NEWS ARCHIVE

Virtual hillclimbing returns to ease lockdown blues
30/12/2020

Following a number of false starts earlier in 2020, Sim Racing World’s European Hillclimb Cup finally started on December 7th at the 8km track inTrieste, Italy. The event was won by Nikos Tsaknias in a Norma M20, beginning a winter season comprising 8 rounds. This was followed, on December 21st, by the shorter 3.2km event at Ritsona, Greece won by Canadian, Mark Best, in an Osella FA30.

The winter championship continues with the 4.2km long event at Hauenstein, Germany on January 11th and goes on to the end of March with events in Austria, Germany, Italy, Romania and France. The Championship has attracted nearly 70 entries from all over the world, including real world competitors, and reflects hillclimbing in Europe with long events held on public roads and entry lists dominated by Libre and Mod Prod style cars.

The format consists of two weeks testing and free practice prior to the event, a 2 hour qualifying session starting at 6pm (always on a Monday) followed by two (or three) timed runs depending on the size of the entry and length of the track with the best one (or two) runs counting towards the result.

The championship is organised by hillclimb and rally enthusiast, John Pappas, who has done a remarkable job getting such an ambitious project off the ground. Later in the year the plan is to mirror the FIA European Hillclimb Championship (same dates, venues and even weather!) including iconic tracks such as St Ursanne - Les Rangiers.

In a year when it has been difficult to enjoy much on track action and with winter upon us Sim Racing World's championship offers a taste of hillclimbing competition.

A more detailed article about virtual hillclimbing and some first hand experiences will be published in the next issue of Speedscene magazine. 

Mark Best, winning at Ritsona

Next event at Hauenstein on January 11

The winter championship

2021 SBD Motorsport UK HSA British Sprint Championship open for registration
19/12/2020

You can now register for the 2021 SBD Motorpsort UK HSA British Sprint Championship.

The regulations can be found here and you can register here.

2021 Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed championship open for registration
19/12/2020

You can now register for the 2021 Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed Championship.

The regulations can be found here and you can register here.

The Pre-94 Formula Ford Register 2021 Challenge
09/12/2020

The organisers of the 2021 Pre-94 Formula Ford Challenge have announced the dates of this event:

Date	Venue	Event	Club
July 17th	Gurston Down	Gurston FF Fest	BARC (SW)
July 18th	Gurston Down	Gurston FF Fest	BARC (SW)
Aug 7th	Loton Park	Pre-94 FF Hill Climb	HDLCC
Aug 8th	Loton Park	Pre-94 FF Hill Climb	HDLCC
Oct 9th	Curborough	Pre-94 FF Sprint	HSA
Oct 10th	Curborough	Pre-94 FF Sprint	HSA

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

2021 SBD Motorsport UK HSA British Sprint Championship calendar
04/12/2020

The 2021 SBD Motorsport UK HSA British Sprint Championship is all set for the new season, having received a permit from MSUK. The Regulations can be downloaded here.

The calendar will be:



Note: Updated 18/12/20 with date change for September Blyton

Note: As the season progresses, further calendar changes may occur, sometimes at short notice. The Calendar page on each championship web site will always show the current dates.

2021 SBD Motorsport UK HSA Sprint Leaders Championship calendar
02/12/2020

The 2021 SBD Motorsport UK HSA Sprint Leaders Championship is all set for the new season, having received a permit from MSUK. The Regulations can be downloaded here.

The calendar will be:


Note: As the season progresses, further calendar changes may occur, sometimes at short notice. The Calendar page on each championship web site will always show the current dates.

2021 Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed Championship calendar
01/12/2020

The 2021 Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed Championship is all set for the new season, having received a permit from MSUK. The Regulations can be downloaded here.

The calendar will be:



Note: As the season progresses, further calendar changes may occur, sometimes at short notice. The Calendar page on each championship web site will always show the current dates.

