect 68) from 4 rounds.

And finally the HSA Shield which will be awarded to the HSA Competitor of the Year who will be revealed at the awards lunch at the Prescott Club on December 8th.

Loton Park 2014
16/10/2013

It's not too early to start planning your 2014 diary!

The HDLCC and Loton Park invite HSA members to their 8 "B" events in 2014:

The events which will be included in the 2104 SBD HSA Speed Championship will be notified at a later date.

2013 SBD HSA SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP - Provisional results
16/10/2013

The provisional top 10 positions in the 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship are:

1          Alan Mugglestone, Raw Fulcrum, 143pts             

2          Colin Satchell, Peugeot 205 GTi, 141pts             

3          Andrew Cottrill, Subaru Impreza, 139pts             

4          Chris Howard-Harris, Caterham, 138pts           

5          Paul Drowne, Peugeot 205, 136pts*

6          Tim Pennington, Westfield SE, 136pts*

7          Fyrth Crosse, Ensign LNF3, 131pts*

8          Stu Hill, Westfield GGR, 131pts*

9          Adam Pemble, Toyota Celica GT4, 130pts             

10        Tony Thomas, Mazda MX5 MK3, 128pts           

Note: * Ties broken by counting the number of HSA class records broken.

Detals of Class and other awards will be posted here shortly.

2013 SBD HSA Championship Awards Lunch
13/10/2013

The booking forms for the 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship awards lunch can be downloaded here.

The event will take place at The Clubhouse, Prescott Hillclimb, Gotherington, Cheltenham on Sunday December 8th. Those of you who have competed at Prescott this year will know that the recently re-furbished Clubhouse is a fitting venue for this event and we look forward to seeing many of this year's competitors there.

CHAIRMAN’S CHAMPIONSHIP
07/10/2013

HSA Chairman Les Buck took the overall Bugatti Owners’ Club Paul Matty Classic Championship title at Prescott at the weekend, driving his Formula Ford Lotus 61. The ten round series came down to  a straight fight at the final round between Buck's 61 and Martin Jones’ Lotus 51A, but  a class win for Buck secured his first ever Championship crown. ‘It was quite a thrill for me,’ said a delighted Les, ‘but as Sean McClurg said, I shouldn’t expect Christian Horner to be on the phone in the morning!’

Final Championship positions: 1 Les Buck (Lotus 61) 66pts; 2 Martin Jones (Lotus 51A) 61; 3 Grant Cratchley (Riley 1.5) 55; 4 Peter Joy (Lotus Elite) 52; 5 Andy Clarke (Alfa Romeo GTV) 49; 6 Andy Tippett (Russell Alexis) 43; etc.

Entry & Finals for Curborough on Oct 12th
07/10/2013

The 2013 SBD HSA Championship showdown takes place at Curborough on Saturday October 12th with all the front running title contenders present.

Alan Mugglestone leads but with two of his nearest challengers (Chris Howard-Harris and Tim Pennington) running in the same class the outcome is hard to predict. Add in Colin Satchell who sits in second place, only two points behind and has been breaking records throughout the season it could be any one of five drivers (including Paul Drowne who shares the Satchell Peugeot) who takes the title in this most closely fought of seasons. Not forgetting dropped scores and new record bonuses of course!

Finals and the Entry List can be dowloaded from the HSA Events page.

See you there!

SBD HSA Speed Championship Awards Lunch
02/10/2013

The 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship will reach its climax at its final round at Curborough on 12 October. The annual awards and the class awards will then be presented at our Annual Awards Lunch, which this year is to be held at the Prescott Clubhouse on Sunday, 8  December 2013. Please make a note in your diaries.

Further details will be announced in due course.

( Please note that this is a change from a previous announcement which had indicated that the event would be held at the Rothley Court Hotel on 24 November)

STEVE JEWELL
30/09/2013

We are sorry to announce that Steve Jewell succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident last Sunday during practice for the VSCC’s Seaman Memorial Trophies race meeting at Snetterton, driving his Bugatti T35B. He was 63.

Steve was associated with the HSA for many years as an active speed event competitor and as proprietor of KallKwik Printing and chairman of its successor Print  by Design, the long-time and current producer of Speedscene magazine. The Association offers deepest sympathies to Steve’s family and friends.

A full appreciation will be published in Speedscene 176.

Mallory Park - It's administration
30/09/2013

We have just received the following press release:

It is with great regret that Mallory Park Motorsport Limited has today announced that the company has been put into Administration.
 
Mallory Park has been operating as a motorcycle and car race circuit for many years and has much history attaching to the circuit. In 1985 a highly restrictive Noise Notice was attached to Mallory Park Motorsport Limited ('MPML') embracing all circuit activities but, significantly, a number of the provisions within the Notice were very much open to interpretation.
 
MPML has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council over the years and a level of understanding had been established to work within the 1985 Notice. Regrettably, however, this arrangement was placed under scrutiny by local residents some of whom were new to the village, who made representations to HBBC to apply the rigid interpretation of the 1985 Notice.
 
MPML and the local authority worked extremely hard with the residents to find a compromise solution but, unfortunately, the council decided to prosecute MPML on five charges of the Notice during 2012 which involved operating on a Saturday over and above the four days agreed in the Notice. The court hearing took place in August 2013 and ruled that MPML was guilty of this breach on the five occasions, but MPML was given the right to take the establishment rights of the 1985 Notice to a higher court.
 
The immediate implication of the Court decision was to oblige MPML to  observe the provision of the 1985 Notice, which allows only for 40 days racing on Sundays  per annum (but with a dispensation to allow four Saturdays per annum) and testing on Wednesdays. MPML was accordingly obliged to cancel all track day operations, resulting in a significant loss of income  (a situation also felt by local businesses and local employers) and use of the track for local community activities - young driver training etc. Overall, the imposition of such restrictions has inevitably led to MPML having a financially unstable business plan. 
 
Following the Court case, MPML immediately implemented the highly  restrictive conditions of the 1985 Notice, thus effectively reducing the circuit activity to two days per week. Significant losses were being incurred which no business can sustain. It was clear that a more dynamic approach needed to be taken to overcome the significant hurdles and two weeks ago MPML developed an innovative three stage Recovery Plan to take Mallory forwards which would hopefully meets the wishes of the residents  and form the basis of a viable business.
 
Very constructive dialogue was held with the Leader of HBBC and senior officials and we were receiving very encouraging reactions from them to the Plan. A fundamental component of the Plan  was the agreement of the Land Owner to reduce the annual lease rental, which had risen by over 40% over the last eight years and had reached untenable levels. Very regrettably, despite intense work by the MPML board, the Land Owner - Titan Properties Ltd - refused to make a substantive offer to allow the Recovery Plan to proceed.
 
British Automobile Racing Club were keen to support MPML (and did so up to the final race meeting yesterday by paying for certain essential supplies allowing the meeting to place) and indeed would have supported MPML to ensure all its trade creditors were paid. To that end, it needed the support of the Landlord with a sustainable rent but, regrettably, this was not possible to achieve.
 
