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2011 British Sprint Championship permit granted
10/12/2010
The 2011 British Sprint Championship has been granted a permit and is open for entries!
Awards Lunch gaydon
01/12/2010
The 2010 Richard Egger Insurance HSA Speed Championship annual awards lunch was held in its traditional venue, the Heritage Motor Museum, Gaydon on Sunday November 28th.
On hand was Phil Barnard, General Manager of REIS to present the awards and to confirm that REIS will again be the headline sponsor for the 2011 HSA Speed Championship. Also present were David Render, the guest speaker who gave an interesting and amusing account of the race cars he has owned (29 in all including a couple of works Lotus F1 cars) and Norman Redhead and Ken Greenfield of the Tunbridge Wells Motor club who were presented with the Paul Squires trophy for the best organised championship round of the year.
As well as presenting the awards (see gallery), Phil Barnard confirmed that REIS would continue to support the HSA Speed Championship in 2011. Kathryn Blackburn, championship co-ordinator, presented the draft calendar for 2011, which can be found on our calendar page.
Following the event we have received thanks from both Norman Redhead:
“On behalf of Ken Greenfield, myself and Tunbridge Wells Motor Club we would like to convey our grateful thanks to you and the committee of HSA for not only the invitation but also your hospitality yesterday.
It was lovely meeting you and the wonderful meal was only exceeded by the size of the trophy! Excellent company and a most enjoyable guest speaker.”
And David Render:
“May I therefore thank you for having me, and for the very excellent lunch. I do hope that your whole meeting was a success, it most certainly looked to be very good to me, and well supported.”
Awards Luncheon; Motor Heritage Centre. Sunday 28th November 2010
23/11/2010
To all competitors and members attending the Luncheon on Sunday, please note that ticket are not being sent and as such are not required for entry to the lunch. Those of you who require entry to the Museum can do so by popping to the Conferencing Suite before hand and picking up a badge.
Full list of 2010 REI HSA Speed Championship awards published
29/10/2010
The full list of awards for the 2010 Richard Egger Insurance HSA Speed Championship can be found here.
The awards presentation will take place at the Heritage Motor centre, Gaydon on November 28th and award winners and HSA members wishing to attend are encouraged to get their booking forms returned to Kathryn Blackburn as soon as possible to assist organisation of the day.
Curborough 9th October 2010
17/10/2010
There are some fabulous pictures of the HSA/REIS Championship finale round on 9th October, courtesy of Shireen Broadhurst at her website;
Tony Thomas provisional REI/HSA Speed Champion
11/10/2010
At the HSA's tradional end of season Curborough meeting on Sunday 10th October two competitors Tony Thomas (Mazda MX5) and Simon Andrews (MG TF) were in a position to take the top spot in the Richard Egger Insurance/HSA Speed Championship.
Such has been the competitiveness of the Championship that both competitors faced a tough task to even win their respective classes on the day. And so it was looking to turn out although a broken drive shaft ended Andrews' chances even before time runs commenced. By taking second in class on the day Thomas (pictured - courtesy of David Garnett) became the second Roadgoing series production competitor in succession to win the coveted ALDON trophy.
The top three in the Championship are pictured below (photo courtesy of Shireen Broadhurst) with, l to r, Simon Andrews (2nd), Tony Thomas (1st) and Michael Andrews (3rd). Well done to all three drivers. The mini championship for the Peter Stevens memorial cup for competitors scoring in no more than 4 rounds was won by Geoff Stallard.
Championship positions subject to official confirmation. Curborough results here.
Round 28 Curborough October 10th
10/10/2010
On a beautiful, warm and sunny Autumn day at Curborough Ash Mason's mighty 4 litre Judd V8 powered Pilbeam MP97 too FTD with a 26.76s run.
Tony Thomas secured the REI/HSA Championship in his Mazda MX5 after nearest rival, Simoin Andrews suffered driveshaft failure before time runs began.
The class winners run off for the Alan Payne memorial trophy was won by Gary Thomas (once he had adjusted his driving to the 'wrong' gearing in his car!).
Full report in Speedscene.
Final regs & entry list for Curborough Sprint on Oct 10th
03/10/2010
The final regulations for the HSA Curborough Sprint to be held at Curborough on Sunday October 10th can be downloaded as a pdf or as a doc.
The latest entry list can be found here.
Season Finale; Curborough, Sunday 10th October
29/09/2010
The entry list for the HSA Sprint at Curborough on October 10th is filling up and the latest list can be downloaded here.
Please note that we are still taking entries so it's not too late to do so. Details can be found on the events page.
It certainly promises to be a nail biting season finale for the REI/HSA Championship! Just one point separates season long Championship leader Tony Thomas (pictured above) and Simon Andrews, both will be driving under pressure for top points and both with 8 points to drop. Tony will be chased hard and fast by Paul Webster looking to hold on to the 3rd he secured at Loton following Eric Morrey's disappointing weekend at Loton courtesy of car demons.
Whilst most top ten drivers are already dropping scores, Michael Andrews still has one round in the bag which, with good points from Curborough could see him securing a podium position.
Andy Dunbar and Matt Hillam stand 3 points apart and both in the top ten, so will we be treated to a head to head for the Class D title?
With Mike Broome and Gary Thomas tied for eighth overall, will Gary, following a further recent Midland Speed title, be hopeful to improve his overall position?
Once again, we'll be trusting modern technology to bring you final position scores from the track.
Please note that we are still taking entries so it's not too late to do so. Details can be found on the events page.
It certainly promises to be a nail biting season finale for the REI/HSA Championship! Just one point separates season long Championship leader Tony Thomas (pictured above) and Simon Andrews, both will be driving under pressure for top points and both with 8 points to drop. Tony will be chased hard and fast by Paul Webster looking to hold on to the 3rd he secured at Loton following Eric Morrey's disappointing weekend at Loton courtesy of car demons.
Whilst most top ten drivers are already dropping scores, Michael Andrews still has one round in the bag which, with good points from Curborough could see him securing a podium position.
Andy Dunbar and Matt Hillam stand 3 points apart and both in the top ten, so will we be treated to a head to head for the Class D title?
With Mike Broome and Gary Thomas tied for eighth overall, will Gary, following a further recent Midland Speed title, be hopeful to improve his overall position?
Once again, we'll be trusting modern technology to bring you final position scores from the track.
AGM and Awards Lunch dates for your diary
27/09/2010
A reminder to all members that this year's AGM will be held on Wednesday October 13th at the Cromwell Lodge Hotel, Banbury and the Annual Awards Lunch, featuring guest speaker David Render (pictured right winning the 1996 Brighton Speed trials in his Pilbeam MP43 - photo Jerry Sturman), will be held at the Heritage Motor Centre on Sunday November 28th. Please follow the links for more details.
GROVES BOWS OUT WITH A NARROW WIN
26/09/2010
After Martin Groves had qualified top for the opening run-off with a new class record at Loton Park Groves Groves Groves
Despite close competition on a cold day the top nine championship positions remained unchanged, but the duel for tenth spot on the Championship table between Will Hall and Eynon Price came down to a nail-biting head-to-head in the final run-off of the year. Having secured the 1600 racing class win and with it the Leaders and Midland Hillclimb Championship title double, Hall snatched the coveted ‘Number 10’ by a single point after outrunning his long-term adversary by a tenth of a second.
2010 Nicholson McLaren MSA British Hillclimb Championship, final positions: 1 Martin Groves 247pts; 2 Scott Moran 238; 3 Trevor Willis 203; 4 Roger Moran 182; 5 Chris Merrick 141; 6 Paul Ranson 137; 7 Tom New 112; 8 Wallace Menzies 72; 9 Deryk Young 62; 10 Will Hall 57; etc.