Andrew Webber confirmed as 2020 HSA Champion
22/10/2020

Andrew Webber has been confirmed as the overall winner of the 2020 Triple M / Pirelli HSA Speed Championship driving his Lotus Elan +2. After coming second in 2018 and fourth in 2019, Andrew won the heavily curtailed 2020 season by 9 points ahead of runner-up Peter Taylor in his Mazda MX5. Peter, who had been placed third in 2019, finished just a single point ahead of 2017 Champion, Justin Andrews (Subaru Impreza), who repeated his third place result from 2019.

Completing the top 5 places were Simon Bainbridge in his V8 SBR Crono and the 2019 runner-up, Andrew Till, who campaigned both a Ford Fiesta ST and an MG ZR105.

A full list of award winners can be found here.

 

Andrew Webber at Blyton Park (Anthony Mitchell)

The 2020 HSA Champion, Andrew Webber (Jerry Sturman)

Runner-up, Peter Taylor MX5 (Nigel Cole)

Third overall, Justin Andrews, Impreza (Anthony Mitchell)

Yorkshire Motor Sport Festival rescheduled for 2021
21/10/2020

The inaugural Yorkshire Motor Sport festival, originally planned for 2020, has been re-scheduled to take place between the 25th and 27th June 2021 at Holmfirth near Huddersfield.

The event will feature a competitive hillclimb to be held mainly on Wolfstones Road (hence the name - Wolfstones Hillclimb just off the B6107) on this new, 0.9 mile closed road venue.
 

Llandow & Aintree sprints cancelled
14/08/2020

We have received the very disappointing news that the Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed Championship rounds at Llandow and Aintree have been cancelled. The Llandow cancellation is particularly disappointing as it occurred at such short notice but we commend the efforts of the organisers, Bristol Motor Club and BARC Wales, in trying to make the event happen in the first place and their communications to competitors keeping them informed. Apparently, due to differing local authority rulings within Wales, Llandow Circuit was unable to obtain permission for the event to go ahead. 

At the time of writing the Pembrey sprint on Sunday, August 16th was still due to take place.

GOULD WINS AT SHELSLEY AS HILLCLIMBING RETURNS
30/07/2020

After months of lockdown, competitive hillclimbing finally restarted on July 25/26 when the MAC hosted their Summer Spree double-header at Shelsley Walsh. Drawing around 115 each day, the entry included four of last year's BHC top ten who, perhaps unsurprisingly, made up the leading quartet on both Saturday and Sunday. Sean Gould set the outright pace, driving the updated version of his Gould-Judd DB4, to keep a hard charging Trevor Willis at bay for FTD each day.

None of Shelsley's competitors had, of course, driven in anger on a hill since last season and Gould's stunning 23.61s on Sunday afternoon, just over a second outside the outright hill record, gave clear notice of intent for his forthcoming 2021 BHC campaign. Willis, as usual, gave it everything in his much less powerful OMS-RPE, particularly on Saturday as he bounced off the bank exiting Top Ess in an bid to match the flying Gould. Running an impressive low 25 in the family DJ Firehawk, the 1100cc Suzuki powered spaceframer now in its 13th year of competition, Alex Summers chased them home for the final podium place each time. Rounding off the '2019 top ten' group, Dave Warburton celebrated his 28th birthday on Sunday with a second consecutive fourth place in his 1.6 Gould-Suzuki. A fine effort in his 1-litre OMS 3000M netted fifth place overall for Harry Pick on Saturday, while despite not running on the first day, Paul Haimes grabbed the placing on Sunday in his turbocharged GR59-Suzuki. Simon Andrews' TKD V8 powered OMS 28 rounded off the top six each day.

In effect a trial meeting for a number of other Shelsley events scheduled for later this year by the MAC, the meeting was run to the strict Motorsport UK guidelines in place for the Covid 19 situation and was held 'behind closed doors'. Despite the various restrictions in place, the event proved very successful and although there were no spectators on the hill, a world-wide audience was able to watch the action via the excellent live streaming which was set up by Rich Danby and Al Rayner. Viewers were kept informed of competitors' progress not only by continuous on-screen graphics, but by a commentary from Toby Moody, on-site in Vox Villa, and Eddie Walder, still self isolating in his Coventry home but transmitting via a video link.