Accordingly, having no firm visibility into 2014 and beyond, MPML directors had no option but to place the company into Administration.
 
The administrator, Ian Robert of Kingston Smith & Partners LLP, commented: “I will be working with all the stakeholders to ensure that Mallory Park will see racing again. I hope the administration process can assist in finding a solution which will be beneficial to all parties concerned.”
 
He continued: “To that end, I will be negotiating with the landlord and the council, with the support of the BARC, to ensure that racing can be enjoyed at Mallory Park for years to come. Although it is early days, I am hopeful that, once a solution to the lease is found, all of the company’s creditors should receive a substantial dividend, which I understand is very much the driving force behind the continued support of the BARC.”

Sywell Pits & Props Classic show.
28/09/2013

The HSA attended with the info marquee plus 10 Flatheads on display plus Jon Plowe's Fiat. A few new members joined up.

The display cars also put on a tyre smoking display on the Sprint track which featured a 1200m straight! i.e. the runway. Great day by all.

BMSA to promote MSA British Sprint Championship for further five years
27/09/2013

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) is delighted to announce that BMSA Ltd will promote the MSA British Sprint Championship for a further five years from 1 January 2014.

BMSA Ltd, which has promoted the championship successfully since 1999, won an open tender process launched in August 2013 to secure the Championship Title Rights. Originally formed as the British Motor Sprint Association in 1995, BMSA is a non-profit organisation run by volunteers and created primarily to organise the MSA British Sprint Championship, which it did from 1996 - 1998.

Nick Bunting, MSA Chief Executive, said: “The MSA British Championship titles are the most prestigious in UK motor sport. As such, they are not bestowed lightly, and we take great care to ensure that they are placed in good hands. BMSA’s successful stewardship of the MSA British Sprint Championship over the last 14 years, combined with its proposals for the next five, leaves us confident for the future of this exciting discipline at the top level in the UK.”

Paul Parker of BMSA Ltd said: “BMSA Ltd is delighted to have retained the MSA British Sprint Championship franchise for a further five years. We will begin that with our 2014 calendar, which is the best we have ever had. It contains the best content of any sprint championship in the UK, with 75 per cent contained within six double-header weekends. We hope that the next five years will see an upturn in the economy to enable us to grow further. BMSA Ltd has enjoyed the title sponsorship of SBD Motorsport for 9 years this year (since 2005) and we are delighted to announce we have agreed that they will continue as title sponsors for the next 5 years too.”

HSA Curborough 12 October - A Reminder
23/09/2013

Just a quick reminder that there is still time to enter the HSA Curborough event on 12 October 2013. This will be the final round of the SBD HSA Speed Championship, and it is very close at the top of the table and in several of the class battles. A wide variety of clubs have been invited, so you dont have to be an HSA member to take part.

Today's BBC long range forecast for the middle of October says

"Although the first week of October will see some unsettled weather, there are signs of drier, quieter interludes as we go through the month, these lasting longest over southern and eastern areas. This will result in some dry and bright days but some mist and fog at nights which will be slow to clear by day." 

So we might well be in for a fine day and you could always make a full weekend of it and stay on for MAC's season finale on Sunday 13th. 

Regs and the entry form are to be found on the Calendar page under the Championship button.

New in car perspective
21/09/2013

In case you haven't seen this in car clip it is well worth a look.

Rich Danby of Zipp Photography loaned Scott Moran a pair of Pivothead camera sunglasses, with the lenses removed, during a practice run during the British Hillclimb Championship event at Harewood Hillclimb. He set a time of 52.95s on this run which he would later knock almost 3 seconds off while winning both rounds of the championship.

Scott wears a yellow tinted visor which explains the colour of the video and further development with other settings is needed to try to avoid the focussing issue and the camera getting confused by the bright sky. However, it provides one of the best 'driver's eye' views from in car yet seen.

MARK TIME
08/09/2013

Driving his Mallock-Vauxhall Mk18B, Mark Mortimer took the 2013 Gates of Brockenhurst Gurston Down Championship crown at the BARC(SW) Centre’s final hillclimb of the year. With Mortimer the only one of the top three contenders not dropping points, he edged out Richie Gatt’s Westfield-Vauxhall from top spot at the final round. With the Championship running a new scoring system this year, former champ Mike Rudge needed to climb within a quarter of a second of his own class record to gain bonus points, level with Mortimer and snatch the title on a tiebreak, but the Westfield-Duratec driver fell short of his target by just seven hundredths of a second.

            Already assured of the Gurston Down Top Ten Challenge title with a maximum score, Ed Hollier made it a clean sweep of club event FTDs at the venue before announcing that his ultra-successful Pilbeam-Hayabusa, engineered by his father Bob, was for sale. Peter D Smith was also assured of second spot in his Force, but when a suspension breakage sidelined the car, his co-driver Richard Gaylard was edged out of third place on a tiebreak by the hard charging Jonathan Gates’ newly supercharged Force sports libre car.

            Despite rain before the end of practice, the track dried out and two class records fell. Karl Chard lopped half a second off his 2-litre Roadgoing mark in his MX5, then Jim White finally lowered Neal Masters’ 2-year-old 1400 ModProd standard by eleven hundredths with his 16v Austin Mini Clubman.

            Full results here.

Gates Gurston Down Championship, final positions: 1 Mark Mortimer 86.00pts; 2 Ritchie Gatt 85.79; 3 Mike Rudge 85.50; etc.

BARC (SW) Top Ten Challenge, final positions:1 Ed Hollier 40pts; 2 Peter D Smith 35; 3 Jonathan Gates 26; etc.

In Memory of Claire Kendall
06/09/2013

Claire started sprinting in 1995, sharing an A–series engined Metro with her father Graham. Then in 1996 Graham built the "Super Metro" with a K-series engine in which they competed very successfully between 1996 and 2002.  The car benefited from a number of aerodynamic aids resulting from Graham’s work at the MIRA wind tunnel. They competed at numerous hill climb and sprint venues, and Claire won several titles. Claire was the British Women's National Speed Champion in 2000 and won the Curborough Ladies Champion award numerous times.  Her success is reflected in a book entitled “Women in Motorsport from 1945”. Claire also starred with her K-series Metro in a BBC2 programme screened on 1st February 2001 entitled 'Mad About Metro", a programme all about the Metro car.

They sold the car in 2002 and Claire then qualified as a Clerk of the Course.  From 2002, Claire officiated at numerous venues (Curborough, Loton, Three Sisters, etc) and for many different events and organising clubs. When she was diagnosed in 2009, Claire carried on being a Deputy Clerk as she wasn't able to do commit to Clerk of Course duties but wanted to stay involved in motorsport. She will also be remembered for the way in which she consistently supported and encouraged new competitors as they started their competition careers.

Claire edited the Shenstone & District Car Club magazine 'Full Chat' for many years and also acted as social secretary for Shenstone and District CC, organising pub nights, 10 pin bowling and karting events too. She will be greatly missed, but not forgotten.

