NEWS ARCHIVE

2016 British Sprint Championship Calendar
28/12/2015

In case anyone hasn't spotted it yet here is the 2016 British Sprint Championship calendar:

March 19 Castle Combe Bristol MC
March 28 Croft Darlington & DMC
May 21 Snetterton Borough 19 MC
May 22 Snetterton Borough 19 MC
June 4 Pembrey BARC (Wales)
June 5 Pembrey BARC (Wales)
June 18 Anglesey Midland AC
June 19 Anglesey Midland AC
July 30 Knockhill KMSC
July 31 Knockhill KMSC
August 6 Kirkistown 500MRCI
August 7 Kirkistown 500MRCI
September 11 Blyton Park MDA/Longton
October 1 Anglesey Longton & DMC
October 2 Anglesey Longton & DMC

Colin Calder, 2015 BSC Champion

Saint Goueno Hillclimb Masters – Cotes d'Armor – France 27th to 29th May 2016
18/12/2015

Each year in early summer the sleepy little village of Saint Goueno in Brittany bursts in to life when it hosts a round of the French national hillclimb championship, the population explodes from around 600 to 25000. For past the eleven years the organisers have invited drivers from the United Kingdom and Ireland to take part in this world class event and 2016 is no exception.

The overseas entry is known as the Saint Goueno Masters and runs in parallel with the French championship in a separate private event. It is much more than a motorsport weekend, it is four days of fun, food, live music and wine, most teams make a holiday of it and bring the family, there is even a painting class and competition for the kids to give mum and dad a break.

Win an Entry !

All persons pre-registering will automatically be entered in to a draw to win a full entry including all its associated extras, food, wine, concerts, shuttle service and more

For those never having witnessed a French national hillclimb it is a bit of an eye opener, the level of investment and professionalism is so much higher then the UK and Ireland, many of the top drivers are professionals. The paddock is more akin to a top level circuit race race than a hillclimb with ex F1 trucks each containing several cars and teams of salaried mechanics going about their business. The course at Saint Goueno is unique as it boasts a giant video screen at the Fer a Cheval hairpin, spectators are kept informed by several strategically placed cameras throughout the hill. In addition the racing spectators are entertained by demonstrations of professional drifting, karts, bikes and exotic cars.

Saint Goueno village is only two hours from either Saint Malo or Rosscoff ferry ports, the roads are quiet, rapid and a pleasure to drive on, as a bonus in Brittany you benefit from toll free motorways.

Each evening from Thursday through to Sunday there are organised meals and live music, a big bonus is the free evening shuttle bus known as the Navette to ferry competitors and their team members form the village to their accommodation or to the paddock which means they can enjoy that extra glass of wine or two.

Camping in the paddock space is free of charge or alternatively accommodation can be arranged by the organisers as part of the service.

The event is organised by a not-for-profit sporting association of over 450 volunteers, not bad for a population of just 600!

There is just one snag . . . many drivers say they need a week-off after the event to recover!

Drivers wishing to participate can discover more at www.hillclimbfrance.co.uk

PETER WESTBURY – 1938-2015
10/12/2015

Former British hillclimb champion Peter Westbury passed away peacefully at his home in Tobago on December 7th. He was 77. He won the BHC title twice; in 1963, driving his own Felday with supercharged Daimler V8 power and again the following year in the 4WD Ferguson-Climax P99, on loan from Ferguson Research. He then developed his own 4WD car, the sportsracing Felday-BRM, which won on its debut at Brands Hatch in 1965 driven by Mac Daghorn.

Westbury also had a successful career in F3 and F2, and like fellow British hillclimb champions Ken Wharton, Mike MacDowel and Tony Marsh he competed briefly in F1, finishing ninth overall in the 1969 German GP in his F2 Brabham BT30, although a one-off drive in a BRM P153 at the 1969 US GP ended when his engine blew in practice. More recently, he appeared at Shelsley Walsh for the 50th anniversary of the BHC in 1997, driving the Felday-Daimler, while at the 100th anniversary Shelsley meeting in 2005 he was reunited with the Ferguson P99.

Peter Westbury driving his championship-winning Ferguson P99 at the Shelsley Centenary meeting (Jerry Sturman)

Driverless race cars
09/12/2015

Readers of the latest issue of Speedscene magazine (Issue 186) may have noticed a 'tongue in cheek' editorial item considering a potential future of driverless cars competing in Sprints and Hillclimbs.

Not so 'tongue in cheek' as it turns out!

Formula E and Kinetik have recently announced their "intention to launch a global race series for driverless electric cars. This new championship called ‘ROBORACE’ will provide a competitive platform for the autonomous driving solutions that are now being developed by many large industrial automotive and technology players as well as top tech universities."

MSA Consultations
09/12/2015

In recent weeks there has been plenty of discussion, some of it quite vociferous, on the subject of new Rules and Regulations proposed by the MSA.

In the light of this please see the link below which will allow you to give MSA your email address and then when new rules and regulations are proposed in your area(s) of interest, you will be consulted.

https://www.msauk.org/The-Sport/Regulations/Proposed-Changes-for-Consultation

Alternatively, if any HSA members would like to make their views known to the HSA, at any time, we will be happy to consolidate these opinions and submit them to the MSA.

HILLCLIMB MASTERS DATE SET FOR 2016
07/12/2015

Following the hugely successful FIA Masters hillclimb held at Eschdorf in October 2014, the FIA has confirmed that the event will be held again in 2016 at Sternberk, in the Czech Republic, on October 8/9. Regulations for the event are available on the FIA website at:

http://www.fia.com/Regulations/regulation/fia-hill-climb-championships-112/regulation/hill-climb-masters-regulations-150

SBD HSA 2016 Championship draft calendar
30/11/2015

We are pleased to announce the draft calendar for the 2016 SBD HSA Speed Championship. It remains a draft and subject to change until the MSA have issued both Championship and even permits which will confirm these dates. Draft regulations and entry details will be issued in due course.

2016 SBD HSA Speed Championship - Draft calendar

19th March Castle Combe Bristol MC
20th March Rockingham BARC (Midlands)
28th March Croft Darlington & District MC
11th April Harewood BARC (Yorks)
16th April Gurston BARC (SW)
17th April Loton Hagley & District LCC
23rd April Goodwood Bognor Regis MC
30th April Werrington Plymouth MC
1st May Werrington Plymouth MC
May 21st Snetterton Borough 19 MC
May 22nd Snetterton Borough 19 MC
4th June Pembrey BARC (Wales)
5th June Pembrey BARC (Wales)
11th June Barbon Liverpool MC
18th June Anglesey Midland AC
19th June Anglesey Midland AC
19th June Curborough Owen MC
25th June Prescott Bugatti OC
2nd July Shelsley Midland AC
9th July Blyton Park Westfield SCC
10th July Blyton Park Westfield SCC
16th July Llandow BARC (Wales)
17th July Lys y Fran Swansea MC
30th July Wiscombe Woolbridge MC
31st July Wiscombe Woolbridge MC
6th August Loton Hagley & District LCC
7th August Hethel Borough 19 MC
27/28th August Gurston BARC (SW)
3rd September Aintree Liverpool MC
10th September MIRA Midland AC
17th September Shelsley Midland AC
8th October Curborough Hillclimb & Sprint Association

You can download as a pdf here.