Mole Racing's final report of the year
24/09/2010
Mole Racing's Steve Miles' (pictured right at Goodwood - photo courtesy of Bill Wearing) final round up of the year from the world of Sprinting can be found here.
We'll look forward to next year's reports from Steve who "cannot wait for 2011 - with a new car, engine, gearbox, lighter, more powerful, better handling..........."
The HSA to be represented on the MSA Sprint & Hillclimb Sub Committee
24/09/2010
The MSA has confirmed that HSA committee member, Ben Hamer, is to join the Sprint & Hillclimb sub committee.
We wish Ben every success in this appointment and look forward to him representing the interests of HSA members and all those involved in Speed events.
GROVES MAKES IT FOUR
19/09/2010
With FTD and his 103rd run-off win, Martin Groves (pictured) matched the achievements of the legendary Roy Lane and Ken Wharton as he sealed his fourth British Hillclimb title at a damp and slippery Doune on Sunday. After Scott Moran had beaten his season-long rival by just four hundredths to win the opening run-off, Groves dug deep in the final shoot-out, turning the tables on the defending champion by over half a second to leave him an impossible target for next weekend’s Loton Park Championship finale. Third FTD, Trevor Willis duelled all day with Groves’ driving partner Paul Ranson and finally got the upper hand, but Ranson broke clear of his tie with Tom New to take sole charge of sixth place on the series table.
Scots 1600cc star Lee Adams, who had outqualified all but Groves in the morning with Graeme Wight Jr’s Raptor-Suzuki, got in amongst the big V8s each time on his home hill. Will Hall chased Adams hard during the class runs and qualified the Force-Suzuki twice, but his bid to match absent rival Eynon Price’s championship points tally fell short by a single point and their duel for the coveted ‘number 10’ is set to go down to the wire at Loton.
Scots 1600cc star Lee Adams, who had outqualified all but Groves in the morning with Graeme Wight Jr’s Raptor-Suzuki, got in amongst the big V8s each time on his home hill. Will Hall chased Adams hard during the class runs and qualified the Force-Suzuki twice, but his bid to match absent rival Eynon Price’s championship points tally fell short by a single point and their duel for the coveted ‘number 10’ is set to go down to the wire at Loton.
British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves 242pts; 2 Scott Moran 229; 3 Trevor Willis 194; 4 Roger Moran 181; 5 Chris Merrick 132; 6 Paul Ranson 122; etc.
Round 24 Brands Hatch
13/09/2010
Dirvers briefing at 9:45, one pratcice run of 2 1/2 laps of the Indy circuit followed by two timed runs of 1 1/2 laps and all finished by 12:30. Welcome to sprinting Tunbridge Wells MC style!
Either the distance or cost (not the circuit surely?) deterred many HSA members from making the trip with Andrew Till, Geoff Stallard, Glyn Sketchley, Chris Bennett and Thomas Emden anong the few who appeared on the day although a few others were listed as entries.
The format (a portent of things to come?) worked well and makes the more expensive venues a more viable economic option. Although the timetable leaves little time for 'socialising' it does mean that competitors who have travelled some distance at least get home at a reasonable time. This was welcome for Andrew Till who had visited Gurston and Anglesey on the 2 previous week-ends and Wiscombe the day before!
HSA honour was upheld by Glyn Sketchley in his Force PT with FTD in 78.74s
Proposed regulation changes from the MSA
10/09/2010
In case anyone has missed it the MSA is now publishing proposed regulation changes on-line.
The latest proposed regulation changes from the MSA Speed Events Committee can be found here.
Rounds 22 & 23 Anglesey
08/09/2010
With the Championship entering its final phase the main protaganists were looking for strong showings to boost their chances on the run in to the end of the season.
Unfortunately, the weather and mechanical woes played a big part in the outcome. With only the first timed run on the Saturday and the third run (not counting for Championship scoring) being fully dry there was little opportunity to make a strong impression.
However, Tony Thomas, the overall leader going in to Anglesey, seized his chance on his first run to set a new record and take a maximum 10 points. Lying second, Simon Andrews also had a good first run to take 9 points but with the positions at the top being so tight the result could be significant at the end of the day.
Of the other front runners Matt Hillam was unable to recreate his recent form and Eric Mortrey wasn't present.
The Sunday was a washout as far as the Championship was concerned and the Andrews/Kevill MG broke its gear linkage befroe they were able to set a time.
Nick Algar in his mighty Gould GR55 to comfortable FTDs on both days.
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
05/09/2010
Eynon Price (pictured) made history at Prescott on Sunday as the first driver to win a British Hillclimb run-off in a motorcycle engined car for 48 years. The delighted former rallyman slithered his Force-Hayabusa to his first ever run-off victory on a wet track in the opening run-off to beat even venue ace Trevor Willis, with Rob Turnbull and championship leader Martin Groves rounding off the top four.
For the second run-off, conditions were the best of the day though still wet in places. Willis’s nimble OMS-Powertec made sure of the win this time, from Groves, with a decisive 40.25 FTD. On a day when bike-engined single seaters made the most of the slippery conditions, 1600cc racing class winner Richard Spedding took third place and third FTD ahead of Turnbull, as the veteran hillclimber scored his best combined result for six years.
For the second run-off, conditions were the best of the day though still wet in places. Willis’s nimble OMS-Powertec made sure of the win this time, from Groves, with a decisive 40.25 FTD. On a day when bike-engined single seaters made the most of the slippery conditions, 1600cc racing class winner Richard Spedding took third place and third FTD ahead of Turnbull, as the veteran hillclimber scored his best combined result for six years.
Amazingly, an off-form Scott Moran failed to qualify for either run-off, his resulting no-score leaving Groves with a healthy 20 point lead over his long-time rival. Willis’s return to form saw the Aylesbury driver move back up to third place in the championship which, with four rounds to run, moves to the penultimate event at Doune in a fortnight.
British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves 230pts; 2 Scott Moran 210; 3 Trevor Willis 182; 4 Roger Moran 178; 5 Chris Merrick 129; 6= Tom New and Paul Ranson 108; etc.
HONOURS EVEN AT GURSTON
29/08/2010
With Martin Groves and Scott Moran each taking a win and second place at the August Bank Holiday Gurston Down meeting, the event at which Moran had secured his British Hillclimb title in 2008 and 2009, Groves’ slender four point lead in this year’s championship was maintained at four points. With just six rounds remaining, their duel for this year’s crown could go to the final rounds at Loton Park in a month’s time. But in the class-based Hillclimb Leaders’ series, Will Hall (pictured) took yet another win in the 1600cc racing division and secured the 2010 title from Moran with three rounds in hand. The Romsley-based driver now sits on a possible hat-trick of titles, as he also leads the Prescott Gold Cup (decided at Prescott next weekend) and the UK Changes Midland Hillclimb Championship, with rounds remaining at Prescott and Loton Park.
The Gurston event was a round of the Richard Egger HSA Speed series but it was not a good day for leading contenders Simon Andrews and Bernard Kevill, whose MG TF was forced to retire with gear linkage problems before the competition runs. The early leader of the HSA’s B’ Licence saloon and sports divison, Eric Morrey, whose turbocharged Clan lies third in the series, conceded victory on the second runs to Neil Duncanson’s Audi Quattro. Among the ‘A’ licence runners, a spirited performance by Robert Way took top honours in the 600cc racing division, Andy Dunbar turned the tables on Gurston expert Terry Luff in a Westfield duel and Fyrth Crosse, after a shaky opener, bounced back to take the Historic class win in his Ensign in a well supported Historic car class.