BMTR TAKES LEADING ROLE IN HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER
05/09/2013

Perry Barr-based BMTR, Birmingham’s longest established tyre retailer which supplies tyres to hillclimbers throughout Britain and which has sponsored the Midland Hillclimb Championship’s Top Ten Challenge for the past 23 years, has supplied and serviced all the racing tyres on each of the historic F1 cars during filming of director Ron Howard’s ‘Rush’, the story of the epic Hunt v Lauda F1 duel in 1976. BMTR’s technicians provided an extensive on-site tyre fitting service throughout filming, visiting a variety of locations across the UK and Europe.

‘We have supplied the racing tyres for the FIA Historic Formula One Championship for many years,’ said BMTR MD Paul Smith, ‘so it was a real privilege to be asked to provide a similar service during the making of Rush.

Our technicians were on site whenever the F1 cars ran during filming and despite the very long hours, our team really enjoyed being part of creating such a brilliant film. Ron Howard’s attention to detail was stunning – the film is great entertainment for race and non-race fans alike.’

Formed in 1919, BMTR remains to this day a family owned and run business and continues to set the industry standard. The company won the prestigious Pirelli Performance Centre tyre retailer of the year award for 2013.

To view the official trailer for Rush visit: www.rushmovie.com

CLAIRE KENDALL
02/09/2013

A key figure on the Midland speed event scene, Claire Kendall lost her long battle with cancer on 27 August. As well as being a keen competitor, Claire had been on the Shenstone and District Car Club’s committee for 20 years. She was editor of the Club’s newsletter and also an MSA Clerk of the Course.

A celebration of Claire’s life will be held in Shustoke Church on Monday 9 September at 12 noon, followed by a private cremation. Further details on Shenstone & DCC’s website, www.curborough.co.uk

NEW FIA HILLCLIMB EVENT
23/08/2013

An outstanding event for the hill climb heroes
During the last meeting of the World Motor Sport Council (28 June 2013), the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) approved the creation of a totally new hill climb event, the "FIA HILL CLIMB MASTERS". At the end of each season, this FIA international competition, run over a single event, will bring together the best hill climb drivers internationally. The first edition is scheduled for the autumn of 2014.

Clash of champions, clash of nations
This "FIA HILL CLIMB MASTERS" is bound to become the big annual gathering and the consecration of the winners of the national (recognised by the ASNs) and FIA international hill climb championships. There will be two classifications: an individual classification and a Nations Cup, where the winners will be awarded gold, silver and bronze medals. The drivers will be assessed on their performance in terms of sheer speed, and the national teams on the basis of a regularity index.

A high point for the discipline
This "FIA HILL CLIMB MASTERS" will be an opportunity to enhance the image of hill climb in the eyes of the general public and of the media through an event that is of course sporting, but also celebratory and federative. In addition to bringing together a truly international, quality field, the "Masters" will be a promotional showcase for a demanding and spectacular discipline which is both financially accessible for drivers and highly attractive in terms of the variety of cars taking part.

Regs & Entry forms for HSA Curborough Sprint on Oct 12th
23/08/2013

The regulations and entry form for the annual HSA Curborough Sprint to be held on Saturday October 12th can be downloaded from the events page.

Details of the HSA's AGM and Awards lunch can be found on the same page as they become available.

This isn't Shelsley Walsh!
23/07/2013

Another frequently viewed You Tube hillclimb clip is of the Armenian driver Garo Haroutounian ascending the Lebanese Falougha hillclimb.

Apparently Mr Haroutounian is well known in drifting circles (?) which probably explains his driving style. Who knows how fast he might have gone with a bit more rear end grip?

TURPIN GRABS THE LOOT
22/07/2013

Defending Midland hillclimb champion Mike Turpin won £1000 for his record class winning pace at Gurston Down’s second annual Spire FM Raceday at the weekend.. For the second year running, event organisers BARC (SW) offered the ‘Gurston Grand’ for the best improvement on a class record at this meeting, which has also been a Midland Championship counter since last year. Former autocross ace Turpin, who currently leads this year’s series, carved nearly a second off Gurston’s Modified Series Production Sportscar record in his supercharged Vauxhall VX220.

Inside the class record by midway through practice, Turpin improved on successive runs and stayed well clear of several other record-breakers on a hot weekend at Gurston. Andrew Henson came closest in his Formula Ford Van Diemen, improving on his record set last year by just over a quarter of a second while Keith Murray, who won the big award last year in his turbocharged Audi 80, improved on his old target by just 22 hundredths.

Rob Stevens, who was expected to challenge for the top award in his potent Force-Hayabusa, was unfortunately sidelined with engine problems from a class that included Nic Mann, the over 2-litre sports libre record holder returning after a two year layoff to win with his amazing Mannic Beattie, now featuring the innovative engineer’s own blown rear diffuser.

In the absence of BMTR Tyres Top Ten Challenge front runners Trevor Willis, Will Hall and Scott Moran, all of whom were in the Channel Islands for the British hillclimb rounds, Deryk Young had little difficulty in stroking his Gould-Judd to both run-off wins and a 27.60s FTD, in the process moving into third place on the BMTR Challenge table ahead of Moran.

Although not registered for the Midland Championship, British sprinter Terry Graves ran Young closest in his Gould-DFR, but with another succession of stirring drives in his Pilbeam-Hayabusa, Ed Hollier chased Young home in each run-off despite a phenomenal sideways moment during the morning’s opener.

With the event also a round of the local Gurston hill series, Hollier also clinched the home venue’s Top Ten Challenge for 2013 with a maximum score after four out of the five rounds. Ritchie Gatt (Westfield-Vauxhall) hung on to his lead in the Gates of Brockenhurst Gurston Championship, but former champion Mike Rudge eased Adrian Flagg’s Impreza out of the runner-up spot in his Westfield-Duratec with one round left to run.

Full results here.

Curburgring - the 50th Anniversary meeting
16/07/2013

Porsche are doing it with the 911. Lamborghini are also doing it this year. Now Shenstone and District Car Club are doing it, this coming weekend at Curborough. Yes, they are marking the 50^th anniversary of the Curborough sprint course near Lichfield in Staffordshire, not to mention the 80^th anniversary of the Shenstone DCC itself, with “The Curborough 500” on Sunday 21^st July.

Over 100 entries have been accepted for this 50^th anniversary meeting at what many would regard as the home of British sprinting. A special total cash prize of £500 is being offered by Roger Banks of Dry-It-Out Ltd for the competitors who are nearest to or improve on an existing class record by the largest amount.

Congratulations to SDCC and its Committee for such a successful record of running events at Curborough and keeping the course alive for such a long period. Here's to the next 50 years.......!

LONGTON TO RUN PRESCOTT WEEKEND IN 2014
12/07/2013

On only the second occasion that an invited Club has held a competitive hill climb at the historic Gloucestershire venue, Preston based Longton & District Motor Club will organise a motorsport weekend in 2014 at Prescott Hillclimb.