TURBO DYNAMICS LAUNCHES SUPPORT PROGRAMME
18/11/2015

Christchurch based turbocharging specialists Turbo Dynamics, run for 24 years by hillclimber Peter Marsh, have announced the launch of their TD Turbo Support Programme. The new initiative has been set up to offer support to Turbo Dynamics'' customers that either race competitively, work on their own project vehicle or maintain a show vehicle. Support will range from complimentary to discounted turbochargers and accessories combined with on-going technical support and services. Turbo Dynamics will also publicly support members of the programme by promoting them on the company website and popular social media platforms, automotive blog and monthly newsletter, keeping their global customer base updated on progress.

''As a company with a rich history in racing we know first-hand just how expensive anything automotive related can be for those who do not have on-going sponsorship or support,'' said TD''s Stuart Flanagan. ''The idea behind the programme is for our engineers, who have a wealth of knowledge in all things turbo related, to provide our customers with the very best in technical performance support for the 2016 season. The level of support an individual receives will be dependent on their application to the programme. So whether you’re into hillclimbing, sprinting, rallying, circuit racing or drifting, or you are happiest when under the bonnet with oil on your hands, we want to hear from you!''

For more information about the TD Turbo Support Programme, including how to apply, please visit: http://www.turbodynamics.co.uk/media/racing/sponso...

Alan Mugglestone is the 2015 SBD HSA Speed Champion
14/10/2015

The 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship came to a conclusion on Saturday October 10th and saw Alan Mugglestone crowned 2015 SBD HSA Speed Champion in his Mazda MX5.

In an almost perfect season, Alan set many new records and scored maximum points in 8 rounds missing out on a maximum score by one point. Just three points behind was Runner Up, Andrew Cottrill, in his Subaru Impreza who improved on his 4th place position in the 2014 Championship.

Completing the top 5 were Nick Mugglestone in the Mazda MX5 he shares with father, Alan, Bob Ridge-Stearn in his Lotus Elise and, in fifth place, on equal points with Bob but losing out on the tie break, was Bradley Hobday in the Jedi.

A full list of all the award winners is available in WORD and PDF formats.

All the awards including some special, yet to be revealed, award winners will receive their trophies at the annual HSA Awards Lunch to be held in the Prescott club house on November 29th

Champion, Alan Mugglestone at Snetterton (A Leivers)

Runner up, Andrew Cottrill at Aintree (P Taylor)

Book now for the HSA Awards Lunch 2015
26/09/2015

The Annual Awards Lunch for the 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship will be held at the Prescott Clubhouse on 29 November 2015, and we hope that as many of you as possible will join us for that celebration, especially if you have won an award in the 2015 championship. 

Our guest speaker will be Ian Patton, who until March of this year was the General Manager of Prescott Hillclimb. Not many people have crossed the United States, coast to coast, on a vintage Indian Motorcycle, but he has. It should be entertaining.

You can make your reservation on-line or by downloading a booking form and sending it to the address on the form.

The 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship

Ian Patton

MANOR FARM HILLCLIMB IMPROVEMENTS
15/09/2015

A number of track improvements have been carried out to the popular Manor Farm hillclimb venue near Charmouth, Dorset, prior to Woolbridge MC's weekend double-header on September 26/27. These include levelling of the start line, work to improve the radius of the first corner, widening of the track around the electric pole area and adding extra width to the track on the narrow section up to the left turn before the finish line.

Entries for the event are being held open and regulations and entry forms can be found on the calendar page of Woolbridge MC's website, available here.

Work in progress at Manor Farm

MOORE TOPS THE CHARTS AT GURSTON FINALE
13/09/2015

Running just three hundredths shy of the class record that earned him the series lead in July, Stephen Moore secured the 2015 Meadens Skoda Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship in his ModProd Mitsubishi Evo 6 at the final round of the series. Knowing he needed a record himself to challenge Moore, closest rival Simon Neve had to rely on a less powerful 'back-up' Mitsubishi as his usual roadgoing Evo 6 was out of commission with mechanical problems. With the two leaders dropping points, this disadvantage allowed Jonathan Gates to charge up the order with an all-out run in his supercharged Force-Suzuki sports libre car. With no points to drop, the former long-time Gurston sponsor stormed up from 28th place on the table to snatch the Championship runner-up spot ahead of Neve.

Ed Hollier had already clinched his second BARC Top Ten Challenge title, run parallel to the Gurston Championship, with a maximum score back in July. But the Empire Evo driver was a disappointed spectator following engine maladies at Prescott the previous weekend and could only watch as a committed second shot from another Gurston ace, Peter D Smith, took FTD in his Force-Suzuki to consolidate his second place on the Challenge table. In a promising debut for the supercharged DJ Firehawk-Hayabusa shared with his brother Simon, Peter Marsh headed a battling trio for second FTD. Marsh wasn't registered for the Challenge but Gates, third fastest, was on top form and despite a down-on-power engine  led Smith's co-driver Richard Gaylard by two hundredths. Gaylard could see his Challenge third place evaporating in the face of Gates' onslaught and gave it everything on his last run. Too much, in fact. A spin for the Force driver at Karousel ensured that outgoing Challenge champion Gates grabbed third overall in this year's series.

Full results here.

Stephen Moore - 2015 Gurston champion (John Hayward)

Peter D Smith set the outright pace at Gurston (John Hayward)

It's Lee again at Wiscombe
11/09/2015

Sunday 6th September

Weatherwise, Sunday was the best day we have had in some time, with nearly cloud-free skies all day. With another full entry the racing was good too as this was the final round of the Bridge Tyres and Wheels 2015 Wiscombe Park Hillclimb Championship. No-one seems to be able to topple David Foster from the top spot in A1 this season and today was no exception, Jonathan Langmead was a second ahead of the Ellis brothers with Martin second & Steve third in A2. Richard Trevail had A3 sewn up – by over two seconds – from Gary Pitt and in A4 Jack Ellis managed to muscle his way in between Simon Neve, class winner yet again, and Roy Bray to take second place.

