|
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. 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
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.
|
|
|
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. 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,
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.
|
|
|
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. |
|
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.
|
|
'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
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
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.
|
|
|
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
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
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
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:
|
|
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.
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. 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; 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 |
|
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: Next Round: Croft 5th April 2010 |
|
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. |
|
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.
|
|
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
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. |
|
*****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. |
|
|
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. |
|
Silverstone Stowe Circuit
16/12/2009 With the Silverstone Stowe circuit appearing on some Championship calenders (including the HSA) next year there is considerable interest in the new layout and facilities currently under construction. Apart from a brief report in Autosport details have been scarce. With an extended 1.15 mile track and a new tarmac padock it is an exciting new prospect for UK Sprinters. An interesting report can be found on the Skiddmark web site and there is also a brief report on the BRDC site. The .pdf of the new development can be downloaded here. |
|
|
Spectacular calendar for 2010 HSA Richard Egger Insurance Speed Championship
07/12/2009 At the annual HSA awards lunch held at the Heritage Motor Museum, Gaydon on Sunday 6th December the provisional calendar for the 2010 Championship was unveiled. The 2009 Championship visited more venues than ever before and was rewarded with more competitors entering events. So for 2010 we are adding Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Doune, Mallory Park and Three Sisters along with the hoped for return of Cadwell Park. Naturally all the old favourites are still there making 2010 our best calendar yet. Go to the calendar page to see the full provisional calendar. |
|
HSA Annual awards lunch
11/11/2009 The annual HSA awards lunch is being held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, Warwickshire on Sunday 6th December. All HSA members and their guests are welcome and an interesting programme will complement the good food and company. Tickets also include free entry to the Heritage Motor Centre itself, which this year features the "50 years of the Mini" exhibition. The booking form can be dowlnoaded here. |
|
ROY LANE
27/10/2009 A public service of celebration of the life of
|
|
BOB DAYSON
27/10/2009
A memorial service for the late Bob Dayson will take place in the paddock at Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb on Friday 6th November at
The service will be of approximately 35 minutes duration. The paddock bar will be open from |
|
Speedscene Issue 155
23/10/2009 Speedscene Issue 155 has been printed and is being despatched. However, the ongoing situation in the Postal Service, both locally and nationally, will unavoidably delay deliveries. We are sorry for this inconvenience and are currently working hard to ensure that the delivery of Issue 156, the Christmas issue, will be sent out to arrive before the holiday period. |
|
Llys y Fran Hill Climb Improvements
22/10/2009 Following sterling efforts by Swansea Motor Club, Llys y Fran hill climbs will run with better organisation and improved facilities for 2010. The testing and difficult to master Llys y Fran hill climb course is located in Pembrokeshire, west Wales. Drawing on experiences gained over recent years, the Swansea Motor Club is working on various upgrades for the 2010 meetings. The club team plan considerable upgrades to track safety with a new dedicated and fully equipped team. They also plan to introduce new practices and back-up systems to help make the events run more smoothly. |
|
ROY LANE
14/10/2009
In what has been a desperately sad week for hillclimbing, we are sorry to announce that Roy Lane has finally succumbed to the illness from which he had suffered for several years now. A true hillclimb legend, there is insufficient space here to do justice to Roy’s achievements in a British Hillclimb career that thrived for over three decades, but in sending condolences to his family, friends and fellow competitors, we are certain that the memory of this popular, dedicated and innovative engineer will survive as long as the sport he loved so much continues to flourish.
An in-depth tribute to
|
|
|
BOB DAYSON
12/10/2009
We are sorry to report that Bob Dayson finally lost his battle with cancer in the early hours of this morning. The ever jovial arch-enthusiast for motorsport, particularly hillclimbing and sporting trials, will long be remembered for his light-hearted but always competitive approach to the sport to which he contributed so much, in so many ways. The HSA would like to offer sincere condolences to Bob’s family and countless friends. One of hillclimbing’s true characters, he will be much missed.
A full appreciation will follow in a future issue of Speedscene
|
|
|
HENSON’S WIN – GALLAGHER’S TITLE
11/10/2009
As the only sub-30sec runner of the day, Andrew Henson set the outright pace at Curborough’s Richard Egger HSA Speed Championship finale in his Ralt-Rover, edging out first run spinner Jim Yardley. A sudden rain shower caught out the veteran Beagle-Honda driver midway through the first runs and put pressure on many of the single seater drivers, including Brian Ball. The 600cc Force-Yamaha driver also spun on his first run and although he recovered later, he failed to catch class winner
John Gallagher (pictured earlier this year at Harewood) was also on class-winning record form in his Mazda MX5, confirming the 2009 Richard Egger HSA title that he’d already secured by the preceding round at Shelsley.