The Club, under the long-time chairmanship of Graham Malcolm, ran the famous Longton sprints on the Isle of Man in the 1980s and today organises sprint events at the Three Sisters and Anglesey Racing Circuits. As part of Longton’s Northern Speed Championship, other clubs’ venues are included such as Oliver’s Mount, Barbon Manor and Blyton Park.

As a result of negotiations with the Bugatti Owners’ Club, who have run Prescott Hillclimb for the past 75 years, Longton & DMC is looking forward to organising events over the weekend of 14/15^th June 2014.

Preparation has already begun on the format of the weekend, and full details will be announced at a later date. Visit  www.longton-dmc.co.uk for further details.

NEW SPONSOR FOR CENTENARY HILLCLIMB
08/07/2013

Ballyrobert Vauxhall from Bangor, the oldest Vauxhall dealer in Northern Ireland, is sponsoring the Craigantlet Centenary event as rounds 23 and 24 of the Avon Tyres/TTC Group MSA British Hillclimb Championship takes place on the historic Belfast road course on August 3.

This is particularly appropriate as on 24^th May 1913, motorsport enthusiast and pioneer Irish aviator Harry Ferguson, who had just opened his first garage with the agency for Vauxhall and Star motor cars and whose name is remembered world wide as the inventor of the modern tractor and farm implement systems, set FTD in his 25hp Vauxhall.

Vauxhall are also supporting the event with the entry of their Astra VXR, a true works entry driven by Scottish journalist, former Scottish sprint and road saloon race champion, David Finlay. Finlay has been contesting all the British Championship hillclimbs this year in the subsidiary Hillclimb Leaders series to promote the fact that a private buyer can purchase a high performance road car from his local dealer and also use it in top class motor sport.

In addition to the local entries and the annual spectacular Ulster visit by the top British Championship contenders a selection of cars, many of which competed at  Craigantlet over its long history, will be on display and make two Historic parade ascents during the day, having been on display at the nearby Stormont Parliament Buildings the previous evening.

Entries do not close until later this month and are still coming in. An exciting addition to the Historic section is the early fifties McCandless 500cc racing car, specially released for the event from the nearby Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. This unique 4WD car will join the unique Ferguson P99 Formula One car with similar transmission, both cars separately the products of legendary Ulster inventors Harry Ferguson and Rex McCandless, the latter best remembered for his revolutionary ‘Featherbed’ Norton racing motor cycle frame.

Practice for the event starts from 09.30 hrs with competition runs from 13.00. And unlike most motorsport events in the UK, with Craigantlet hillclimb being held on public roads, closed for the day, admission is free.

Just another hillclimb?
07/07/2013

If you haven't seen it yet then Sebastien Loeb's pulverising of the Pikes Peak record in the Peugeot 208 T16 is worth a watch:

Graham's FTD and Class Record
29/06/2013

Records tumbled at Aintree during the second Liverpool Motor Club sprint of the year. As well as setting FTD John Graham also smashed Tony Wiltshire's long standing two litre class record. There were records galore set by the 105 competitors and a big thank you must go to the hard working startline crew who managed to get through 616 starts in a hectic day of sprinting. Full details will appear in Speedscene 175.

HOLLIER AGAIN AT GURSTON
24/06/2013

GURSTON DOWN, 22/23 June: Ending on a stirring 29.19 in his ultra-successful Pilbeam Hayabusa, two more FTDs by Ed Hollier increased the Honiton driver’s lead at the head of the Gurston Top Ten Challenge table after the Tony Marsh Memorial Weekend, the double-header for rounds 2 and 3 of the local hill championship. Second FTD each day, Peter D Smith hung on to a Challenge second place in his Force-Hayabusa ahead of co-driver Richard Gaylard and Sunday's 2-litre sports libre winner Keith Diggle, in his immaculate WEV-BDG.

             Ritchie Gatt now leads the class-based Gates of Brockenhurst Gurston Down Championship after a win in his Westfield-Vauxhall. Celebrating his birthday with a win, Subaru Impreza driver Adrian Flagg moved into second place in the series ahead of Westfield-Duratec driver Mike Rudge, the former champion wowing the crowds with his usual spirited attack on Gurston’s tricky midway complex at Karousel. After a double class win in his Mitsubishi Evo, Stephen Moore holds fourth place.

Sam Matthewman set the outright 2-wheel pace for the weekend, setting a 32.86 astride his big 1.2-litre Suzuki TL during Sunday’s close-fought motorcycle run-off, which saw second to fourth covered by four hundredths of a second.

Top historic racer and car restorer Simon Hadfield competed in his first ever hillclimb, sharing customer Geoff Hunt’s Lotus 22 each day and finishing Sunday’s event with second in class, pipped for the win by former record-holder Fyrth Crosse’s Ensign.

Full results here.

Popular FTD for Pillinger at Dick Mayo Combe
23/06/2013

Scott Pillinger took a popular FTD, with a 55.90s best, at the Dick Mayo Sprint, Castle Combe run by the Bristol Motor Club on Saturday June 22nd.

Following a fuel fire at Snetterton in May which damaged parts of the cars and Sott's overalls & gloves it looked as if his season was over but help from friends and suppliers saw car and driver ready for action again, albeit for a reduced season of local events.

After a damp start the weather improved and fast times were being set and the well organised event saw the welcome addition of a full commentary including times as they were being set.

Behind Scott there was a tense battle for second FTD with the next three competitors covered by less than two tenths. It was Simon Clermow's Force PT on 58.29s that prevailed ahead of evergreen Bill Gouldthorpe (using HSA President Paul Parker's glasses!) in his SBD OMS CF08 and Steve Broughton in current HSA Champion, Matt Hillam's newly acquired (ex Phil Lynch) Dallara F301. Indeed both Steve and Matt were struggling to get to grips with some new (for them) technology in the form of a clutch and H pattern gear lever!

Other notable performances included Trevor Hartland winning the well supported over 2600cc Series Production class in his Evo 6 (fitted with List 1A tyres as he was expecting rain) by 0.08s from Aidan Jones' Impreza and newcomer Tim Dennis, reportedly having his first ever Sprint, in his Impreza who ran second during practice but slipped to a still impressive fourth in the timed runs.

HSA AT BROOKLANDS
16/06/2013

Masterminded by the Association’s Peter Hubbard, the HSA’s display at the VSCC’s Brooklands Double-12 event proved a popular attraction, with much interest being shown in the competition cars on display and in the continually running hillclimb DVDs – courtesy of a power supply aboard the nearby British Airways Concorde!

            Many visitors were, as usual, surprised to see on the TV screen that speed hillclimbing was not about muddy slopes and around a dozen potental competitors or enthusiasts went away with Association membership forms over the weekend, while many more collected copies of our popular ‘Getting started’ booklet.

            Thanks to all those HSA members that brought their cars along for display and manned the stand during the weekend, which included Peter himself, Les Buck, Tony Thomas, Mike Broome, Jon Plowe, Colin Way and Jerry Sturman.