Ian Ingleheart, the sole runner in B1, managed to secure his place as the winner of the Bridge Tyres and Wheels 2015 Wiscombe Park Hillclimb Championship with a time that no-one else in the Roadgoing Specialist Production Cars classes could surpass. Graham Vingoe produced a time that would secure his fourth place in the Wiscombe championship to win B2 and, in the closest class battle of the day, Andrew Forsyth held off Mike Williams by four hundredths to win the class and third place in the Wiscombe championship.

Christopher Crocker had an easier time of things today in C1 with the Bonfield Mini hors-de-combat, with Clive James a distant second. Andy Stoddart managed to turn the tables on Russell Tout and take the class win in C2 whilst Nick Benton & Jonathan Williamson preserved the status quo in C3. Sunday only driver, Phil Montgomery-Smith took the win in C4 with a sub-40 second run to which first run leader Geoff Blake was unable to reply due to co-driver Graham breaking their shared car on his second run. Stewart Lillington was victorious once more in D1 and with two runs in the 37’sRod Thorne won D2 and secured the runners up position in the Wiscombe championship. Tim Porter won the Rally car class, over five seconds clear of Chris Elston. With his car repaired overnight, Derek Kessell asserted himself in the DEWS class, winning by nearly three seconds.

With the Gibson’s OMS Hornet hitting a tree in the Esses during practice, Murray Wakeham & Alan Joy shared the spoils in E1 with their CF96. Alan was fastest on the first runs but Murray came from behind to take the class win on the second run. Mike Lee was the only driver to get into the 36’s today with a 36.72s second run to take FTD with Simon Clemow & Andrew Short battling over second place which was eventually decided in Simon’s favour by five hundredths. Kevin Frost again was the sole runner in E3 but we had three runners in the Gilbern class. Colin McLatchie put the knowledge gained yesterday to good use and won the class by a comfortable margin over Ken Young.

Peter Locke

Wiscombe championship 2015 runner up Rod Thorne (Ben Bonfield)

Wiscombe championship 2015 3rd place Andrew Forsyth (B Bonfield)

FTD for Lee at 5 Clubs Wiscombe
10/09/2015

Saturday 5^th September

The 2015 5 Clubs Wiscombe weekend began with a full entry on a cold, cloudy but dry day on Saturday 5^th September. In the first of the production car classes David Foster took his accustomed place at the head of the rankings in his Mini Clubman from Phil Tucker with Allan Sydenham unusually beating son Ian for third place. Jonathan Langmead topped the order in A2 ahead of Martin Ellis and Dan Trotman. Richard Trevail lead from the start in A3 with Dave Greenslade second & Gary Pitt third, whilst in A4 Simon Neve held off Roy Bray by a couple of tenths.

Bridge Tyres and Wheels 2015 Wiscombe Park Hillclimb Championship leader Ian Ingleheart was the sole runner in B1, whilst Graham Vingoe won in B2. Andrew Forsyth managed to find half a second on his second run to overturn a one hundredth first run deficit to Andy Cawsey into a class win. Tony Bonfield was the half-time winner in C1 but mechanical maladies with the Mini meant that he couldn’t take his second run, allowing Chris Crocker to come through & take the class win. C2 was probably the closest fought class of the day with the top four cars within six tenths of a second. Russell Tout was the eventual winner closely followed by Andy Stoddart. Nick Benton was the comfortable winner in C3 with a delighted Jonathan Williamson second, just in the 42’s. Mike Rudge found a one second improvement on his second run to sneak into the C4 class lead from first run leader Geoff Blake.

Stewart Lillington’s Radical held sway in D1 and Rod Thorne with two runs in the 37’s was two seconds clear of Dougie Bennett’s best offering in D2. The Darrian of Tim Porter had a massive six plus second lead in the rally car class with Mike Egan king of the small DEWS class after Derek Kessell had retired with a broken diff. Phil Pearn’s first run time was enough to win the small racing car class, just as well as the gear linkage was giving problems on his second run. Mike Lee was the only driver other than Rod Thorne to venture into the 37’s and managed to stay ahead of Rod Thorne for FTD and in doing so handed the class win to Andrew Short who was being pushed hard by Neal Coles. Kevin Frost was the sole runner in E3 and Colin McLatchie the sole runner in the Gilbern one-make class.

With slick organisation & few holdups the event was finished by 16:20, allowing the awards presentation to take place in bright sunshine – a portent of what Sunday would bring.

Peter Locke

FTD man Mike Lee (Ben Bonfield)

Wiscombe championship 2015 winner Ian Ingleheart (B Bonfield)

Charlie Martin at St Ursanne Les Rangiers
30/08/2015

Speedscene columnist and European hillclimber Charlie Martin recently took part in the legendary Swiss hillclimb venue of St Ursanne Les Rangiers and came away with her best result of the season.

Grid TV have this coverage:

A third in class at St Ursanne

The HSA Curborough Sprint - October 10th 2015
20/08/2015

The annual HSA Curborough Sprint will be held on Saturday October 10th on Curborough's classic one lap course.

Details of the event, including regulations, entry form and access to the on-line entry system can be found on the Events page.

As is customary there will be a class winners run off for the Alan Payne memorial trophy.

The latest list of entries can be found here.

2016 BRITISH HILLCLIMB DATES ANNOUNCED
18/08/2015

The dates for the 2016 MSA British Hillclimb and Hillclimb Leaders Championships have now been announced. Both series will again be sponsored jointly by Avon Tyres and TTC Group.

April 23/24   Prescott

April 30        Craigantlet*

May 7/8       Harewood

May 28/29   Gurston Down

June 4/5      Shelsley Walsh

June 11/12   Loton Park

June 18/19   Doune

July 2           Barbon Manor

July 3           Harewood

July 14         Bouley Bay*

July 16         Le Val des Terres*

July 30/31    Wiscombe Park

Aug 20/21    Shelsley Walsh

Aug 27/28    Gurston Down

Sept 3/4       Prescott

Sept 17/18   Doune

Sept 24/25   Loton Park

All are rounds of the MSA Hillclimb Leaders Championship except those marked*

NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT 'THE REST'
17/08/2015

There are ambitious plans to create a visitor attraction above the old Rest and Be Thankful hillclimb. The Rest and Be Thankful Heritage Project will comprise retail, cafe and arts spaces within a contemporary building which will also celebrate the road’s link to Scotland’s rich motoring history.

The brainchild of Douglas Anderson, the man responsible for the return of the Monte Carlo Rally to Scotland back in 2011, it has received enthusiastic support from former F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart, who competed in the RSAC''s hillclimbs at the Glen Croe site, the old military road below the current A83 renowned for its 400 feet gradient and hairpin bends.