The Gurston event was a round of the Richard Egger HSA Speed series but it was not a good day for leading contenders Simon Andrews and Bernard Kevill, whose MG TF was forced to retire with gear linkage problems before the competition runs. The early leader of the HSA’s B’ Licence saloon and sports divison, Eric Morrey, whose turbocharged Clan lies third in the series, conceded victory on the second runs to Neil Duncanson’s Audi Quattro. Among the ‘A’ licence runners, a spirited performance by Robert Way took top honours in the 600cc racing division, Andy Dunbar turned the tables on Gurston expert Terry Luff in a Westfield duel and Fyrth Crosse, after a shaky opener, bounced back to take the Historic class win in his Ensign in a well supported Historic car class.
Full report in a forthcoming Speedscene.
British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves, 214pts; 2 Scott Moran 210; 3 Roger Moran 171; 4 Trevor Willis 159; 5 Chris Merrick 126; 6 Tom New 108; etc.
Herts County Auto & Aero Club - Autumn Sprint (October 3rd 2010)
26/08/2010
Round 21: Gurston Down
25/08/2010
The championship makes it's return to the formidable and fast Gurston Down hill climb this coming bank holiday weekend supporting the BHC and Leaders championships. And rather like these championships, the competition keeps on getting tougher and tougher. A brief analysis of the current top 10 shows that there are many permutations, including a tie for first position! As some competitors move into dropped scores and others rack up their 7th and 8th points haul, the latter part of the season should prove fascinating. In addition, a quick look at the calender shows there are still a number of rounds to come where competition won't get much closer.
A broad spread of HSA competitors are entered and, weather permitting the weekend could prove pivotal for many championship aspirants. The present crop of Gurston HSA records are all up for grabs, with some competitors having already bettered the current mark at recent club meetings. With warm weather and the lure of bonus points, the final results will make interesting reading. The list of accepted entries for the whole meeting can be viewed on the Gurston website.
See here http://www.gurstondown.org/ for details and follow the links.
MERRICK AND MORAN – AGAIN!
22/08/2010
In an astonishing replay of their May Gurston duel, Chris Merrick and Scott Moran (pictured) again tied for the win in a British Hillclimb run-off, this time at Shelsley Walsh. Each time in his two-win career and within the space of three months, Merrick has had to share victory with Moran, but it was the defending champion’s 57th win, which puts him within striking distance of five-time British champion David Grace’s fourth place overall on the all-time run-off winners’ table. Craigantlet victor Paul Ranson finished a strong third ahead of co-driver Martin Groves in an ill-handling Gould, which gave both drivers heart-stopping moments through Crossing at 130mph.
Merrick’s co-driver Tom New looked set to win the second shoot-out after a blistering attack deep into the 23s but in a typically determined closing shot, championship leader Groves pulled out all the stops to snatch FTD from New by six hundredths, securing his eleventh win of the year and ending the day four points clear of rival Moran.
Merrick’s co-driver Tom New looked set to win the second shoot-out after a blistering attack deep into the 23s but in a typically determined closing shot, championship leader Groves pulled out all the stops to snatch FTD from New by six hundredths, securing his eleventh win of the year and ending the day four points clear of rival Moran.
Once again the 1600cc racing cars provided the best class action of the day, Leaders series front-runner Will Hall withstanding an attack from first arch-rival Eynon Price and then flying Scot Lee Adams, who barrelled the GWR Raptor through to ease early challenger Nigel Morris back to fourth in the DJ Firehawk.
Full report follows in Speedscene.
British Championship standings: 1 Martin Groves 195pts; 2 Scott Moran 191; 3 Roger Moran 162; 4 Trevor Willis 156; 5 Chris Merrick 111; 6 Paul Ranson 94; etc.
Lydden Hill
17/08/2010
A small, but select (!), band of HSA members and competitors made the trek to the far south east for the Bristish Sprint and REI/HSA championship week-end at Lydden Hill.
The Saturday was largely wet but dried out later in the afternoon but was interrupted by a heavy accident that involved Martin Webb's Vauxhall Lotus at Chessons Drift. After a precautionary trip to hospital with a stiff neck Martin was relatively cheerful in the paddock the next moring. Unfortunately the car will need a new front corner and some bodywork before it will be seen in public again.
Sunday was warm and sunny and saw some very close battles, particularly those between Stewart Robb and Nick Algar for overall honours (Robb on both days) and Matt Hillam and Craig Sampson sharing the SBD Westfield with honours shared.
Mark Smith (Reynard Gould) pictured courtesy of Kim Kingham of SBD.
Full report in a future Speedscene.
Curborough October 10th Regs
17/08/2010
Regulations and Entry Forms for the HSA Sprint at Curborough on October 10th can be downloaded now from the Events page.
Mole Racing news reports
12/08/2010
We are pleased to start featuring Mole Racing's event reports which provide a personal account of the UK's Sprinting scene.
The first report covers the British Sprint rounds at Castle Combe, Croft & Silverstone.
The second report covers the British Sprint rounds at Ingliston & Pembrey.
The third report covers the British Sprint round at Anglesey along with club events at Goodwood and MIRA.
Look out for more reports to be posted here in the future
100 TO 1!
07/08/2010
After two disastrous years at Craigantlet, where their season had twice ended in mechanical failure, Martin Groves and Paul Ranson (both pictured) finally overcame their Ulster jinx in the best possible way at the fast road course outside Belfast. Both drivers reached a milestone in their hillclimb careers. Groves clocked up his hundredth British win with victory in the opening run-off, in which his driving partner spun off after qualifying second. But Ranson made up for that in the second shoot-out, snatching FTD from Groves by five hundredths of a second and taking a long-awaited first ever British run-off win ahead of his co-driver.
Groves’ championship rival Scott Moran had a troubled day with traction control problems. He qualified the Gould-NME top each time, but second and third place finishes left him trailing Groves by five points on the championship table. Trevor Willis dropped a championship place to the consistent Roger Moran after failing to score a point. An accident at the fast Allard left-hander saw the OMS-Powertec end up in the adjacent field and unable to continue, although Trevor was confident of making Shelsley in a fortnight.
Groves’ championship rival Scott Moran had a troubled day with traction control problems. He qualified the Gould-NME top each time, but second and third place finishes left him trailing Groves by five points on the championship table. Trevor Willis dropped a championship place to the consistent Roger Moran after failing to score a point. An accident at the fast Allard left-hander saw the OMS-Powertec end up in the adjacent field and unable to continue, although Trevor was confident of making Shelsley in a fortnight.
A best ever third place finish in the opening run-off marked Wallace Menzies’ first visit to Craigantlet while despite trailing the V8s, Will Hall moved into the championship top ten ahead of the absent Eynon Price. Westfield-BDH driver Peter Herbert followed the racers home in a small but select field, delighted to score his first ever British points.
Full report in Speedscene 160.
British Championship standings: 1 Martin Groves 178pts; 2 Scott Moran 173; 3 Roger Moran 152; 4 Trevor Willis 149; 5 Chris Merrick 94; 6= Tom New and Paul Ranson 80; etc.
WILLIS RULES WISCOMBE
25/07/2010
In a totally dominant performance at Wiscombe Park Wiscombe Park Groves Groves Groves Ulster
A class record-swapping duel between Eynon Price and early leader Will Hall propelled both 1600 Force drivers into the opening shoot-out, where Hall shared an unprecedented three-way fifth place with Scott and Roger Moran. Price got the last word in the record stakes, finally demolishing Phil Cooke’s 2004 mark by almost threequarters of a second as Hall spun out at Wis Corner and missed the cut. But a 360 at Sawbench by the Welshman during the run-off left both out of the points in the afternoon. Were it not for recalcitrant electrics, Adam Steel might well have made the cut in the ‘budget’ 1000cc Martlet – as it was, his sole competitive run finally demolished Adam Fleetwood’s eight-years-old class record, although the double British champion’s outright Wiscombe Park standard, the oldest in the Championship and dating back to 2004, remains intact.