BRIGHTON CANCELLED FOR 2013
06/06/2013

In the wake of last year’s fatality, this year’s Brighton Speed Trials has been cancelled on the advice of the City Safety Advisory Group. The Coroner has yet to hold an inquest into the female motorcyclist’s death. Representatives from Brighton and Hove MC met last week with the City Council and agreed it was unwise to hold the Speed Trials until the circumstances that led up to the incident are understood and the Coroner has reported her findings.

CULTRA CELEBRATIONS
06/06/2013

CULTRA, June 1: Northern Ireland’s high octane garden party, Cultra Hillclimb, this year showcased ‘Women in Motorsport’ The Thoroughbred Sports Car Club(NI) initiated a Ladies Handicap in memory of one of Ireland’s most successful competitors, Gabriel Konig, on the spectator-friendly 700 yard course in the parkland grounds of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, attracting large crowds and a record entry of 114. The historic manor’s lawns also hosted displays celebrating the Aston Martin Centenary and the Porsche 911 Anniversary.

First run on the 6th May 1905 by the gentlemen of the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club, Cultra is the world's oldest active speed hillclimb. With Ireland having such a rallying culture it was fitting that guests included BWRDC vice president and 1990 FIA Ladies World Rally Champion, Louise Aitken Walker MBE, and Irish rally legend Rosemary Smith. They were joined by young motocross star Natalie Kane and Museum representative Siobhan Stevenson in officially opening the hill climb.

BWRDC hillclimb champion Jo Hodgson competed in her lightweight 26R Lotus Elan replica for the Ladies Handicap Award and 62 years after Cultra-born Desmond Titterington took delivery of his 'Festival of Britain' Allard J2, OZ4444, Somerset’s Chris Pring brought the newly restored car back to NI for its first competitive outing since its 12-year restoration.

This years Manor display featured one of the oldest surviving Aston Martins in Ireland, a 1932 International; a 1972 Porsche 911; a 1963 works-built Hillman Imp, reflecting Rosemary Smith’s attendance; the recently restored Transport Museum exhibit, the Rex McCandless designed ‘Dorothy’s Car’ and, in memory of Gabriel Konig, her Austin A40 Farina..

Pembrey finals & entry June 1& 2
28/05/2013

The organisers have asked us to make the final instructions and entry list for the Pembrey Sprint on June 1 & 2 available on our web site.

Popular Palace
28/05/2013

The Sevenoaks & District MC ran their fourth double header Sprint at Crystal Place over the Bank Holiday week-end supported by massive crowds and fine weather.  It is a major undertaking and the S&DMC are to be congratulated for putting the event on and running it so smoothly.

On the Sunday Tony Beesley had things largely his own way in his Jedi MK4, heading the time sheets on each of the three timed runs and taking FTD with a 34.84s and was delighted with the result having spectated at the Palace during it’s final days as a race circuit in the early 70s. Behind Tony a close battle was fought for second FTD between Roger Green’s Radical SR8 (the short course not giving the car’s aero much chance to be effective) and David Seaton’s mighty Pilbeam MP42 BMW with the Radical coming out ahead by a scant 0.13s. Other competitors expected to compete for top honours were the Bristol pair of Andy Laurence and former FTD winner Fyrth Crosse but both experienced problems. Andy’s ADR Sport 2 went off at Big Tree hairpin and bent a front pushrod while Fyrth’s Ensign LNF3 was in the process of breaking it’s gear linkage and making the car difficult to manage (including a spin at the chicane) but a fifth overall was a good result.

Monday morning dawned clear and sunny once again and as the crowds began pouring in the Laurence ADR was ready for action with a new pushrod fabricated overnight by a fellow competitor with a local engineering business – this wasn’t to be the last philanthropic gesture of the day. Unfortunately the Crosse Ensign was unrepairable and had to scratch.

Gary Thomas replaced Tony Beesley as the 'man most likely to’ on Monday with his Force PT and first timed run was was an uncharacteristically untidy affair. “I almost lost it on every corner” with locked wheels, tyre smoke and lurid slides. However, the result was a new course record and FTD with a 32.87s time which wasn’t to be bettered as fuel starvation (an empty tank?) on the second run and a marginally slower run on the third followed. Behind Gary, Andy Laurence was looking to finally fulfill the potential he had been expecting with a second best time on Run 1 but a broken throttle cable on Run 2 (and David Seaton) threatened his position. Fortunately David had a spare and gave it to Andy who promptly went out and took second FTD on his third run with a 34.32s!

‘WORKS’ VAUXHALL ON THE HILLS
19/05/2013

Scots duo David Finlay and Alisdair Suttie are contesting the 2013 Avon Tyres/TTC Group Hillclimb Leaders Championship in a Vauxhall Astra VXR. The car has been supplied by Vauxhall Motors and is effectively a works entry, continuing the tradition of the company’s participation in hillclimbing which began as far back as 1908. Everything on the car is either standard or available as an optional extra.

Journalist Finlay, a former Scottish sprint and road saloon race champion, has already taken a class record with the car at the May Harewood Leaders round. You can read his reports of each event on the website www.carkeys.co.uk , of which he is editor and co-founder.

RADICAL OPPORTUNITY AT SHELSLEY WALSH
09/05/2013

The MAC Speed Events School, organised by the Midland Automobile Club, is running two school days this year at Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb, on June 25^th and August 27^th.

The tremendous prize for this year’s top pupil is not just a free entry for the end of season event at the Worcestershire hill in September, but to compete there driving a works-supported Radical SR3RS.

This motorcycle engined, paddle-shift equipped sports racer is set to provide a thrilling ride at this famous and historic venue for the winning pupil, who will be assessed by the MAC’s instructors Simon Durling, Chris Merrick, Peter Cox and chief Jim Robinson. The top pupil will not necessarily be the one to drive fastest on the School Days but will be one that demonstrates smoothness and precision.

Places are filling fast, so early booking is strongly advised. Call Jim Robinson on 01509 852253 or 07785 960058, or email jim.cra@virgin.net

HOLLIER’S DOUBLE
22/04/2013

Gurston Down, April 21: 1600cc single seaters dominated the opening Gurston Championship round of the season at BARC(SW)'s Wiltshire hillclimb. Hard on the heels of his first ever Gurston FTD the previous day, Ed Hollier made it two in a row at the second part of the weekend double-header. James Blackmore and the OMS-Hayabusa were again his main opposition but as the track cooled, although both drivers ran sub-30sec it was Hollier that maintained the edge in his immaculate and highly developed bike powered MP62, now fuel injected and with sundry electronic and aerodynamic modifications. The two drivers now lead Gurston’s Top Ten Challenge series after round one, ahead of fellow 1600cc class runner Peter D Smith’s Force-Hayabusa.

Fourth overall was Tom Brown, making a return to the hills in the ex.Chris Cannell SPA-Judd sports libre car. ‘There must be more to come,’ said the Newbury farmer. ‘It's still on the same tyres that Matt Harrison used to take the sports libre record here in 2006!’ After running third fastest at Saturday’s event, long-time Gurston sponsor Jonathan Gates took fifth place overall in his sports libre Force-Hayabusa ahead of Smith’s co-driver Richard Gaylard.