Project Director Anderson hopes the proposed multi-use facility, nestling within the contours of the mountainside and designed by Kennedy Twaddle Architectural Design to utilise the stunning vista at the summit of the glen - already a favourite stopping place, will breathe new life into the popular stopping place and bring tourism spend and jobs to local communities. The glass-fronted building will sit below the car parking and may also provide respite for diverted drivers if the A83 major road succumbs to further landslips.

Asked whether there were plans to revive the famous hillclimb, which ran as a British Championship event from 1950 to 1969 and, despite considerable deterioration of the road surface, has been used for rallies and classic events since then, Anderson replied: 'Unfortunately it is very unlikely that the road will be used for speed hillclimbs in the forseeable future.It would require considerable modifications (armco etc) in order to satisfy the regulations and meet current health and safety requirements and Mr Andrew Davidson, who owned the land through which the greatest part of the road runs, wished to keep the road as it was in order to maintain its character, eg. the stone bridges etc.He passed away recently and his family wish to honour his wishes.

'However the biggest problem is that the road was restored and resurfaced (including rebuilding of the bridges and drainage) by Transport Scotland so that it could be used as a relief road when the main road becomes blocked by either accidents or the frequent landslips. They have first call on the road at any time, so it would be impossible to run a hillclimb meeting'.

BRIGHTON ENTRIES ABOUT TO CLOSE
10/08/2015

Over 200 cars and 60 motorcycles are scheduled to take part in this year's Brighton Speed Trials, which this year celebrates its 110th anniversary on September 5.

Among the entries are Freddie Hunt, son of the 1976 F1 World Champion, who will be driving and MG Midget and supporting a new project to provide apprenticeships to local students wishing to pursue a career in motorsport; the first public outing of a new lightweight (695kg) supercar, the Ford EcoBoost engined Vuhl05, a street legal road and track car featuring all carbon bodywork; plus the usual huge range of saloons, sportscars and single-seaters including a number of Brighton favourites that have been entering for over 50 years. Bob Oram will be driving both his famous red E Type and his Ferrari F40, and the ever popular 7-litre Allard J2X of Jim Tiller will be thundering up Madeira Drive where it has, in the past, completed the quarter mile in 9.98 seconds with a terminal speed of 142mph.

For those who like to get near to the action there is a raised viewing area at the start line as well as a 21sq metre LCD screen which will display the complete quarter mile run.

If you haven't yet entered, there is still time. But hurry - entries close on August 14!

Regs and entry form at: www.brightonandhovemotorclub.co.uk/

Henry Lawson's Dodge Charger lays rubber in 2011 (Jerry Sturman)

Thoresby Park 2015 Sprint Cancelled
07/08/2015

The Nottingham Sports Car Club, organisers of the annual Thoresby Sprint, today issued the following announcement:

Thoresby Park 12^th & 13^th September 2015

We greatly regret the Nottingham Sports Car Club must announce that the events at Thoresby Park on the dates above have been cancelled due to the unsatisfactory state of the track surface.

We notified the Estate of our concerns after the events in 2014, and have been constantly in discussion with Thoresby Estate. In several places the damage, which appears to be due to mining subsidence, requires major reinstatement. As of the date of this announcement, the Club is not confident that these repairs can be completed in time to hold the events and has therefore had to make the decision to cancel.

The late Dr Dick Raynes gave his full support to running sprint events on the Estate and the Club remains committed to keep the venue available for such events in the future. We will continue discussions with the Estate with a view to holding the events in 2016. This decision will be made early in the New Year, before the Supplementary Regulations are published.

All entry fees for the above events will be returned in full to competitors during the next week.

The Committee of Nottingham Sports Car Club – 7^th August 2015

Separated by 42 years!
27/07/2015

As previously reported elsewhere in these pages the Ensign LNF3 of Fyrth Crosse has recently returned to the tracks having been rebuilt and restored following an unfortunate incident at Werrington in 2014. The car has been re-liveried in the original Dempster International colours including authentic period decals.

These two photos, taken 42 years apart, show the car as it appeared at Castle Combe on July 25th and at Oulton Park on May 28th 1973, driven by Mike Wilds, in what is believed to have been its last race for the team before they switched to a March 731.

The Ensign LNF3 at Combe on July 25th 2015

The same car at Oulton on May 28th 1973 (CB)

Broughton's FTD at Dick Mayo Combe
27/07/2015

The Bristol Motor Club assembled a 100 strong entry for its traditional summer Dick Mayo sprint at Castle Combe on July 25^th. Competitors had the good fortune to enjoy a rare warm, sunny, if blustery, day as it was bookended by a period of cool and unsettled weather.

FTD turned out to be an intense three way battle with cars from three different classes and covered by less than 0.4s at the end. Coming out ahead was Steve Broughton in the 2 litre SBD Dallara on 55.29s and benefitting from a new wing and undertray in the on-going quest to hone the car’s handling. Running in the 1100cc class Brad Hobday put in a storming second run to leapfrog up to second place with a 55.54s – perhaps helped by father, Brian, having an occasional outing and running first in the Jedi MK4 and who came a good second in Class. Completing the top three was Gary Thomas in the Force PC on 55.68s unable to improve on his T1 time which was good enough to win the 1600cc class. It was Gary’s first time at Combe in around 30 years, having previously competed in a very wet pre ’74 Formula Ford in an end of season event.

Talking of returns it was good to see a couple of notable competitors returning to the tracks. Matt Carter was back in his Radical PR6 after an early season motorcycle accident and, following a rebuild using some exotic metals (mainly to the shoulder and foot areas - the car was unchanged.................), the pairing managed to stay ahead of Clive Wooster’s SR4 to take the smaller Libre class. Also returning (after a recent run at Shelsley) was Fyrth Crosse with his Ensign LNF3 fully rebuilt and resplendent in period livery following its Werrington shunt in 2014.

Other worthy performances included Alex Smith winning the large MX5 class with David Newman and Garry Hendy within a couple of tenths at the end.

FTD for Steve Broughton in the SBD Dallara (K Broughton)

A Libre win for the returning Matt Carter in the Radical (C Bennett)

TWO FOR TOMLIN
20/07/2015

Oliver Tomlin won both run-offs and set a 27.54 FTD as the Midland Hillclimb Championship made its annual visit to Gurston Down. With eight out of the top ten TTC Challenge contenders in the Channel Islands for the British Championship events, the Pilbeam-Judd driver took full advantage and put on a superb display as the only sub-28sec runner of the day, moving up from ninth to fifth overall in the Challenge series. Hot-foot from his native Jersey after competing at Bouley Bay the previous Thursday, Jason Mourant chased Tomlin home in the opening run-off with a 28.13 for second FTD. Seven hundredths behind and third fastest overall, although not registered for the Midland Championship and thus not eligible for the run-off, 1600 racing class winner Ed Hollier clinched a second Gurston Down BARC(SW) Top Ten Challenge title with a round in hand. Having won it in 2013 in his Pilbeam-Suzuki on a maximum score he repeated the feat, this time driving his similarly powered Empire Evo, re-engined after a breakage at Barbon a fortnight earlier.