Sean Gould's Sunday win was a second outside the hill record - John Hallett

Trevor Willis chased hard for second place each day - John Hallett

Third each day, Alex Summers ran the 1100 Firehawk in the low 25s on Sunday - John Hallett

Longton's Anglesey October Sprints cancelled
26/07/2020

The two Anglesey Sprints, due to be held in October and organised by Longton & District Motor Club, have been cancelled.

FTD for Broughton as Sprinting returns to Combe
20/07/2020

Sprinting returned to Castle Combe on Saturday July 18^th for Bristol Motor Club’s traditional Dick Mayo Sprint. After an overcast and slightly drizzly start the weather improved to almost perfect conditions for the single practice and four timed runs on offer.


The BMC had worked hard during the preceding day, with plenty of volunteers, to establish an effective and safe environment for the 112 competitors with a one way system around the paddock, regularly cleaned and sanitised toilet facilities and non contact scrutineering. The starting procedure involved lining up as usual, a chocked front wheel and a raised ‘lollipop board’ to start and this all worked satisfactorily. A couple of changes from previous years were in evidence. In the chicanes, beyond the red & white kerbs, there is green painted tarmac, normally out of bounds but this year they contained some nasty looking concrete ‘sausages’ to catch out the unwary. There was also a live video feed (https://youtu.be/E_KJBp3_-Hs) of events being broadcast, with commentary, on a number of streaming platforms.


From the entry list it looked as if FTD would be a fight between the two SBD Dallara drivers, Steve Broughton and Matt Hillam. Following a number of updates to the aero and suspension geometry to make full use of the Pirelli tyres’ grip this is how it turned out with both drivers leading the standings on occasion and setting new course records. On his final run Steve Broughton lowered the mark to 52.40s to take FTD.


Behind this pair another 7 single seaters were all trying to round out the top 10 and get under 60s with Steve Miles Van Diemen RF96 being the best of the rest with a 53.43s. They were joined by Simon Rogers, in the indecently fast Meteor Caterham Busa, and Clive Wooster in his familiar Radical SR4 who were separated by 5 hundredths in 8^th and 9^th places.

In the classes Andrew Till had forsaken his usual yellow MG (he still has the car) for a Fiesta ST which can run in either Standard or normal Roadgoing classes and he took the win in the Roadgoing Production 1400cc class. In the 1800cc Class Claire Tooth’s Elise beat Father, Mark by nearly half a second while in the huge 2600cc Class David Goddard’s Elise S1 won from Tim Richardson’s standard Elise 250 Cup. In the over 2600cc Class Stephen Moore’s Evo 6 had a good battle with Matthew Bennett’s 911 Turbo to take the win.


In the 1800cc Specialist Production Class all three front runners were on new Extreme tyres and it showed with Mike Smith coming out on top in his Striker from Chris Bennett and Chris Jones in their shared Caterham who were separated by a hundredth of a second with all three setting PBs.


Nicholas Olsen’s interesting Elite S3 took the car engined Mod Prod Class with Simon Rogers annexing the bike engined category and the 14 strong MX5 class saw an easy win for Matthew Parr.


And the day was completed with minimal incident by 4pm. Well done the BMC.
 

Steve Broughton leaves the line on his way to FTD (K Broughton)

Andrew Webber's lovely V8 Lotus 47/62 (K Broughton)

The new corner cutting deterrents in the Esses (BMC)

Three Sisters sprint cancelled
12/07/2020

Unfortunately the Three Sisters sprint on September 6th has been cancelled.

The current Triple M / Pirelli HSA Speed chamionship calendar is:

Qualifying rounds for the HSA Speed Championship
05/07/2020

In the light of the significantly reduced number of rounds in the 2020 Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed Championship and following discussions with competitors it has been decided to reduce the maximum number of qualifying rounds for scoring purposes.

"Points gained in up to six of the qualifying events will count towards the Championship scoring. Should a competitor score in more than six rounds the lowest scores will be dropped."
 

Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed championship - Gurston cancelled
02/07/2020

After an exhaustive Committee meeting on the 29th June 2020, BARC South West Centre have announced that they will not be running an event on 30th August 2020.

The latest Championship calendar is:

Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed championship - new rounds added
27/06/2020

The Nottingham Sports Car Club double header at Blyton Park in September has been added to the 2020 Triple M/Pirelli HSA speed championship.

All dates are, of course, subject to change in these unprecedented times.

Revised programme June 27th:

Triple M / Pirelli HSA Speed Championship re-launch
25/06/2020

The Hillclimb and Sprint Association are pleased to announce the re-launch of the 2020 Triple M / Pirelli HSA Speed Championship following the easing of the recent lockdown.

We have been working hard with event organisers to put together a revised provisional calendar beginning in August and running through until October. We are sure that everyone will understand that, even at this stage, uncertainty remains as each of our national governments update their guidelines which organisers are required to follow. Consequently, events may be rescheduled or even cancelled at short notice – please keep checking the HSA and event organiser’s web sites for the latest information.

We had considered cancelling the Championship on the grounds that it could not be run at the same level as we had all anticipated at the beginning of the year. However, on balance, it was felt that it would be better to offer our members and competitors the chance to take part in a competitive championship even if it takes place in more restricted circumstances.

Competitors who have decided that they are unable to take part in this year’s championship should contact the Championship co-ordinator to discuss their options.

We may not be able to run an Awards Lunch and, if that were the case, any awards arising might need to be in the form of vouchers for reduced 2021 championship and/or event entry fees.


 

August Welsh Sprint Weekend: June Update
18/06/2020

Following a meeting of the Bristol Motor Club/BARC Wales joint organising team it has been decided that the Welsh Sprint Weekend, comprising of two sprints at Llandow and Pembrey circuits, will be going ahead in accordance with the COVID-19 guidance received from Motorsport UK.  The event must also be compliant with all COVID-19 protection regulations and guidelines issued by both the English and Welsh Governments, so should there be any changes which means the events will be cancelled all competitors who have entered will be given a full refund of the entry fee.

More details here.

2020 Sprint Leaders championship cancelled
06/06/2020

The 2020 SBD Motorsport UK HSA Sprint Leaders Championship

Following the news of the cancellation of most of the Championship’s July and August rounds and the continuing doubt over some of the remaining rounds, the organisers have reluctantly decided to cancel the Championship for 2020.

Competitors will automatically have their registrations carried forward to 2021 but those who do not wish to be registered for next year’s Championship should contact the championship co-ordinator.

We wish all our competitors well during this difficult period and look forward to seeing them all at events in the future.

Pat Toulmin
Championship co-ordinator

2020 British Sprint Championship cancelled
04/06/2020

A decision was made yesterday which resulted in the cancellation of our Knockhill weekend.

Although our Kirkistown organisers intended to continue with their weekend we have to be conscious that many of you do not attend. Other issues associated with that are far from clear. The NI Executive have suggested that their hotels will re-open on 20.07.20. However the matter of ferries is far from clear, and at the moment we could not reach any ferry via either Scotland or Wales because of their travel restrictions.

That being so the number of remaining counting rounds which we could anticipate being visited by everyone is below that of a reasonable number for a British Sprint Championship.

So the decision has been reached to cancel the 2020 British Sprint Championship. 2021’s equivalent will permit the permanent numbers earned in 2019 will carry forward for use in 2021. There will, of course, be no Awards Dinner this year.

Any fees paid by registered contenders will be carried forward to 2021.
 

Planned 2020 events at Loton cancelled
04/06/2020

We have received the following news from Hagley & District Light Car Club:

"Following the announcement that motorsport may be able to re-commence in July, we have been working with the guidelines that have been provided by Motorsport UK to ensure that we can recommence safely and in full compliance with them.  As a result, the Directors and Committee of HDLCC have regrettably come to the decision that we are unable to run any of our 2020 events as planned.

We are hoping to arrange at least one meeting at Loton Park towards the end of the season and details will be put on our website when finalised.

Our Entries Secretary will communicate with all your competitors who have already entered events.