The new class position-based scoring system for the Gates Gurston Championship resulted in a four-way tie for the lead after round one, with Miles Horne (Peugeot 306), Ritchie Gatt (Westfield-Vauxhall SE), Mark Mortimer (Mallock-Vauxhall) and former champ Mike Rudge (Westfield-Duratec) all on a maximum points score in what has now been increased to a five-round series.

A close-fought motorcycle run-off ended the day with Sam Matthewman elbowing his big 1200cc Suzuki through to set the best time of the day on two wheels, easing out NHCA regular front-runners Glyn Poole and Martin Robbins.

Results here.

'FAST LADIES' HEADING TO CULTRA
16/04/2013

On June 1^st at Cultra hillclimb, Northern Ireland’s high octane garden party, the spotlight will be on ‘Women in Motorsport’. The Thoroughbred Sports Car Club (NI) are hoping to have a large contingent of female competitors from all disciplines of the sport on the startline and behind the scenes.

With Ireland having such a strong rallying culture, two of the ‘Fast Ladies’ scheduled to appear will be 1990 FIA Ladies World Rally Champion Louise Aitken Walker MBE and Irish legend Rosemary Smith, who successfully campaigned her works Hillman Imp and won many class and ladies awards in top international rallies during the sixties. Rosemary is one of a select band of ladies to win outright at international level, on the 1965 Dutch Tulip Rally, which she followed up with a home win on the 1969 Cork 20 Rally.

The organisers are also delighted to be welcoming BWRDC hillclimb champion Jo Hodgson, who will be competing in her lightweight Lotus Elan 26R replica and joining an anticipated large field in competing for the inaugural Ladies Handicap Award.

The historic Cultra Manor, which first ran on 6 May 1905 and is thus the world’s oldest active speed hillclimb, again plays host to displays which this year celebrate the Aston Martin Centenary and Porsche 911 Golden Anniversary. The spectator friendly 700 yard course is set in the parkland grounds of North Down’s Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

CLOSE CALL AT CROFT
16/04/2013

Organised as ever by the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club, Northern Ireland, on April 13 the Holywood hillclimb near Belfast again played host to round 1 of the 2013 ANICC Millers Oils Hillclimb Championship.

A growing crowd of enthusiastic spectators witnessed a titanic battle between defending ANICC hill climb champion Graham Thompson in his bike-engined GTR Turbo and 2012 sprint champion Seamus Morris’s Pilbeam MP62. After being split by two hundredths in practice, at the end of the three timed runs the gap, incredibly, was down to a mere hundredth in Thompson’s favour with a 33.70.

Less than two seconds behind, Bangor’s Chris Houston look local honours in his OMS CF04 with Rudi Gage’s Maguire Mini and Gardiner Mcllwaine’s Westfield completing the top five overall.

Although the 875 metre course stayed dry for all but the last two runners, the outright record was never in danger due to the low temperatures. Even so, Simon Jamison’s Peugeot 205 GTE (40.46) took a new class record, while a duel between Jason Curran’s Renault Clio and Steven Gault’s Citroen Saxo saw both run sub-record, with Gault getting the final verdict on 39.14.

Results here.

MGCC Silverstone Sprint
09/04/2013

The MGCC Silverstone Sprint on June 16th to be held over 1 3/4 laps of the Stowe circuit is open to entries from members of the HSA.

Regs and entry form can be downloaded here.

Abingdon Carnival Sprint 8/9 June
07/04/2013

The regs and entry forms for the 2013 Abingdon Carnival Sprint have been published.

HAYNES International Motor Museum's £4.2m re-development enters its final stages
03/04/2013

Haynes International Motor Museum will unveil the first phase of its extensive £4.2 million redevelopment this spring. The redevelopment, which includes new display halls, café, shop and state of the art conferencing and banqueting suites, will provide a completely new façade to the museum, and is due to be fully completed in Spring 2014. The development has been privately funded by founder and Chairman John H Haynes OBE, who opened the museum with just 33 cars, housed in one hall, back in July 1985.

Phase one, set to open this April, will reveal the first of the new exhibition areas, nicknamed ‘The Black Box’ due to its exterior. The Black Box, a huge two-storey display area, overlooks the Haynes test track and is divided into two areas – The Vroom Room on the ground floor and The Motorcycle Mezzanine on the upper.

Snetterton Sprint 18 and 19 May 2013
02/04/2013

BRSCC have today agreed that, subject to the usual space criteria, they will now accept entries from registered SBD HSA Speed Championship contenders who are either A or B licence holders for one or both days. This means that we will be able to score each day as a separate round of the Championship, as intended in our own Championship regulations. We are grateful to BRSCC for being flexible and allowing B as well as A  licence holders to take part on both days.

More information on the HSA web site
31/03/2013

We have been working hard behind the scenes to provide more information for visitors to our pages and the Clubs and Championships pages have been updated and calendars added.

Putting these together we have produced a 'National calendar' of events taking place around the country throughout the year. Although it doesn't (yet) include every last event it still provides a good picture of what is happening in the world of Hillclimbing and Sprinting.

We will continue to report on the British Hillclimb, British Sprint and HSA Speed Championships throughout the season.

Details of all the HSA trophies and awards have also been updated.

GRAVES SETS GURSTON TEST PACE
31/03/2013

With the only sub-30sec run at a bitterly cold and dusty Gurston Down test day, Terry Graves followed up his second FTD at last weekend’s Castle Combe British sprint round by setting the outright pace at the BARC (SW)’s Wiltshire hill in his Gould-DFR V8. Following the recent cancellation of Harewood and Loton Park test weekends due to snow, the first official hillclimb test to be held in 2013 attracted an entry of well over 60 drivers.

            Split by a couple of tenths, fellow Gurston regulars Peter D Smith and Richard Gaylard completed the top three in their Force-Hayabusa while Chris Cannell, who has forsaken his iconic St Bruno Roughcutter Clubmans car this year for his twin engined Force-Hayabusa sports car, shared with regular partner Sue Hayes, ran a tenth behind Gaylard.

            The fastest HSA contender present, Clive Wooster ran eighth in his Radical-Hayabusa, while seasoned circuit racer and prolific constructor John Oxborrow shook down his tiny, 1-litre OX7-Suzuki K6 to finish a competitive ninth overall on his first hillclimb drive for 47 years. A full description of this new car will appear in Speedscene 173.

            Gurston’s competition season gets under way on Saturday 20 April when the 130-plus entry includes a round of the SBD-HSA Speed Championship, while the opening stanza of the now 5-round Gates of Brockenhurst Gurston Down Championship takes place the following day.