Double Midland Hillclimb champion Mike Turpin hung on to his lead with another class win in the VX220 but with his two closest opponents, Chris Aspinall and Richard Jones, not competing at Gurston Johnathen Varley moved into second place overall in his March-BDG 772 after victory over Stuart Ridge's Pilbeam-Hart. Ridge now levels with the absent Jones' Brabham-BDA in third place to leave three out of the top four Midland Championship placings occupied by pre-1986 classic race cars.

Mitsubishi Evo 6 driver Stephen Moore took the day's only class record in this fourth out of five Meadens Skoda Gurston Hillclimb Championship rounds, which gave him sole charge of the series in which he'd previously tied for the lead with fellow Evo 6 driver Simon Neve..

Oliver Tomlin took both run-off wins and FTD at Gurston (John Hayward)

Ed Hollier clinched a second BARC(SW) Top Ten Challenge title (John Hayward)

Escorts to the fore at Cultra
26/06/2015

Northern Ireland’s recently held Cultra Hillclimb event on June 13th,definitely pulled out all the stops to entertain this year’s bumper crowd of over 2000 and again create Ulster’s ultimate motoring garden party. Organised by ThoroughbredSports Car Club and hosted by Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, the event perfectly utilised the parkland setting in providing a short technical hill climb and an historic manor house providing the perfect backdrop to the display areas.

The reputation of the event meant that organizers had no problems filling the increased entry of 110, which marked 110th Anniversary of the first running of the hill climb in May 1905 and makes Cultra the world’s oldest hillclimb event.

With MK2 Ford Escorts being so entwined with Irish motorsport the organisers couldn’t ignore this year’s 40^th anniversary and after the main competitive action on the hill, rally fans were able to enjoy a special run off, just forFord Escorts competing in the main event.

The winner’s trophy was presented “In memory of the late Simon McKinley”. The multiple Irish hillclimb champion and highly skilled driver who “drove the doors off” his own white Escort, was killed competing in his single-seater car in April. Simon was due to compete at Cultra 2015, so his "Scort" had pride of place in the display area surrounded by an eclectic display of cars from the Ford marque, provided by members of the Irish Escort Club.

After completing 5 runs in the main event it was Gerard O'Connell who went to win the Cultra Hillclimb 2015 feature “Escort Shoot-Out, having already won his Class by 7/10ths of a second, earlier in the day with a time of 37.07secs. This time O’Connell was pushed much harder by Thomas Purdy (35.19secs), but remained unbeaten by just 7/100ths with a time of 35.12secs. At an emotional prize giving O'Connell received the winner’s trophy from Simon McKinley's father Peter and his widow Deidre and baby son Rory.

TSCC Escort Shootout Top 3:

62 Gerard O'Connell Ford Escort MK2 35.12

65 Thomas Purdy Ford Escort 35.19

83 Alan Jardine Ford Escort MK2 35.40

Gerard O'Connell's MK2 won the shoot out (Raymond Brown)

The MK1 of Dominic McGowan (E Brackenridge)

MOURANT AND HOLLIER TRADE WINS AT GURSTON
21/06/2015

Taking a weekend off from his British Championship campaign, Gurston Down ace Ed Hollier returned to the Wiltshire hill to contest two rounds of the BARC (SW) Top Ten Challenge, which he'd won in 2013, at the 7th Tony Marsh Memorial Weekend. He'd already won back-to-back events back in April in his Empire Evo-Suzuki but this time Jason Mourant, who Hollier had battled with at the previous weekend's BHC round at Loton Park, was on hand in his OMS-RPE V8. The Jerseyman took the initiative on the first runs on Saturday, only for Hollier to equal his time on his second run. But Mourant found more to take the outright win by 0.23sec with a 28.30.

At Sunday's event, a 28.56 by Hollier proved enough for the win, as Mourant bent a pushrod on the OMS on his opening run and found his only spare unusable with a stripped thread. But with Mourant not registered for the Gurston Championship, Hollier scored maximum points each day to consolidate his lead at the top of the Challenge table ahead of his class rival Peter D Smith, who also ran second fastest overall on Sunday.

The parallel Meadens Skoda Gurston Down Championship saw the top three after April's round one hold station at rounds two and three, Simon Neve (Mitsubishi Evo 6), Stephen Moore in his ModProd version and Jonathan Gates (supercharged Force-Hayabusa) all winning their respective classes each day with a maximum score. Defending Top Ten Challenge title holder Gates also moved up to third place in this year's series.

The next round of the Meadens Gurston Championship will run concurrently with the hillclimb's round of the BMTR Tyres Midland Hillclimb Championship, held on July 19 with practice the previous day.

Full list of times from both days, courtesy of TSL Timing, available here

Winner of Saturday's event, Jason Mourant runs wide at Karousel (John Hayward)

Ed Hollier won Sunday's event and leads Gurston's Top Ten Challenge (John Hayward)

NEW SPONSOR FOR GURSTON DOWN
18/06/2015

From June 2015 onwards, New Forest Skoda dealer Meadens, owned by the Sexton family, is to take over sponsorship of Gurston Down hillclimb from Gates of Brockenhurst. Jonathan Gates' company is thus ending its long-time sponsorship of the Gurston Championship which began in 1997, although it will continue as a class sponsor.

Gates, a former Gurston champion and current holder of the hillclimb's Top Ten Challenge trophy, is retaining the filling station and a specialist used car outlet on the Brockenhurst site to retain his business interests in the town. He is relinquishing his Peugeot dealership and has sold the Sway Road business to his associate, friend and hillclimb driving partner Peter Sexton. Peter is set to move his Skoda dealership from nearby Sway to the larger Brockenhurst premises.

Sexton has confirmed that Meadens, one of the UK’s most successful Skoda dealers, is to take over the Gurston sponsorship for the balance of 2015 and the series will become known as the Meadens Skoda Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship.

Doug Auld, chairman of the BARC (SW Centre) that organises Gurston Down, said ‘It goes without saying that everyone at Gurston owes immense thanks to Jonathan Gates, his late father and his family for all the support they have shown in the past 18 or more years. We are very pleased that Jonathan will still be sponsoring a class for the remainder of this season and into next year.