Full report in Speedscene 160.
British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves 159pts; 2 Scott Moran 156; 3 Trevor Willis 149; 4 Roger Moran 138; 5 Chris Merrick 83; 6= Paul Ranson and Tom New 70; etc.
Welsh speed week-end
19/07/2010
It was a good week-end for HSA competitors at the Welsh double header of Llandow and Llys y Fran.
At Llandow Andy Meek (pictured), Richard Hearnden, Simon Andrews, Matt Hilam, Simon Marsh, Gordon Hick, Gary Thomas (FTD), Chris Bennett and John Opie all won their classes with three timed runs being on offer.
Gary Thomas was especially pleased to get under 70s with a spectacular second run to take FTD.
At Llys y Fran a smaller turnout saw Andrew Till, Andy Meek, Eric Morrey, Andy Dunbar and Gordon Hick take class wins.
Reports of both events will appear in an upcoming Speedscene.
Championship scoring updated
08/07/2010
The Championship scoring has been corrected to allow for the best 9 scores to count as per the 2010 regs.
Ulster double keeps Algar in the hunt
05/07/2010
Nick Algar won the two SBD Motorsport MSA British Sprint Championship rounds at Kirkistown over the week-end and also set two more Outright Course Records in the process. This makes it six successive course records in the past 3 weeks. Stewart Robb Snr was placed second each day and maintains his Overall Championship lead but Algar has closed in and nows lies in joint second place with Mark Smith who didn't make the trip to Ulster.
Colin Birkbeck not only recorded two more third places, which elevated him to fourth place overall, but also maintained his perfect scoring record in the Championship's Foundation Cup. Jonathan Toulmin also continued to accumulate points with a fourth and a fifth. He was also set new 1600 Racing Car class records on both days. Finally Simon Bainbridge, who won the Spirit of the Meeting Award at this event in 2009, kept the Audi on the pace and matched Toulmin's scores.
Colin Birkbeck not only recorded two more third places, which elevated him to fourth place overall, but also maintained his perfect scoring record in the Championship's Foundation Cup. Jonathan Toulmin also continued to accumulate points with a fourth and a fifth. He was also set new 1600 Racing Car class records on both days. Finally Simon Bainbridge, who won the Spirit of the Meeting Award at this event in 2009, kept the Audi on the pace and matched Toulmin's scores.
Undoubted star of the Irish contingent was Simon McKinley in the Lant RT4 whose sideways style was fascinating to watch.
A full report will appear in a subsequent Speedscene.
NEW OMS UNVEILED
05/07/2010
GROVES AGAIN – AT RECORD PACE
04/07/2010
Martin Groves (pictured) took his second consecutive British Hillclimb double at Harewood last weekend and the first new hill record of the year, shaving six hundredths off rival Scott Moran’s 2006 mark. Moran chased him home each time, Groves Willow
Trevor Willis and Roger Moran swapped podium finishes at Harewood, but Willis broke clear of his tie-break with the 1997 champion to take sole charge of third place on the series table. Despite a superb performance by Harewood expert Richard Spedding in the opening run-off, when he ran almost threequarters of a second inside his 1600 racing record to finish seventh in the Force-Hayabusa, he lost out to during the class runs to Will Hall, who reset Spedding’s official mark by a couple of tenths.
Full report and pictures in Speedscene 160.
British Championship: 1 Martin Groves 111pts; 2 Scott Moran 108; 3 Trevor Willis 94; 4 Roger Moran 93; 5 Paul Ranson 57; 6 Tom New 56; etc.
Round 11 Goodwood 2 Lap
27/06/2010
Glorious hot and sunny weather greeted the handful of HSA competitors who made their way to the historic Goodwood circuit for TWMC's 2 lap Sprint. With most times in the region of 3 1/2 minutes this must be one of the longest if not the longest Sprints in the country.
Unfortunately luck did not smile on some HSA competitors with Joe Tisdall (Vixen Imp) suffering fuel starvation, Geroge Harris (Dallara) suffering engine maladies (probably electrics) and Rick Hearnden (MGB GT) jumping out of third gear. However, Neil Duncanson (Audi Quattro), Chris Bennett (Van Diemen RF89) and Geoff Stallard (Ginetta G12) all managed to complete their runs with minimum drama.
Aintree Jack Neal Memorial Sprint
26/06/2010
Following on from his record breaking outing at Curborough where he reset Roy Lane's 15 year old record Nick Algar was again on form. He set a new class record on his first timed run at Liverpool Motor Club's sprint and then on his second run set a new Outright Course Record - 35.82 secs. He had hoped to lower it again but a track temperature of 54.2 was just too much to cope with.
After two practice runs the 110 competitors had on offer no less than 5 timed runs (although only the first 4 counted for the results) and all this was completed by quarter past four. There were several new class records which were set by Phil Short (Honda S2000) in the Standard car class, Gordon Tasker & Colin Danks in the Bert Hadley Austin 7 classes, David Morrison in the MGCC class, Tom Walker in the Austin Healey Club class and finally Darrell Woods in the 500 OAC class - the latter's Staride making the most fabulous noise as it set-off on its record breaking run.
Round 12: Prescott Hill Climb
23/06/2010
For anyone not attending, but interested to know who is entered the competitor listing is available on the Bugatti Owners' Club site here: http://www.prescott-hillclimb.com/june2010.aspx
DOUNE DOUBLE GIVES GROVES JOINT LEAD
21/06/2010
With ‘new dad’ Scott Moran opting out of the long trek to Doune, Martin Groves seized the opportunity to level with his long-time rival at the top of the British Hillclimb Championship table, taking two run-off wins and FTD on the daunting Carse of Cambus hill last weekend. Scott’s father Roger did make the trip and two good finishes could have given him the series lead, but a brush with the Esses kerbing and a spin that left the Gould wedged between Doune’s ever-present barriers put paid to that possibility. After rapid suspension repairs, the no-score plus a cautious sixth place finish in the second run-off dropped Moran Sr to third on the table, level with Trevor Willis. But with first and third places tied, and covered by eleven points, the championship chase will step up a gear when the circus heads for Harewood in a fortnight.
Frantic work by Tom New and Chris Merrick following last week’s Loton shunt rewarded the tenacious New (pictured) with a superb result. Fourth place in the opening run-off and second place, plus a Doune PB, in the closing shoot-out moved the New Techniques proprietor up to fifth place on the table.
Full report and pictures in Speedscene 159.
British Championship: 1= Scott Moran and Martin Groves 90pts; 3=Roger Moran and Trevor Willis 79; 5 Tom New 55; 6 Paul Ranson 49; etc.
The Champion Returns
16/06/2010
After missing the last five rounds Nick Algar was back behind the wheel of his 2009 Championship winning Gould GR55 at Trac Mon on Anglesey. He set new course records on both days taking not only back-to-back wins but also scoring a maximum as all four of his Top 12 runs were inside the previous outright records. Championship leader Stewart Robb Snr finished second on Saturday but was sidelined due to a gearbox problem on Sunday.
Full report in an upcoming Speedscene.
Round 9: Graham Hill Trophy Sprint - Curborough
15/06/2010
A fine selection of both paddock and on-track photographs recording the events at the recent Owen Motoring Club's annual summer sprint, which incorporates a qualifying round of the REI/HSA championship are now available to view and purchase from Rhodopsin Photography.