THE TOP TEN GURSTON TEST TIMES

1          Terry Graves (3.5 Gould-DFR GR37)               29.77s

2          Peter D Smith (1.4 Force-Hayabusa)               31.51s

3          Richard Gaylard (1.4 Force-Hayabusa)           31.74s

4          Chris Cannell (2.6 Force-Hayabusa SR8)      31.84s

5          Jonathan Gates (1.6 Force-Hayabusa LM)     32.90s

6          Keith Diggle (2.0 WEV HCS-BDG)                    33.35s

7          Clive Wooster (1.5 Radical-Hayabusa)           33.76s

8          Peter Sexton (1.6 Force-Hayabusa LM)           33.82s

9          John Oxborrow (1.0 OX7-Suzuki K6)                34.07s

10        Piers Thynne (1.3t Westfield Megabusa)        34.15s

Full results here 

Pictures by: Simon McBeath/everleyphotography.co.uk

Personal Hillclimb and Sprint Tuition
25/03/2013

Long- time Speed event competitor, HSA member and Speedscene contributor, Clive Wooster is offering his services this summer to Speed Eventers or Trackdayers who may be just starting or need to hone their skills. Clive has had 35 years of Motorsport experience in Sprint, Hillclimbs and Circuits in a variety of cars from Ginetta G15’s to Formula Atlantics and Radicals with a lot in between.

Clive sums up his approach thus “ I’m certainly no Superstar but I’ve gained a lot of knowledge of how best to get time out of my own ability, limited as that may be (!) and am well placed to assess, coach and develop other drivers to achieve their own goals in Speed events and track days.  1:1 tuition provides ample time to assess current styles and allows a steady improvement to be found from those beginning in the sport to those who may be looking to develop an existing style”.

Clive can be contacted on

M 07831 886997

H 01189 721136

E clivewooster@aol.com

New HSA Speed Championship trophy
23/03/2013

At (a very cold) Castle Combe to-day the new HSA Speed Championship trophy was presented to 2012 Champion Matt Hillam by HSA Chairman, Les Buck, and SBD Motorsport MD, Steve Broughton.

For the first 14 years the HSA Speed Championship the ALDON trophy was awarded to the winner but it was recently decided that it was time for a change and our thanks go to both ALDON Automotive and SBD Motorsport for jointly donating the new trophy which carries the names of all the previous winners.

Circuit of Wales
15/03/2013

In case you missed it the proposed Circuit of Wales has recently moved one small but significant step towards becoming a reality when the Heads of the Valleys Development Company submitted their planning application to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council.

The plans include a 3.5mile race track to International standards along with facilities for 4X4s, Karts and Motocross. There will also be a technology park and it will be located at Rassau north of Ebbw Vale.

Good luck to them!

100 Up and counting!
15/03/2013

The 2013 SBD HSA Speed championship is about get underway at Mallory Park this week-end and the 100th competitor has just registered.

Thank you all for registering and have a great season.

There's still time to sign up and enjoy some of the best and friendliest competition around!

Loton Park Date Confirmation
14/03/2013

We have today received approval from MSA to publish Bulletin No 1 to our Championship regulations, the text of which is as follows:

Please note that round 4 of the 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship will be held at Loton Park on 14 April, not 13 April as previously advised in our HSA championship regulations and on our website calendar, both of which have now been amended. The date given of 14 April in the Hagley and District LCC regulations is correct. This change results from a genuine mistake by HDLCC, who had initially advised us that our round would take place on 13 April. We consider this to be ‘force majeure’ under championship regulation 1.5. Unfortunately HDLCC cannot accommodate us all on 13 April. However, HDLCC have said that they will accept entries on 13 April, subject to availability, from any HSA competitors who wish to make a weekend of it and compete on that date as well as on the following day. Please note, however, that only the 14 April results will count towards the HSA championship. If you have already entered the 13 April event and now wish to transfer it to 14 April, or you would like to add a second entry for 14 April, or cancel the 13 April entry, please contact Tony Fletcher. HDLCC have advised us that they will refund entries from entrants who no longer wish to take part on 13 April.

Feather flags to the fore
14/03/2013

The first round of the SBD/HSA Speed Championship is this Sunday, the 17^th of March at Mallory Park. Championship entries continue to expand and there will be a new feature at all the rounds, championship 'feather flags'. Simple to erect and highly visible they will be located near a committee member, either in the paddock or close to the track. Apart from publicising the championship presence members will also be able to easily find support and advice from an experienced HSA official.     

Jo White busy in Bicester
14/03/2013

With the HSA committee meeting in Banbury it presented a convenient opportunity to visit Jo White’s workshop, north east of Bicester. He was, as usual, busy with a number of projects and it was interesting to see the minute space frame chassis of the latest Nemesis. It was impossible to miss the chassis in the front workshop, Chris Gale’s Mk8 or Mk 11 Mallock, just back from the paint shop and looking smart. Most parts are available to complete the build and Jo was considering the details of its aluminum bodywork. Jo can be found at www.vulcandezign.co.uk and is happy to consider all sorts of projects from complete cars to small assembly jobs.

CLASSIC CAR CHAMPIONSHIP - Handicap Based
24/02/2013

The TVR Club has announced a Classic Marques Speed Challenge Championship for all Classic rear wheel drive Sports Cars. It will be run using a handicap algoithm calculated for each car using BHP, weight, and tyre type. Its an 18 round Championship with 8 to count for max points. The HSA is an invited club.

More details on: http://www.classic-marques-speed-challenge.com/#

Curborough's 50th Anniversary
20/02/2013

Shenstone & District Car Club's 2013 July 21st meeting will be in celebration of 50 years of Curborough, and 80 years of Shenstone Car Club. To commemorate these milestones the Event will be called the "Curborough 500" and there will be a prize fund for the competitor who breaks any existing class record by the largest margin, or gets nearest to any class record.

It will be a single lap event which will be a round of the "Lifeline" Curborough Championship in association with "Astral Diamonds", and also a round of the Paul Matty Sports Car Championship.

The celebration will be a whole weekend event and commence on Saturday 20th July, with other activities for Club members including a track afternoon. These details will be announced in the SDCC newsletter in the New Year. Obviously the event will be popular, so Championship entrants are reminded to get their entries in as soon as the regulations are issued to avoid disappointment.

The Bert Hadley Memorial Championship 2013
08/02/2013

CRAIGANTLET’S CENTENARY
07/02/2013

Craigantlet hillclimb, in Northern Ireland, is celebrating its 100^th Anniversary at this year’s British Championship round on Saturday August 3^rd, The fast public road course on the outskirts of Belfast has, together with Shelsley, Prescott and Bouley Bay, has run in every year of the British Championship since its inception in 1947.

            Over a mile-plus course in 1913, Harry Ferguson took the first Craigantlet win in his 25hp Vauxhall in 103.0sec. The course has been progressively shortened over the years and with rather more horsepower at his disposal, Trevor Willis is the current record-holder with a time of 39.56sec over its current 1460 yds. Should any driver better this time at the Anniversary meeting, there’s a £100 prize on offer.

            The event is, as ever, organised by the Ulster Automobile Club, sponsored by motorhome and caravan repairers Leisure Services and the celebrations start with a reception at Stormont Parliamentary Buildings the previous evening. The meeting itself will host seventeen classes, including the popular Vintage and PVT class, and there will be displays and demonstration runs of cars featured at Craigantlet over the years.