‘We are also delighted that Peter Sexton and his family company, Meadens Skoda, have taken on the sponsorship of the Gurston Championship for the balance of the 2015 season. We have already seen a sample of Meadens’ commitment to this new arrangement with the Skoda Octavia RS course car they provided for the May National event, resplendent in Meadens Skoda and Gurston Down Hillclimb Championship signage, and this will be seen at the rest of our events this year.’

Peter Sexton driving the supercharged Force-Suzuki sports libre car that he shares with Jonathan Gates (Simon McBeath)

Restored wonders follow the Road to Recovery for 2015 Cultra Hillclimb
29/05/2015

The legendary Cultra Hillclimb will race back to Cultra Manor in the grounds of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum next month, with a full schedule of festivities to honour motoring history. The Cultra Hillclimb takes place at Cultra Manor on Saturday 13 June, major event day pricing applies and more information can be found at www.nmni.com/uftm.

Cultra is the world’s oldest active hillclimb, which turns 110 this year after being established by the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club on 6 May 1905. The unique partnership between the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club NI (TSCCNI) and the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum allows this piece of motoring heritage to be celebrated in an inimitable way. This year the event will celebrate the ‘Road to Recovery’ on Saturday 13th June, with restored vehicles of all shapes and sizes firing up the hill to compete for the best time throughout the 10 different classes on offer to competitors, as well as open restoration workshops and historic displays.

Alongside the competitive action on the hill, spectators will be able to enjoy special demo runs, including a fleet of Ford MK2 Escorts to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the car synonymous with rallying in Northern Ireland, most notably Jimmy McRae’s winning rally car in which the champ recently mentored TV and film star, Idris Elba at the Circuit of Ireland Rally. Fans of Chevron racing cars will be delighted to see the appearance of a B1 Chevron, to celebrate the first of the manufacturer’s cars which made its winning debut at Kirkistown race circuit 50 years ago. The car will be on display in front of the Manor and may even take a spin up the hill! Also on display for fans, will be a European Championship Chevron B26 and Irish racing legend, Tommy Reid’s single-seater F2.

Mark Kennedy, Road and Rail Curator at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum said; “The Cultra Hillclimb has developed into a motoring garden party throughout the years, which, in partnership with the car club and our many motoring friends, we continue to develop each year.

William Heaney, President of the TSCCNI also commented; “We are delighted to bring the Cultra Hillclimb back to the historic grounds of the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, for what promises to be a fantastic day out for car enthusiasts and the whole family.

A bird's eye view of Cultra Manor

An Alfa Romeo Monza at Cultra 2014 (Mark Breen)

WILLIS IN CHARGE AT LOTON
18/05/2015

Even a second best set of tyres were good enough for Trevor Willis to win both rounds of the Midland Hillclimb Championship's Top Ten Challenge at the May Loton Park meeting. The OMS V8 driver, who has won the series for six out of the last seven years, was the fastest qualifier for both run-offs and cruised home for the run-off double. John Bradburn nabbed second spot in both rounds and took the Midland Man of the Meeting award. Oliver Tomlin, who would surely be a regular Top 12 qualifier and points scorer in both the Midland and British Championships if he was able to do all the rounds, took third each time, setting a new PB in the process. Continuing the symmetry Alex Summers, who was guesting in Jason Mourant’s OMS 25 with similar RPE V8 to that run by Willis, took a brace of fourths. Picking up his pace as he acclimatised to his similar chassis with turbo bike power, Lee Griffiths posted two fifth places. This was where the symmetry ended – albeit temporarily.

Simon Moyse had finished sixth in the opening run-off aboard the supercharged Gould, but was pushed back into seventh in the second one as Force-Suzuki driver Tina Hawkes recorded her best ever Top Twelve finish after slipping out of the points early on with a run outside qualifying pace. Chris Aspinall put up a stellar show to grab seventh in the Empire Wraith although despite qualifying he didn’t appear for the second run-off. Tim Davies collected a brace of eighth places, whilst Simon Andrews mirrored his earlier ninth place finish. Sounding a bit like an explosion in a Chinese firework factory, John Chalmers' turbocharged Ralt-Suzuki completed the scorers each time. After qualifying for the first run-off, Simon Fidoe stood down for the rest of the day. Despite qualifying for the second shoot-out, Rob Stevens failed to take his run.

Willis's main opposition was expected to be Will Hall, but the Force-AER suffered electrical problems and after a character building couple of days, the car was withdrawn halfway through Sunday’s event. Despite no existing records being broken there were PBs in virtually every class and Hagley & DLCC provided the maximum entry with a very slick event which finished, including the prize presentation, by 5 o’clock. All in all a cracking day which bodes well for the British Championship's visit next month.

BMTRTYRES MIDLAND HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP & TTC GROUP TOP TEN CHALLENGE, LOTON PARK

FTD: Trevor Willis (3.2 OMS-RPE 28) 44.95s

Top Ten Challenge run-off, round 5: 1 Willis 44.98s; 2 John Bradburn (3.5 Gould-Cosworth HB GR55) 47.04s; 3 Oliver Tomlin (4.0 Pilbeam-Judd MP97) 47.60s; 4 Alex Summers (3.2 OMS-RPE 25) 47.88s; 5 Lee Griffiths (1.3t OMS-Suzuki 25) 48.61s; 6 Simon Moyse (1.3s Gould-Suzuki GR59) 49.71s; 7 Chris Aspinall (1.0 Empire Wraith Suzuki) 49.72s; 8 Tim Davies (2.0 Pilbeam-Millington MP88) 49.81s; 9 Simon Andrews (1.0 OMS-Suzuki 28) 49.93s; 10 John Chalmers (1.4t Ralt-Suzuki F302) 50.06s; 11 Tina Hawkes (1.6 Force-Suzuki PC) 50.91; Simon Fidoe (1.0 Empire Wraith-Suzuki) DNS.

Top Ten Challenge run-off, round 5:1 Willis 44.95s; 2 Bradburn 46.96s; 3 Tomlin 47.32s; 4 Summers 47.53s; 5 Griffiths 48.93s; 6 Hawkes 48.94s; 7 Moyse 49.40s; 8 Davies 49.52s; 9 Andrews 50.14s; 10 Chalmers 52.29s; Rob Stevens (1.4t Force-Suzuki SR4) DNS; Aspinall DNS.

Trevor Willis was in a class of his own at the Midland Loton (Steve Wilkinson)

'Retiree' Roger Moran took another class win in Simon Jenks' Caterham (Steve Wilkinson)

DTA Resumes Trading
27/04/2015

Earlier this year when it was announced that DTA Fast had ceased trading no few competitors and engine tuners were left wondering what the future would hold. Now, however, comes the good news that software engineer and motoring enthusiast, Alex Chard has taken over the running of the business with the following announcement:

"It was recently reported that DTA had ceased trading. This was briefly the case, but the great news is that DTA has now resumed trading, and will continue to provide the same high quality products that the company has been renowned for.

The previous owner, Allan Warburton, well known on the hill climb race scene, had decided the time was right to retire. His original plan had been to close the company down, which is what led to the news that the company had been closed.

After lengthy discussions with a number of parties, Allan has decided to hand over the reins of DTA to Alex Chard.

As well as bringing over 15 years’ experience in software engineering, Alex has a real passion for motorsports having been involved in the industry from a young age. He grew up around Formula Vee cars at Kyalami in South Africa, racing model cars in his teens, and more recently running a Mk2 Golf turbo charged track car using a DTA ECU. He also built the DTADroid app for Android devices, which allows logging of data from a DTA ECU, as well as displaying a dashboard. See http://www.dtadroid.com/

Alex and Allan will be working closely together over the coming months to ensure that the handover of DTA is smooth, with as little interruption to business as possible. 

ECUs will be available in mid-May, while all other items are currently available, including Jenvey throttle bodies and parts. As part of the change, DTA will be moving to Leamington Spa and Alex can be contacted on 01926 889121 or at office@dtafast.co.uk.

The website continues at www.dtafast.co.uk."

DTA are back!

Alex Chard

HOLLIER'S GURSTON DOUBLE
21/04/2015

On a day of sunshine but with low grip levels on a cold and dusty track, Ed Hollier followed up his Harewood victory seven days earlier to make it three wins in a row with back-to-back FTDs at Gurston Down's double-header season opener. Record crowds enjoyed Sunday's event at the Wiltshire hill which featured the first round of this year's Gurston championship. At the scene of Hollier's 2013 Top Ten Challenge victory (after an unbroken series of wins in his Pilbeam-Suzuki), Sunday's FTD for the Westcountryman, now aboard his Empire Evo-Suzuki, gave him the initial lead on this year's Challenge table. Despite missing the previous day's event with mechanical problems another Gurston expert, Peter D Smith, challenged hard in his Force-Suzuki to finish half a second adrift as the only other runner to break the 30sec barrier. Smith's co-driver Richard Gaylard got close to it, bringing the car home third overall to round off the top three Challenge positions ahead of sports libre pace-setter and defending Challenge champion Jonathan Gates in his supercharged Force-Suzuki.

Several drivers scored double class wins over the weekend, including defending Gurston champion Simon Purcell in his now bigger engined, supercharged Exige. Perhaps the most notable double was that of the Greenen brothers, in particular Adam, who had charged the Recticel barrier at Karousel on Saturday - ironically when already assured of the class win ahead of Andy in a well supported 2-litre roadgoing class. Undeterred, he overcame his brother's first run lead on Sunday with a ten-tenths effort in their Honda Civic Type R to bag a second win.

Three class winners ended the opening round with maximum scores to head the Gurston Championship table as Jonathan Gates was joined by Mitsubishi drivers Simon Neve and Steven Moore.

For a report of Saturday's Gurston event, see our HSA Championship pages. Times for both events available.here

Ed Hollier was on top form at Gurston to lead the Top Ten Challenge series (John Hayward)

Adam Greenan completed a weekend double win ahead of his brother Andy (John Hayward)

100th competitor for the 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship
02/04/2015

It may have been April 1st but it was no April Fool's joke when the 100th competitor registered for the 2015 SBD HSA Speed championship.

It was fitting that number 100 was the well known driver of the Turbo Technics Ford Sierra, Geoff Kershaw, pictured here at Wiscombe Park by Shireen Broadhurst.

The season has only just begun with Matt Carter taking a narrow early lead in his Radical from Gavin Neate's Peugeot 106 and Martin Pickles Jedi. Just three points separate the leaders.

Geoff Kershaw in the The Turbo Technics Sierra (S Broadhurst)

Matt Carter's Radical PR6 at Combe (C Bennett)

TIGHT AT THE TOP IN GURSTON TESTING
31/03/2015

A healthy turnout of Gurston Down regulars turned out for the pre-season test day on the Wiltshire hill where, despite rain in the morning and near gale force winds in the afternoon, the two front runners were split by a hundredth of a second late on in the proceedings. Clocking well into 3-figure speeds through Hollow Bend in less than ideal conditions, Kelvin Broad had led the way for most of the day in his Pilbeam-Hayabusa, the car in which Ed Hollier had won Gurston's Top Ten Challenge in 2013. With 35.49s now the target and after bolting on a brand new set of radial slicks for the first time to take his final run, John Oxborrow cut the finish beam on 35.48s in his extensively redeveloped OX7-Suzuki, the diminutive 1-litre car clocking a day's best 96mph over the line despite a strong cross-wind.

With 14 runs under his belt by the end of the day, an impressive performance by Simon Neve resulted in the day's third best time, running within a second and a half of the leading single-seaters in his Mitsubishi Evo 6. Less than a second behind was Keith Diggle, who had confessed to not touching his immaculate WEV-BDG over the winter. The sports libre car was chased by Clive Skipper's Caterham HPC and Chris Cannell's Empire Evo, split by a tenth and with Cannell's radical-looking machine now with a few more tweaks since its abortive maiden appearance at Gurston last August.

Former Gurston FTD man Peter D Smith only ran during the wet morning runs, but his time in the Force-Hayabusa was still good enough for seventh FTD ahead of Adrian Lewis's rapid Megabusa. Ninth overall, Adam Greenan flew in his Honda Civic Type R and was, apart from Neve's big Mitsubishi, the fastest saloon on the day.

Among new car/driver combinations seen at Gurston were former Austin Healey Sprite ace Murray Wakeham, out for the first time in his ex.Summers family OMS-Suzuki CF96 and with Richard Summers on hand to give welcome advice and assistance. Hannah Wiltshire had forsaken her Renault Clio Cup for a Formula Ford Swift SC93, a car that had finished 14th in the final of the Walter Hayes Trophy at Silverstone last year and which was shared for the day by Hannah's father Tony, himself a former Gurston Challenge champion. 'It's a good car,' pronounced Tony, 'despite concrete race tyres and wooden brake pads!'

But it was perhaps David Bellamy that got the best value for money on the day. He managed a total of no less than 16 runs in his Peugeot 106 - the equivalent of four meetings' worth!

JS

Click here for times

John Oxborrow set the pace at the Gurston test day (John Hayward)

Third quickest on the day, Simon Neve led the saloon cars (John Hayward)

Rob Roy 2015
28/03/2015

It all started when I responded to an article in the 2014 September Prescott programme  to take on the “Brake Shoes Challenge” at the Rob Roy Hill Climb near Melbourne on 1^st March 2015. Five UK based drivers made the trip to Australia to take on the locals at this fabled event.