After a fine opening shot by Peter Kukainis in his Westfield-Duratec had got right in amongst the single seaters to secure third FTD, Elden FF driver Mike Broome won one of the closest fought Alan Payne Trophy class winners’ run-offs ever seen with the top three; Broome, Ben Hamer’s Mini Turbo and Clive Wooster’s Radical, covered by just seven hundredths of a second on corrected times. Results sheet can be downloaded here Full report in Speedscene 156. Provisional final championship positions: 1 John Gallagher (1.8 Mazda MX5); 2 Simon Andrews (1.8 MG TF); 3 Brian Ball (0.6 Force-Yamaha); 4 Steve Filkin (1.8 Lotus Elise); 5 Geoff Kershaw (2.9 Ford Sierra); etc.
|
|
|
Successful Curborough Sprint Course Repairs
09/10/2009 The ever popular course operated by Shenstone and District Car Club has been enhanced by surface repair works that should improve both the single and double lap formats. Following the drainage relief work undertaken in the paddock during the spring, the latest improvement work has focused upon the course itself. The course now benefits from a re-surfaced start area and repair work to the outside of paddock rise. These particular repairs should now enable all cars to use the full width of the road at this formidable corner. Fresh surfacing around flagpole will be of note to all those interested in the double lapper format, where the repairs have smoothed out the tight line approach.
The effect of this work was in evidence at the recent MAC autumn sprint, with Richard Spedding re-setting the 1600cc racing car class benchmark set back in 2002 by Tim Wilson, whilst Rob Turnbull nearly eclipsed the long-standing overall course record set back in 1996 by Roy Lane.
|
|
CRYSTAL PALACE 2010
08/10/2009 There is to be a two-day sprint event at the London venue in 2010. Two one-day meetings; one a Nat B event and the other aimed at Historic cars. The week-end chosen is the bank holiday with the events on Sunday 30th & Monday 31st May. |
|
Final documents for HSA Curborough event on October 11th
08/10/2009 The final entry list , Final regs and Commentary sheet for the Oct 11th event at Curborough have been published. Check the entry list as a few more entries have been confirmed at the last minute. |
|
AMBITION FULFILLED
27/09/2009
‘I’ve always wanted to win here,’ said Trevor Willis after taking FTD at the daunting Carse of Cambus hillclimb at Doune. With it came victory by two hundredths of a second over British champion Scott Moran in the final MCL Motorhomes British Hillclimb run-off of the year. Despite gearshift problems demanding second gear starts, Scott and father Roger opened the day’s run-off action with another family one/two after Willis had skated straight on at the notorious East Brae in qualifying. But later in the day, backed up in the OMS-Powertec by constructor Steve Owen (in the points on his first outing in the car), Willis scored his sixth win of the year – and the tenth of his career – to underline his status as 2009 championship runner-up.
With a blinding sub-record shot in the second run-off, four-times Scottish champion Jonathan Rarity chased home the two leaders to head Moran Sr, but not before he’d seen his 1600 racing class record officially broken by the flying Will Hall. With top six finishes each time, Hall finished the year in a fine eighth place on the British series table, but even a class win at record pace was not enough to prevent rival Paul Haimes winning the Hillclimb Leaders Championship for the second time. A class win for Haimes – who also steered the Dallara to a 2009 best third place in the opening shoot-out – was enough to do the trick for the F1 Racing Fuel series’ title.
With Eynon Price also in the points each time and finishing tenth overall on the British table, 1600cc cars figured well in both run-offs. Lee Adams made a great British Championship debut in the new Graeme Wight Jr built GWR Raptor-Hayabusa (pictured), opening his account straight away with sixth place in the opening run-off before an oil leak stemmed the superb new machine’s progress. Final British Championship positions: 1 Scott Moran 246pts; 2 Trevor Willis 219; 3 Roger Moran 202; 4 Martin Groves 184; 5 Chris Merrick 134; 6 Paul Ranson 113; 7 Tom New 87; 8 Will Hall 83; 9 Deryk Young 80; 10 Eynon Price 75; 11 Paul Haimes 66; 12 Rob Turnbull 45; etc.
|
|
Back to Top