'GRANDAD' WINS AT LOTON - BUT IT'S WILLIS IN THE WET
14/06/2010
Chased by his son Scott, Roger ‘Grandad’ Moran celebrated his newly found status (Scott became a first-time father last week) with a win and FTD at Loton Park Scotland
Following the Shelsley blow-up Trevor Willis (pictured) had replaced his Powertec V8 with a new unit and fitted the engine in a race against time hours before the event. In the second run-off, his superb performance on a soaking wet track blitzed the entire field to take the afternoon run-off win and maintain fourth place on the series table.
Martin Groves was unhappy with the Gould’s handling on the bumpy Cedar Straight, an area which caught out Tom New on Sunday morning in a big accident that sidelined the Gould he shares with Chris Merrick. Despite two indifferent (for him) finishes, Groves remains in the hunt to lie third on the table, with an outside chance of taking the championship lead at Doune – but he’ll need two wins and a hill record to do it.
British Championship: 1 Scott Moran (3.5 Gould-NME GR61X) 90 pts; 2 Roger Moran (3.5 Gould-NME GR61X) 74; 3 Martin Groves (3.5 Gould-NME GR55B) 70; 4 Trevor Willis (2.8 OMS-Powertec/SBD CF06) 64; 5 Chris Merrick (4.0 Gould-Judd EV GR55) 46; 6 Tom New (4.0 Gould-Judd EV GR55) 39; etc.
Robb at the Double
09/06/2010
Stewart Robb notched up two more SBD Motorsport British Sprint Championship victories at Pembrey over the week-end. The Scot just failed to break the outright course record on both occasions but he still has a healthy 30 point lead in the championship. Once again Pembrey lived up to its reputation as a car breaker. Several cars dropped out on Saturday and on Sunday a spate of broken driveshafts sidelined two more.
A full report will be appearing in an upcoming Speedscene.
Richard Egger Insurance/HSA Speed Championship - Forthcoming Events
08/06/2010
HSA speed championship contenders planning to enter forthcoming rounds to be held over the summer are urged to place their entries as soon as possible. With entries generally down at many venues across the country, it is crucial for event organisers to know as soon as possible what the demand for entries at their events is likely to be.
Prospective entrants to the forthcoming HSA championship rounds to be held at the Llys-y-Fran hill climb in South-west Wales, and at Anglesey are encouraged to place their entries as soon as possible, or alternatively contact the respective competition secretaries to register their intentions.
Competitors who attended last year's championship round at Llys-y-Fran are reminded that they are entitled to a £15 discount from the entry fee, and additionally entry fee cheques will not be banked until the week before the meeting. Similarly entry fee cheques for the Anglesey meetings will only be banked during the preceding week too.
If your season plans include taking in either or both of these venues, you are encouraged to sort out the entries now.
GROVES BOUNCES BACK
07/06/2010
Martin Groves (pictured) bounced back from his Gurston accident with a vengeance to take both run-off wins and FTD at Shelsley Walsh at the weekend and level with Roger Moran in the British Championship runner-up spot. The wins came after a week of intensive work at Gould’s Newbury base to repair the GR55B’s gearbox casing and replace damaged suspension and bodywork.
Paul Ranson qualified the car in top spot for the opening run-off so Groves
The track never really dried after torrential rain at lunchtime, but
Full report and pictures in Speedscene 159.
British Championship: 1 Scott Moran 77pts; 2= Roger Moran and Martin Groves 55; 4= Chris Merrick and Trevor Willis 46; 6 Tom New 39; etc.
MERRICK AT LAST!
31/05/2010
After many years of coming close, a delighted Chris Merrick (pictured) finally won his first British Hillclimb round at Gurston Down on May Bank Holiday Sunday. ‘I never thought the day would come – I’m chuffed to bits!’ he said. For the third time in the history of the Championship the result was a tie,
Despite the OMS-Powertec’s relative lack of power on Gurston’s high speed slopes, Trevor Willis eased out Roger Moran each time to take over second place from Martin Groves on the Championship table.
Full report in Speedscene 159.
British Championship: 1 Scott Moran 59; 2 Trevor Willis 43; 3 Roger Moran 41; 4 Chris Merrick 36; 5 Martin Groves 35; 6 Tom New 31; etc.
Competitor eligibility
26/05/2010
Our Championship eligibility scrutineer has noted that a number of registered competitors in the REI HSA Speed Championship are not complying with Reg 3.1:
"To be eligible for championship points, competing vehicles must carry the championship decals provided, in accordance with the advertising rules set out in Section H(29) of the 2010 MSA Yearbook."
Common sense will prevail, of course, where limited bodywork requires the decals to be located in a different position.
Round 7: MIRA Sprint
21/05/2010
Championship contenders turn their attention to the high speed MIRA proving ground course this coming weekend. The MAC organised meeting has a full entry that includes a strong contingent of 38 HSA competitors entered, with a broad spread across most classes.
Interesting contests will no doubt arise as Michael Andrews and co.driver Ian Yates spar with Andrew Till in class A1. Current overall pace-setter, Tony Thomas will no doubt have the MX5 record firmly in his sights as will Andrew Meek in the Impreza in A3. Chris Jones is also entered in his Westfield will also be one challenging the existing HSA record.
In the Modified class C2, the leading contenders are entered and it will be fascinating to see how Matt Carter's rapid S2000 fairs with the ever developing MG TF shared by Simon Andrews and Bernard Kevill. The close competition between Matt Hillam, Andy Dunbar and Peter Kukainis will also resume.
A similarly fascinating class to follow will be the Sports Libre as Simon Marsh and Lindsay Mercer are both entered. Brian Ball makes his first appearance in 2010 in the 600cc racing car class no doubt determined to wrest the existing record established by Rob Way. Gary Thomas has his own record to deal with and weather permitting, also stands as a potential contender for the overall FTD. In the class K racing cars, the HSA class there will also be close competition as MIRA regular, Paul Tinsley is joined by Martin Jones. Both are joined by leading hill climber and former top 10 number holder, Paul Haimes.
Jon Plowe is another HSA regular making his first appearance this year in his class V Gilbern Genie who will be joined by Geoff Stallard, and Fyrth Crosse is joined in class W by Alan Terry in his Nike.
The championship records for all HSA classes are highly competitive and many are recognised nationally as the overall course records, but with such a rapid entry and fair weather these record times are all up for grabs.
GROVES’ HAREWOOD MILESTONE
09/05/2010
May’s traditionally hectic Barbon/Harewood British Hillclimb double-header last weekend proved somewhat less hectic than usual for the majority of contenders. At Barbon on Saturday, top meeting officials made the decision to abandon the British Championship section of the meeting halfway through first practice, considering the course unsuitable for the big cars after a sump-cracking incident involving a non-championship competitor’s car on a bumpy section of the partially resurfaced Barbon course. So with nothing to gain all but a handful of British contenders left early for Harewood. In a rejigged event which saw just 28 competitors take four competition runs each for class awards, Trevor Willis stayed on to take a single run in the OMS-Powertec. The time remained the benchmark until intrepid Barbon newcomer Wallace Menzies, driving the DJ Firestorm V8, snatched FTD from Willis on his last run with a time just over a second outside the hill record.
It was back to normal at Harewood where Championship leader Scott Moran took FTD and the first run-off win ahead of perennial rival Martin Groves. With a victory margin of just two hundredths of a second, Groves (pictured) made history in the second run-off as he not only beat Moran to take his first win of the year, but in the process became the most prolific British Hillclimb round winner of all time. His new total of 91 run-off wins finally topped the long-standing total of 90 set by the legendary Roy Lane and Groves
British Championship: 1 Scott Moran 39 pts; 2 Martin Groves 35; 3= Trevor Willis and Roger Moran 30; 5 Chris Merrick 17; 6 Tom New 15; etc.
Scots dominate at the Showground
06/05/2010
Dunfermline Motor Club worked wonders to get sprinting back at Ingliston which was for a long time the home of motor racing in Scotland British Sprint Championship debut, and Ross Napier only taking the top 12 run-off victory with a late second run charge despite a broken exhaust pipe. The Scottish domination continued on Sunday when Ross Napier reset the Outright Course Record from the previous day in yet another second run charge. Wallace Menzies was again second but much against the plan Stewart Robb Jnr took third ahead of his father.
A Full report & results will appear in an up-coming issue of Speedscene
Abingdon Carnival Sprint 12th June
05/05/2010
Regs and Entry Form for the Sutton & Cheam Motor Club event at Abingdon on 12th June are available. HSA members are invited. This is an unusual event with 8 runs over two different courses and usually over subscribed so hurry and get your entry in.
GOOD START FOR SCOTT
26/04/2010
Scott Moran (pictured) began his 2010 title defence in the best possible way with back-to-back run-off wins at Prescott
Eynon Price flew the 1600cc flag high with a strong fifth place early on in his Force-Hayabusa but his perennial rival Will Hall, who had already done enough for the class win aboard his own version, dropped a valve during the run-off and left Prescott without scoring. Price failed to qualify in the afternoon when 1600cc Force honours were upheld by Richard Spedding, delighted to score a point on his very first appearance in a British run-off.
Full report in Speedscene 158.
Championship positions after two rounds: 1 Scott Moran 20pts; 2 Trevor Willis 18; 3 Martin
HSA on TV!
20/04/2010
A number of HSA members and competitors are prominently featured in this very well produced piece about the world of hill climbing by Grid1 TV.
More regs - Ty Croes June 2010
20/04/2010
Regs and Entry Form for the Chester Motor Club event at Anglesey on 12th/13th June are available. HSA members are invited. We haven't received the entry form for the 13th but it should be available from the club.
HILLAM TOPS AT GURSTON
19/04/2010
With two record-breaking runs in a well-populated Westfield class, Matt Hillam set the pace among the HSA contenders at the second round of our Richard Egger backed Speed Championship, at Gurston Down hillclimb. Peter Kukainis chased hard for second place, but a second run spin blunted his challenge as Andy Dunbar ran fifth in this competitive 22-strong class, the biggest of the day. Fyrth Crosse joined the record-breakers too, re-setting his own Gurston Historic class mark in the Ensign.
In the two dedicated HSA classes, Neil Duncanson and the Quattro led home the MG Cup TF of Simon Andrews and Bernard Kevill as Andrew Meek’s Impreza and Tim Richardson’s Caterham Superlight scrapped hard for fourth place.
Three in a row!
18/04/2010
Stewart Robb Senior made it three British Sprint Championship run-off wins in a row at Silverstone on Sunday. It was the first time sprinting had returned to Silverstone for over 25 years and it also marked not only the Sprint Championship's first visit to the Home of the British Grand Prix but also the first competitive event on the new Stowe Circuit.
A full report should be in the next issue of Speedscene.
Photo galleries
14/04/2010
Two HSA/Speedscene contributors, Chris Bound and Steve Wilkinson have placed many of their excellent hillclimb and sprint photos on the PhotoboxGallery web site where their photos can be purchased for a modest fee.
MSA Manifesto & Petition
14/04/2010
The following just in from the MSA:
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MSA launches its Manifesto for Motor Sport
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McKINLEY’S IRISH DOUBLE
10/04/2010
Event regs
09/04/2010
We have received the regs for some upcoming events to which HSA members are invited either as a Club or as a member of the relevant Regional Association.
Debden - May 9th
Castle - July & August
Anglesey - 13th/13th June
Abingdon - 12th June
RICHARD EGGER/HSA CHAMPIONSHIP OPENS AT LOTON PARK
06/04/2010
Lindsay Mercer (pictured) set the pace among a 28-strong HSA entry as the Association’s 2010 Richard Egger backed Speed Championship opened at a dry but chilly Loton Park on Easter Monday. Ian Dayson engineered cars had a good day; not only did Mercer’s Radical take the sports libre class win from Graham Wynn’s brand new Force sportscar but Will Hall, driving the Dayson-built 1600cc Force-Hayabusa single-seater now with new and stiffer carbon-composite rear end, harried a septet of big V8s to finish fourth overall on a day when local drivers Scott and Roger Moran battled for FTD. British champion Scott Moran took the final verdict from his father, while another team battle raged for third in class as Chris Merrick finally overcame co-driver Tom New.
Westfield
A full report will follow in Speedscene 158. Event results are now available on www.hdlcc.com and HSA Championship positions appear elsewhere on this website.
Robb makes it two in a row
05/04/2010
Just over a week after victory at Castle Combe Stewart Robb Snr took another Sprint Championship victory. In freezing cold conditions there was little chance of new records but Robb was on fine form fighting back from the runner’s up slot in qualifying to get to within a second of the outright record.
Nick Algar took second place in the run-off after only being third after the first runs. Making his first appearance of the year Stewart Robb Jnr slowly acclimatised to flat-out racing and third place was his reward. After failing to get any points at Combe Terry Holmes was pleased with his fourth place. Also making his first appearance of the year was another Scot, Ross Napier, who finished a creditable fifth.
Nick Algar took second place in the run-off after only being third after the first runs. Making his first appearance of the year Stewart Robb Jnr slowly acclimatised to flat-out racing and third place was his reward. After failing to get any points at Combe Terry Holmes was pleased with his fourth place. Also making his first appearance of the year was another Scot, Ross Napier, who finished a creditable fifth.
For more details and all the gossip and news from Croft se the next issue of Speeedscene.
SBD Motorsport British Sprint Championship Rd 2
1 Stewart Robb (4.0 Pilbeam-Judd KV MP88) 66.66secs;
2 Nick Algar (3.5 Gould-NME GR55) 67.09secs;
2 Nick Algar (3.5 Gould-NME GR55) 67.09secs;
3 Stewart Robb Junior (4.0 Pilbeam-Judd KV MP88) 67.73secs;
4 Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola-Judd/Swindon ERH) 68.67secs;
5 Ross Napier (3.5 Gould-Cosworth DFR GR37) 69.84secs;
6 Mark Smith (2.0 Reynard-Vauxhall/Swindon 903) 70.51secs;
7 Steve Broughton (1.3S OMS-Suzuki/SBD CF08) 71.41secs;
8 Colin Birkbeck (2.0 Dallara-Vauxhall 301) 74.09secs;
9 Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola-Judd/Swindon ERH) 74.70secs;
10 Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen-Zetec/Dunnell RF96M) 75.23secs;
11 Gary Thomas (1.1 Force-Suzuki PT);
Tom Potter (1.0T Jedi/Suzuki Mk4) DNF
SBD Motorsport Championship Positions:
1 Stewart Robb Snr 26pts; 2 Nick Algar 23pts; 3 Steve Broughton 17pts; 4= Tom Potter and Steve Miles 11pts; 6 Stewart Robb jnr 10pts; etc
1 Stewart Robb Snr 26pts; 2 Nick Algar 23pts; 3 Steve Broughton 17pts; 4= Tom Potter and Steve Miles 11pts; 6 Stewart Robb jnr 10pts; etc
2010 Championship kick-off
02/04/2010
All eyes will be on Loton Park this Easter weekend as the 2010 season kicks off for Richard Egger Insurance HSA speed championship contenders. It is great to see the championship supported by many regulars, and returnees who will be joined by a healthy contingent of newcomers. With some notable changes to driver/car combinations, plus a varied and challenging calender, this year looks set to be a as closely contested as ever.
Current champion John Gallagher is entered in his new (for him) Honda Integra Type-R having exchanged rear for front wheel drive for this year. Last year's runner-up Simon Andrews and co-driver Bernard Kevill are also entered in the much campaigned MG TF. This opening meeting will be key to their 2010 challenge as the car now sports a lower ratio diff. and freer flowing exhaust system. Noteworthy returnees also entered include 2006 runner-up Chris Jones and former Midland hill climb champion Roy Standley. Amongst the single seaters the progress of both Darren Gumbley in his recently acquired Force, and Dave Gardners' new Empire will be closely followed. The Empire car in the hands of the former Gurston Top 10 challenge winner is a welcome addition to the racing car ranks.
In the larger capacity cars, George Harris' Dallara will provide regulars Paul Tinsley and the FVL duo of Tony Jarvis and Martin Webb with close competition. Tony and Martin are also contesting the SBD British Sprint series this year, but plan to mix and match this with REI/HSA events..
Another welcome addition to the series is former championship sponsor Alan Goodwin, who has previously focused on the MHC and Paul Matty Classic championships and who will be competing this year in the superb Aldon sports racing car.
Loton Park is one of the longest hills in the UK and wet or dry always provides plenty of action. As is now customary, the details of the times and results for all finishers will be posted as soon as after the event as possible. Check back soon.
Cadwell 17th October
31/03/2010
It is now looking increasingly unlikely that the final round of the REI HSA Championship at Cadwell Park on October 17th will take place. Although no formal notice of cancellation has been given it is understood that the organisers of the meeting were finding it difficult to put on the event and as no other options have been forthcoming we must assume that is not going to happen.
Rd 1 SBD Motorsport British Sprint Championship - Castle Combe
31/03/2010
Despite a strong chilling wind howling across Castle Combe Stewart Robb was setting the course on fire. He was easily the fastest qualifier for the run-off and then shattered the Outright Course Record twice en route to victory in the opening round of the championship. Nick Algar, whose Gould-NME seemed to be on 7 cylinders, took second place – the third successive time he has finished runner-up at Combe. Steve Broughton recovered from a double 360 spin in qualifying to record a superb third place whilst equally impressive was Tom Potter in the now turbocharged Jedi. Steve Miles, a previous winner at Combe, took fifth whilst Run-off debutante Terry Graves was a notable sixth.
Jonathan Toulmin spent the day learning how to handle his newly purchased Force and he was delighted to finish seventh ahead of Andy Potter and Tony Ellis. Mark Smith, who is usually the leading two litre runner, fell foul of a flat battery which disabled his ECU whilst Graham Porrett’s first run spin damaged the rear wing support and sidelined himself and co-driver Terry Holmes.
For a Full Report and all the gossip see the next issue of Speedscene!
1 Stewart Robb Snr (4.0 Pilbeam-Judd MP88) 113.03secs
2 Nick Algar (3.5 Gould-NME GR55) 115.01secs;
3 Steve Broughton (1.3s OMS-Suzuki CF06) 119.35secs;
4 Tom Potter (1.0t Jedi-Yamaha Mk4) 122.07secs;
5 Steve Miles (2.0 Van Diemen-Zetec RF96M) 128.11secs;
6 Terry Graves (3.5 Gould-Cosworth DFR GR37) 128.93secs;
7 Jonathan Toulmin (1.5 FORCE-Suzuki PC) 133.43secs;
8 Andy Potter (1.0t Jedi-Yamaha Mk4) 137.81secs;
9 Tony Ellis (2.0 Megapin-Duratec 31-07) 138.15secs
Mark Smith (2.0 Reynard-Vauxhall 903G) Fail;
Graham Porrett (3.5 Lola-Judd T90/50) Fail;
Terry Holmes (3.5 Lola-Judd T90/50) Did Not Start
SBD Motorsport British Sprint Championship positions after Round 1:
1 Stewart Robb Snr 14pts
2 Nick Algar 12pts
3 Steve Broughton & Tom Potter 11pts
5 Steve Miles & Jonathan Toulmin 8 pts
7 Terry Graves 7pts;
8 Andy Potter 5pts
9 Tony Ellis 4pts.
Next Round: Croft 5th April 2010
NEW FORCE SPORTSRACER FOR 2010
27/03/2010
Force Racing Cars’ new sportsracing model, the LM001, will make its competition debut at Hagley and DLCC’s Easter double-header at
New owner Graham Wynn, who previously ran the Honda bike-engind TTC Mini in the 2-litre sports libre class, will debut the car at Easter. His company, Telford-based driver education specialists TTC Group, are also sponsoring the Hagley Club’s own in-house Loton Park Championship in 2010, the 75th Anniversary year of the Club and the 50th anniversary year of
Constructor Ian Dayson is pictured with the new car and he can be contacted at Force Racing Cars on 07729 078274.
British Sprint Championship Round 1 - Castle Combe
27/03/2010
The SBD Motorsport British Sprint Championship gets underway at Castle Combe with the Great Western Sprint meeting on Saturday. The Bristol Motor Club has gathered together a 100 car entry of which over 25% are registered for the British Sprint Championship. Defending Champion Nick Algar will be out to improve on his second place at this event last year whilst the 2009 winner of the Great Western Sprint, Terry Holmes, is in equally determined mood.
Making a welcome return to the championship is four times Champion Tony Eyles who was last seen in a single seater at Kirkistown in 2006. Tony has entered his Force-Opel V6 and should not be discounted. Another driver making his comeback is Mike Musson whose Force has undergone radical surgery and no longer has twin-engines but instead sports a potent 1.3 litre turbocharged Suzuki unit. Other returnees are the father & son team of Andy and Tom Potter. Their Jedi has also grown in capacity during their sabbatical and is now powered by a one litre turbocharged Yamaha unit. Long time supporter of the championship Jonathan Toulmin will be giving his recently acquired Force its first run in the championship since Guy Gibson took it to third overall back in 2003.
Supporting the Sprint Championship will be the cream of the South West Speed Eventers some of whom will be only too delighted to put one over on their national rivals.
Practice from 09:00; Timed runs from 12:00 approx. Admission FREE.
Still time to enter Werrington on May 1/2
24/03/2010
Just a quick reminder to say that HSA members are invited to Plymouth MC's meeting at Werrington Park on May 1st and 2nd. There are still a few places left if you are quick. More details on the Plymouth MC web site.
Entries for Ty Croes 4/5 September filling up fast
23/03/2010
The REI/HSA Speed Championship double header at Ty Croes, Anglesey on September 4th and 5th is one of the more popular events on the calendar with competitors often having to join a waiting list for this tremendous circuit.
Even though the event isn't until September it is already 2/3 full but there are still places left for HSA competitors so if you are thinking of including it in your 2010 plans you need to get your entry in now. Regs can be found here and classes are to the Northern Speed Classes 2010 (which also apply to some other HSA rounds in 2010). Cancellations are without penalty before August and cheques are not banked until the closing date.
HSA members are also warmly invited to the 1 & 2 May 2010 Ty Croes Weekend Sprints at
HSA Facebook Group launched
19/03/2010
We are pleased to announce the launch of an HSA group on Facebook. Simply log on to Facebook, search for Hillclimb and Sprint Association and apply to join the group.
Once accepted we are encouraging members to promote their own interests and activities involved with Sprinting and Hillclimbing.
Error in regs
16/03/2010
An eagle eyed competitor has noticed a mistake in our published Championship regs.
Section "1.7 Awards (a) Overall positions" refers to free entries into 2010 events and championships when it should, of course, refer to 2011.
2010 Permits
13/03/2010
Following recent 'clarifications' from the MSA permits are now being issued/re-issued for the 2010 season including the REI HSA Speed Championship (see the Championship News page for more details).
On a general note all competitors for events and championships in 2010 are advised to check with organisers web sites for the latest versions of regulations and for 'bulletins' which need to be read in conjunction with previously published documents.
REI HSA Speed Championship regulations approved
13/03/2010
We are pleased to announce that the 2010 Richard Egger
Insurance HSA Speed Championship has been granted a permit by the MSA. The full 2010 regs can be found on the Regs page.
As you are no doubt aware regulations for 2010 have been subject to a number of new rules and restrictions. Broadly these require all classes to fall in to one (and one only) of the 7 categories described in Section S of the Blue Book and that the specific regulations detailed in the Blue Book for each category remain unchanged except for tyres in Roadgoing classes as announced in the MSA press release of March 10th.
The changes required to the HSA Championship regulations from the provisional regulations posted on this web site are that:
1. Class N for Modified Imp engined cars is to be classified as Modified Specialist Production. As the rules only require a minimum of cars to be produced, Modified Limited Production Imp engined cars (i.e. Imps) can continue to run in this class as was orginally intended.
2. Class W for Classic Sports Racing and Racing cars pre 31.12.75 has had to be split into two classes W and W3.
3. Class P for any Imp engined vehicle is no longer permitted and has been removed.
Competitors already registered for the Championship in these classes will be contacted by the Championship Co-ordinator to discuss the options for competing in 2010.
Please note that as the permitted tyres in Classes B1, B2, N, U and V have changed materially (to include List 1B tyres) from 2009 the organisers have decided to treat these classes as 'new' for 2010. Therefore existing records for these classes will be re-set to zero and scoring will be calculated on this basis. See regulation 6.The old class W has now been split into W and W3 but as they were previously the same class both W and W3 will start 2010 with the same class records in place.
*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: CHAMPIONSHIP REGULATIONS*****
10/03/2010
The MSA have issued a press release (note:link now working) regarding regulations for tyres in roadgoing classes for Sprints & Hillclimbs in 2010.
This clearly contradicts the statement made by the MSA on February 23rd.
The organisers of the 2010 Richard Egger Insurance HSA Speed Championship had responded to the February 23rd statement by re-submitting their proposed Championship regulations and yesterday (March 9th) received permit approval.
However, now that the regulations have changed again we need to consider what action to take.
We regret the uncertainty that this on-going situation is creating but want to be sure that our decisions are in the best interests of competitors and the Championship. We will publish details of our final, approved regulations as soon as we can.
Speedscene in 2010
04/03/2010
Speedscene Issue 157 has just been published and marks the end of the current format and layout.
Starting with Issue 158 there is going to be a new and more up to date look accompanied by full colour throughout the magazine for the first time.
Publication of 158 is scheduled for the end of May in order to include reports from many of the early season events so remember to look out for your copy and pass the word around to the many officials, competitors, clubs and spectators who have yet to sample the only magazine published in the UK dedicated to Speed events.
Click here to see the flyer.
Early season regs out
04/03/2010
All the early season regs, including Silverstone, have now been published and can be found on the calendar page.
2010 Event regs & entry forms
28/02/2010
Regulations and entry forms are now being issued by organising clubs for events on our Championship calendar. Links to thse documents will be displayed on our calendar page as usual.
We would offer a word of caution. We have been told very clearly by the MSA what is permitted in our 2010 Championship regulations. Some event regulations are being issued which contradict what we have been told and which therefore may be subject to change. We hope and believe that eventually a consistent set of classes and regs will appear but competitors may need to get their entries in for popular events before these matters are resolved.
As an example, entries for the very popular Ty Croes Sprints in September are now being taken so interested competitors should go to the Ty-Croes web page for the regs and entry form.
*****IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT; CHAMPIONSHIP REGULATIONS*****
25/02/2010
We are in receipt of the following statement from the MSA, which directly affects the Richard Egger/HSA Speed Championship classes A1, A2, A2.1 and A3. For clarity, the full text of the statement is reproduced here.
"23rd February 2010; Roadgoing Classes and Tyres.
It has been brought to our attention that the tyres specified within the Road-going Category (GR (S)11.) of your Championship Regulations are restricted to List 1A only.
We request that you amend your Regulations to add list 1B in order to comply with (S)11.6.2. which states that tyres must be to 'list 1A and list 1B'.
This matter has been discussed at the Sprint & Hill Climb Sub-Committee today and consequently no exceptions to 2010 Championships in this respect will be permitted."
It is therefore now clear that the REI/HSA Championship draft regulations need to be amended to allow the use of list 1B tyres across the Road-going Categories. It is further confirmed that the amendment applies across the UK to any Championship which has restricted the use of 1A tyres within the Category.
It has also been necessary to make other minor changes to the Championship Class structure in order to comply with the required MSA categories. We are hopeful these will be agreed by the MSA within the next week when they will be published to the website.
If you have any queries arising out of this announcement, please do not hesitate to contact
the Championship Co-ordinator, Kathryn Blackburn.
Revival of Hillclimbing at Dyrham park moves closer
22/02/2010
The possibility of hillclimbing returning to the National Trust property of Dyrham park, on the A46 just north of Bath and close to J18 of the M4 is looking more likely.
The Bristol Motor Club , referring to a recent announcement, say:
"In it I report on a meeting we had with the National Trust to discuss the proposed revival of the hillclimb at Dyrham Park. I described the mood of the meeting as positive, but I didn't realise just how positive: a few days later I had a phone call from the Operations Manager to let me know that the Trust has agreed to foot the bill for resurfacing the damaged part of the drive, and confirming the event in our calendar on the agreed date, 2nd October 2011! We have another meeting next week to agree the precise terms, but I am confident that we will reach agreement, such is the enthusiasm shown by the local National Trust people."
This is excellent news and all credit to those at the Bristol Motor Club for their efforts.
50 competitors registered for 2010 already!
15/02/2010
As of Monday 15th February there are already 50 entrants to the 2010 Richard Egger Insurance HSA Speed Championship, with a good initial spread throughout all of the classes.
The competitors entry list is updated promptly on receipt of registrations, so you can track who you may be competing against this coming year as they occur. If you are planning to enter this season, please remember that the HSA must have received your entry at least 7 days prior to your first event, or any points scored will not be valid. In addition, please remember that you must hold up-to-date membership to enter, so be sure to get in touch with the membership secretary if you have not received your annual reminder.
If you are not currently a member and wish to join, you can do that on-line using the PayPal facility, or if you prefer complete your application on a paper copy - see 'The HSA' above for further details. Benefits of HSA membership include access to a broad range of invited events throughout the UK and you will also receive Speedscene delivered to your door six times a year.
HSA Speed Championship Class Records updated
10/02/2010
All existing HSA championship class records established since the introduction of the revised scoring procedures are now updated for 2010. These are all now entered to the 'class records' drop down menu. For the majority of classes these records are now very competitive and comparable with the best established times that were used for previous championship scoring. In some classes these records also stand as national records. Getting within 2.5% in some cases is going to be tough enough, with it becoming ever harder to beat an HSA class record for that all important additional point!
With a number of venues that are new for the 2010 calender, there is ample scope for new names to appear amongst the HSA championship record holders to add to the familiar names of the more experienced competitors. For a detailed explanation of the scoring arrangements please refer to your copy of the championship regulations.
Draft regs & registration for 2010 REI HSA Championship
27/01/2010
The draft regs for the 2010 REI HSA Speed Championship have been published and registrations are now being taken. Please note that these regulations remain subject to scrutiny and approval by the MSA and may be altered in due course. Confirmation of registration, cards and decals will be posted out to Competitors at the beginning of March.
2010 HSA Championship draft regs & registration now available
16/01/2010
The draft regs for the 2010 REI HSA Speed Championship have been published and registrations are now being taken. Please note that these regulations remain subject to scrutiny and approval by the MSA and may be altered in due course. Confirmation of registration, cards and decals will be posted out to Competitors at the beginning of March.
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