The on Saturday 28^th February it was down to business, and the five “Poms” were give the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the two race prepared MGF`s owned by Ken Price that would be used at Rob Roy on the Sunday. The venue was some 20 minutes drive from the motel. That evening we went back to Eltham for a superb pub meal at the local pub and loads of inter-team banter.. A heavy storm that night sent some tree branches crashing down on the roof of our accommodation.

So the big day dawned on Sunday 1^st March, and we arrived at the Rob Roy hill climb in wet conditions, The arrangements were for three Poms and two Aussies to drive the hardtop red car, with two Poms and three Aussies in the open top black car. I was quickest of all out of the box, but was quickly overhauled by the locals as the track dried out. Sounds just like my normal performance back home!

The final places saw Kim Cole take the Prescott Challenge Class and I have beaten myself up about my 4^th run time which was taken in the black car which was a different spec to the red one that I was just getting the hang of when it suffered clutch failure. I`m sure a mid 27s was on for me but a fluffed gearchange over Skyline ruined the run. 

FTD went to Alan Foley's Dallara in 20.23s

Ah well, let`s reflect on a fantastic day`s sport. A full report of the "Big Aussie Adventure" will appear in the next edition of Speedscene magazine.

Dave Parr

Grant Cratchley leave the line at Rob Roy (MGCC Victoria)

Alan Foley's Dallara took FTD (MGCC Victoria)

Springtime at Harewood - 2015 practice day
23/03/2015

Wall to wall sunshine and hardly a breath of air meant that the annual Harewood Practice Day was held in near perfect conditions. The track was initially a bit ‘green’ and there were a few slides and spins but as the track rubbered in things improved no end.

64 drivers took advantage of the chance to get their eye back in some of whom were novices tackling Harewood for the first time whilst others had ‘new’ cars for 2015. Notable amongst the latter were John Chacksfield with a brand new OMS 28 which only arrived on Thursday and the father son team of Robert and Taylor MacVean in the ex-Monoposto Van Diemen. There were several drivers who were testing fresh modifications to their cars such as Paul Martin whose OMS was sporting an air-shifter plus new Ohlins all round. Harewood stalwart Bob Bellerby was in yet another borrowed car! This year he will be driving the Daytuner MNR which has prodigious power from the turbocharged ‘Busa, all Bob has to do is to figure out how to get it to stop!

John Chacksfield, having missed almost the whole of last season, was taking his time getting his eye in with the very smart OMS 28. Steve Owen was in attendance to oversee the new car and also to help Lee Griffiths (OMS 25) and Paul Martin (OMS 2000M). The latter was getting well into the groove despite a second run gilhooley at Quarry when the back slid out spinning the car, he recovered with a neat Scandinavian flick so as not to trouble the marshals. One of the stars of the day was Craig Moore in the outrageous Rage and his ‘drive it like you stole it’ approach was most entertaining.

Several drivers hit trouble but rather at the Practice Day than at the first event. Going home early were Carl Wattam (Escort Mk 1), John Prickett (Radical), Mick Heyes (Peugeot 205) and Deryk Jones (Peugeot 205).

All in all an excellent day in glorious conditions which even the duck enjoyed!

Steve Wilkinson

John Chacksfield's new OMS 28 in the Spring sun

Bob Bellerby tries to tame the MNR's enormous power

50th Competitior for the 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship
30/01/2015

It isn't yet the end of January and the 50th competitor has registered for the 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship.

Number 50 was Ivan Russell and it makes a good excuse to feature a photo of Ivan's smart, modified Ford Anglia!

Ivan Russell's Anglia pictured at Snettereton in 2014 (A Leivers)

Prescott 2015 Diary
26/01/2015

The 2015 Prescott Hillclimb diary has just been published. Download your copy here.

Great Western Sprint regs published
24/01/2015

The regs for the first round of the 2015 SBD HSA Speed Championship have been published and can be downloaded here.

Bristol Motor Club's Great Western Sprint

Martin heads for the (French) Hills
22/01/2015

Competitors dream of moving up the ranks of motor sport competition and many do - usually in small steps. The jump from a Roadgoing class to a Racing class is always going to be quite a big step but for Charlie Martin, a familiar competitor in her yellow Westfield, that wasn't enough. 

With encouragement from fellow Westie competitor Jerry Neary and John Lloyd of Hillclimb France, Charlie decided to visit St Gouéno in 2014 and immediately fell in love with Hillclimbing French style.

"St-Gouéno is the best thing I have ever done in a car, it really was that amazing" says Charlie.

So, with her mind made up she began a course of events which saw the Westfield sold, a 2007 spec Tatuus Formula Renault  acquired, a preparation company (Mark Godwin Racing) selected, a van purchased and converted into a live-in transporter and finally an entry made into the 2015 Championnat de France de la Montagne (CFM). Whew!

It all formally kicks off at Teurses d' Hébécrevon in May and the HSA web site and Speedscene magazine are going to follow Charlie's progress throughout the course of the year. It should be interesting.......

Charlie poses with her F Renault

Competing in the Westfield at St Gouéno in 2014

New look and feel for the HSA web site
22/01/2015

We hope you like the new look and feel for the HSA web site which we have just launched. Most of the pages still have the same name which means that your bookmark links will work as before.

Our aims have been to make it even easier to find the information you are looking for from the Home Page, the HSA page, the Championship page and the Information centre and to feature new items more frequently than before. The Home Page now provides summarised links to the rest of the site while the familiar drop down menu that runs along the top of each page provides regular visitors easy access to most pages from most pages.

One new feature is the HSA Tumblr photo stream which features striking images of the world of Hillclimbing and Sprinting from our many valued contributors.

Behind the scenes there have been plenty of changes so if you encounter any difficulties we would be most grateful if you could let us know.

The HSA team

Update: Glitch with Membership renewals now fixed

Regs published for Rockingham on March 22nd
20/01/2015

Regs and entry forms for the BARC Sprint to be held at Rockingham on March 22nd (Round 2 of the SBD HSA Speed Championship) have just been published. They can be downloaded from the Calendar page

Competitors who attended last year's event enjoyed it enormously so why not get your season off to an early start?

Craven MC to run Sprint at Hullavington
12/01/2015

The Craven Motor Club  have announced that they are to be organising an inaugural Sprint at Hullavington on March 22nd.

Hullavington airfield is located close to Junction 17 of the M4 and has been successfully used as a track day venue for many years.

The Craven Hullavington Sprint will be held on a  course which is approximately 2.0 miles of smooth tarmac, with a mixture of 90° bends and fast sweeping curves around the perimeter road of Hullavington Airfield.