Thank you for your support and I very much hope to see you at Loton Park in 2021"
 

August Welsh Sprint week-end (15/16)
02/06/2020

Following a meeting of the Bristol Motor Club/BARC Wales joint organising team today it has been decided that the above weekend, comprising of two sprints at Llandow and Pembrey circuits, will be going ahead in accordance with the COVID-19 guidance received from Motorsport UK.  The event must also be compliant with all COVID-19 protection regulations and guidelines issued by both the English and Welsh Governments, so should there be any changes which means the events will be cancelled all competitors who have entered will be given a full refund of the entry fee.

We are currently revising details of the events to comply with the latest Motorsport UK guidance but hope to be able to publish Supplementary Regulations in approximately two weeks time.  Documentation will be sent out when available and will also be on the organising clubs websites. 
 

THE TRIPLE M / PIRELLI HSA SPEED CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE
29/05/2020

Following MSUK's recent announcement regarding re-starting motor sport in the UK we are receiving enquiries about how this will affect the HSA's championships and the Triple M/Pirelli HSA Speed Championship in particular.

"We are waiting to see how clubs decide how and when they feel able to run their planned events under the prevailing guidelines. We are hearing that some events will be cancelled, some postponed to a future date and others run with restrictions. Until this becomes clear all we can do is continue as planned and respond when the picture becomes clearer."

British Sprint Championship update
28/05/2020

So many distributions from organising clubs so far have been negative indicating that this, that or the other event or championship has been cancelled.

Due to the constantly changing nature of the picture in our Championship we have been unable to convey to you anything of any consequence until now.

Yesterday Motorsport UK indicated that British Championship events would not be permitted in July. That means, of course, that the Snetterton weekend and Lydden events will not take place. That probably is just as well, given the doubt that exists about accommodation being available for everyone. I have nonetheless invited John Sharp to consider simply the postponement of these events and see whether they can be displaced until later in the year. That will ultimately be a decision which Boro 19 will make.

We are, of course, dealing with decisions made by 4 different national governments. So we need to know what the Northern Ireland and Scottish governments decide before our two organisers can determine what their decision is. I had communication from Stuart Gray last month which suggested the possibility that our date might change Knockhill’s BTCC date has already changed and they will need to know if their British Superbike date will change before their full picture can become clear.

I see no reason to doubt that the North west England weekend (Aintree & Three Sisters) will take place and the same for the Anglesey weekend.

When we have anything further to tell you we will let you know.

Peter Howgate, Championship co-ordinator
 

Borough 19 Sprint Poll
22/05/2020

Borough 19 have initiated a poll to assist planning of their early July Sprints at Snetterton and Lydden Hill. These events are included in the calendars of all three 2020 HSA Championships.

You can access the Borough 19 Poll page here.


 

Motorsport UK Monday Quiz nights
22/04/2020

Something to brighten up the lockdown. Monday nights at 8:00 pm MSUK and partners will be hosting a Motorsport Quiz on Facebook.

Details here.

Crystal Palace Sprint May 24/25
25/02/2020

Regs and entries for the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club organised Crystal Palace Sprint on 24th and 25th May 2020 can now be found at https://www.motorsportatthepalace.co.uk/registration. HSA members can enter through the HSA's membership of the invited Regional Associations.

Held over the traditional Bank Holiday weekend of Sunday 24th and Monday 25^th May 2020, the two day non-championship speed event will be run along the same lines to previous years where classes are decided by year of manufacture rather than engine size. This attracts a wide and varied entry of historic, classic and modern competition and road-going vehicles.

The 2019 event attracted 192 car entries over the two day period that were split into the 24 car class structure and proved a huge success in bringing the event back after a short break in 2018. The 2020 event will again feature classic and historic motor-cycles that will perform demonstration runs to revive the period when bikes raced at the circuit from 1927. There will also be trade stands, autojumble, car shows and various attractions aimed for the young. Karen Webber the Event Organiser said "Although it was a success last year, we know we can make this event even bigger and better in 2020 and all our information is on our website, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages."