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.

            Full report in a forthcoming Speedscene.

 

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 57^th 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.

            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.