            More details on the UAC website: www.ulsterautomobileclub.co.uk

Regs published for Combe Sprint on March 23rd
05/02/2013

Regulations and entry forms for the Great Western Sprint at Castle Combe on March 23rd (HSA Championship Round 2) have been published and can be found on the Calendar page. Alternatively you can enter on-line through the Bristol Motor Club's web site.

Early entries are advised as the number of entries being taken for this event have been reduced from previous years.

SBD HSA Championship news - permit issued
02/02/2013

A permit has been issued for the 2103 SBD HSA Speed Championship and the Regulations are now final.

A new class has been included for electrically powered Series Production vehicles and it will be interesting to see if any Ampera, Leaf, Ion, Fluence or Volt drivers decide to have a go.

54 competitors have already registered so take the opportunity to join one of the UK's most popular, friendly and competitive Speed Championships.

Prescott French motoring festival - June 1st & 2nd 2013
28/01/2013

Despite being called La Vie en Bleu, the event is quintessentially British - a mini Goodwood Festival of Speed set in the glorious Cotswolds - celebrating French cars, but in a British way. Its club motor sport at its best, where visitors can mingle with the cars, speak to the drivers, and watch rare historic vehicles to modern day supercars being pushed to their limits”  Nick Mason (Drummer from Pink Floyd, and avid car collector).

On the weekend of Saturday and Sunday 1 and 2 June 2013, the seventh annual pageant of French motoring excellence – La Vie en Bleu – takes place at Prescott Hill Climb in Gloucestershire – the home of the Bugatti Owners' Club.

Highlights include several Bugatti Veyron 250mph supercars, Aryton Senna’s 1986 John Player Special Lotus Renault 98T F1 car, and the Benetton B190 F1 car that took Nelson Piquet to victory at Suzuka. These awesome cars will take to the hill on demonstration runs.

In addition to the on-track action, Prescott will be packed with Bugatti’s, and other rare and exotic French vehicles including: a 1924 Hispano, 1901 De Dion Bouton, 1949 Citroën U23 Tipper Lorry, 1910 AC Sociable, Bugatti EB110, 1929 Vernon Derby, Parisian bus, a Velosolex display and a few exciting surprises!

The paddock will be buzzing with entertainment, with mime artists, French-themed comedy actors, professional can-can dancing girls, to live music from one of the UK’s finest jazz singers - Cate Cody.

The Orchard will be packed of French car clubs including: Renault Alpine Owners Club, Renault Owners Club, Citroen Car Club, Citroen 2CV Club and Peugeot Owners Club to name but a few.

For further event information, or to purchase advance tickets, please visit http://www.prescott-hillclimb.com

Mallory Sprint regs published
20/01/2013

The regs and entry forms for the BARC Midlands Mallory Sprint to be held on March 17th have been published and can be downloaded here.

Winners all round at the HSA awards lunch
15/01/2013

Matt Hillam received his winners trophies as the overall REIS HSA Speed Champion at the HSA awards lunch on Sunday 13th Jnauary.

Congratulations to runner up John Palmer,  Mark Patterson in third place and all those receiving Class awards.

Special awards went to the Nottingham Sports Car Club as organisers of the 'best' Championship round in 2012, Gary Thomas as the most meritorious 1100cc Racing Car competitor on the National scene, Geoff Stallard as the HSA competitor of the year, Mark Patterson as winner of the Ginetta Owners Club Speed Challenge, David & Jim Spencer in the highest scoring shared car, Alan Mugglestone with the best performance in 4 events and Pete Gillett as the winner of the run off at the HSA Curborough Sprint.

A gallery of all the award winners present can be found here.

Lifetime achievement award for Jerry Sturman
15/01/2013

Jerry Sturman was presented with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Hillclimbing and Sprinting by the HSA at their recent awards gathering.

Jerry has edited Speedscene magazine for more than 22 years until his recent retirement from the role and has also reported on (and will continue to do so) British Hillclimb Championship events for the magazine and the HSA web site. As a committee member of the HSA of long standing he has made a major contribution to the development of the Association

Jerry has also been a notable competitor; in the 70s, 80s and 90s he appeared in a variety of cars.

Three new gearboxes from Quaife
09/01/2013

Performance gearbox manufacturer Quaife, is launching three new gearboxes which may be of interest to hillclimbers and sprinters.

The four-speed sequential QBM1M is designed as a replacement for the Ford Rocket gearbox, prominent in oval and short circuit competition. Providing new levels of user configurability, the lightweight and compact package is rated to transmit up to 250bhp.

Offering ultra-fast shifts with a barrel-style change mechanism, a wide range of base gear ratio sets are available, along with a choice of gear lever locations, six drop gear options and a ‘quick change’ cover to make alterations within minutes.

For Nissan’s iconic Skyline R32-34 GT-R models, the QBE91G is a heavy-duty, six-speed sequential unit, with straight-cut or helical gears and rated up to 750bhp. 

Compatible with Nissan’s RB26DETT bellhousing, the QBE91G features an integral in-line transfer assembly and oil pump, along with an ultra-fast, drum-type sequential gearchange mechanism. Digital gear position indication is available, along with a left or right offset lever position, while a Quaife ATB helical gear limited slip centre differential is supplied as standard.

Quaife will also launch an uprated, five-speed sequential gear kit for the popular Honda Civic Type R. Designed as a direct replacement for the Civic’s standard, six-speed, H-pattern unit for use in motorsport, the QKE8J features a strengthened outer casing and five wider gears.

Available with either straight-cut or helical close-ratio gears, the kit retains the stock EP3/FN2/DC5 bellhousing half of the factory transmission casing for easy installation. An LED digital gear position indicator and Quaife ATB differential are among the other options.

“Quaife is particularly excited about Autosport International 2013, as we're going to debut three exciting new transmissions: the Honda sequential gearkit, the new Skyline sequential gearbox and an innovative, four speed in-line sequential transmission aimed at hot-rod and short oval racing,” said Sharon Quaife-Hobbs, Quaife Engineering’s Financial Director.

Register for the 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship now!
02/01/2013

You can now register for the 2013 SBD HSA Speed Championship - details can be found on the Regulations & Awards page and you can register on-line here.

We have a calendar with over 30 rounds (only your best 9 scores count though) at all the popular hillclimb and sprint venues with Olivers Mount and Goodwood making a welcome re-appearance and Aintree featuring for the first time.

New Gurston moves for 2013
01/01/2013

BARC (SW)’s Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship will run a new scoring system for 2013, designed to offer an equal opportunity for entrants in every class to fight for a top spot in the Championship. Under the new system, more contenders will be able to score points and weather conditions will not, unlike in previous years, affect achievable scores. The number of Championship rounds has been increased from four to five, with four rounds now to count. Full details on: www.gurstondown.org

A new Formula Ford class has been introduced for all Gurston Down events this year. It will cater for all pre-1994, Formula Ford Kent engined cars with Technical regs as per the Blue Book. The new class promises to be ultra-competitive and will, of course, be part of the Gurston Championship so under the new scoring system a Formula Ford runner could also be a strong Championship contender! For more details, contact Mike Reed on: 07540 887970