NEWS ARCHIVE

Richard Egger Insurance to sponsor 2008 HSA Speed Championship
21/12/2007

See announcement at top of page.

New HSA President & Chairman announced
10/12/2007

Stunner tyre reprieve
06/12/2007

Good news for competitors in Roadgoing classes who use Stunner List 1A tyres.

The following text was received to-day in an email from John Ryan of the MSA: "I am pleased to confirm that following agreement with the manufacturer the Stunner Scudo and Torneo tyres have now been re-entered on to tyre list 1A of the 2008 MSA competitors yearbook. The amendment will not be published in the yearbook as it has already gone to print however notice will be given to Scrutineers via the Scrutineers news letter and an amendment will be published in the Spring edition of Motor Sports Now magazine." It is good to see common sense prevail and that the MSA is listening to the concerns of competitors.

Final 2007 Championship Results
27/11/2007

Congratulations to all our competitors for an exciting and successful season despite the weather which blighted a few events mid season. Also a big 'well done' to our new Champion John Bradshaw (pictured right pondering how he might find a few more tenths at Loton!)who had a marvellous season in his Striker despite being relatively new to Speed events. The full results and additional awards are:

Overall Winner: John Bradshaw
2nd place: Steven Filkin
3rd place: John Owen
4th place: Mark Ibbotson
5th place: Andrew Till
Highest Placed Lady Competitor: Clare Rogers
Highest Placed Newcomer: Karl Dickinson
Ashton Mobile Service Trophy: Fyrth Crosse
(A1.) 1st: Andrew Till, 2nd: Karl Dickinson
(A2.) 1st: Steven Filkin, 2nd: David Crawley, 3rd: Ian Bennett
(A2.1.) 1st: David Jones, 2nd: Chris Bound
(A3.) 1st: Neil Duncanson, 2nd: Richard Etheridge , 3rd: Mark Laws
(B1.) 1st: John Bradshaw, 2nd: Robert Way
(B2.) 1st: Steve Day, 2nd: Bob Gale
(C1.) 1st: Wil Ker
(C2.) 1st: Simon Andrews, 2nd: James Freeman
(C3.) 1st: Vincent Dubois, 2nd: John Boyall
(F.) 1st: Lindsay Mercer
(G.) 1st: Bernard Armitage
(H.) 1st: Peter Roberts
(I.) 1st: David Owen, 2nd: Alan Cleveland
(J.) 1st: Michael Jenkins, 2nd: Simon Teagle
(J1.) 1st: John Owen, 2nd: Tom Cox
(J2.) 1st: Andy McBeath, 2nd: Craig Bates
(K.) 1st: Paul Tinsley
(N.) 1st: Mark Ibbotson
(P.) 1st: Eric Morrey
(U.) 1st: Hugh Whitcomb
(V.) 1st: Johnathan Plowe, 2nd: Peter Joy
(W.) 1st: Fyrth Crosse
(W2.) 1st: John Burton
(X.) 1st: Mike Broome

Finally, we hope to see all of our award winners both at the awards lunch on December 2nd and next season.

Final 2007 Championship results and awards
27/11/2007

The final ALDON HSA 2007 Speed Championship results and awards can be seen here.

It's not too late to book for the awards lunch!
23/11/2007

There's still time to get tickets for the Awards Lunch for the 2007 ALDON HSA Speed Championship will be held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon on Sunday December 2nd. You can download a copy of ther booking form here (pdf version) or here (doc version).

HAT-TRICK FOR PRIAULX
23/11/2007

Congratulations to former British Hillclimb Champion Andy Priaulx on winning his third consecutive FIA World Touring Car Championship.The 33-year-old Guernseyman completed his WTCC hat-trick with victory on the streets of Macau on 18 November. After taking the 1995 British Hillclimb title with a maximum score - at the age of 21 - Andy went on to another clean sweep by winning all 13 rounds of the Renault Spider sports car series. Further success came in the British Formula 3 and Touring Car Championships before he graduated to the world's premier touring car series. ‘No-one should be in any doubt about the quality of Andy's achievements’, said MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton. ‘He has repeatedly taken on the very best touring car drivers in the world and emerged victorious. He is fully deserving of the recognition that his success brings and those within the sport appreciate his professionalism and dedication. His success is a fine example to young British drivers currently cutting their teeth in UK motor sport as to what can be achieved on the world stage’. Pictured right: Gurston Down, May 1995 - Andy Priaulx in his Championship winning Pilbeam-DFL MP58-03 (photo: John Hayward)

SPEED HILLCLIMB 2007 DVD
20/11/2007

This latest offering from Brayspeed, due to be shown on Motors TV in the near future, is available in advance on DVD. It gives an overview of speed hillclimbing over the past season, featuring action from Gurston Down, Longleat, Wiscombe Park and Shelsley Walsh. There are interviews with former British champions Tony Marsh, Martin Bolsover and Roy Lane, together with current exponents such as Jonathan Gates, Tony Wiltshire and John Forsyth, and the DVD features on-track action from - among many others - Nic Mann's Mannic Beattie, Martin Baker's Morris Minor-Fiat and the Goulds of top British hillclimbers Scott Moran and Martin Groves. There's also exciting footage of Graeme Wight Jr's Predator V10 in full cry! The DVD is available for £14.99 inc p&p from brayspeed@tiscali.co.uk or from 42b Edwards Avenue, Ruislip, Middx. HA4 6UT Please make all cheques payable to: HILLCLIMB AND SPRINT ASSOCIATION

ALDON HSA Awards Lunch booking form
15/11/2007

The Awards Lunch for the 2007 ALDON HSA Speed Championship will be held at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon on Sunday December 2nd. You can download a copy of ther booking form here (pdf version) or here (doc version).

TWO NEW HILLCLIMB BOOKS FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS STOCKING!
13/11/2007

HILLCLIMBING & SPRINTING – The Essential Manual answers most, if not all, of the questions likely to be posed by the aspiring speed event participant – plus many that hardened competitors may have been afraid to ask! Phil Short and Steve Wilkinson have come up with a winner here with this excellent ‘How to do it’ book, profusely illustrated in full colour. It’s on sale direct from the publishers at: Veloce Publishing Ltd, 33 Trinity Street, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1TT, www.veloce.co.uk/hill.html, at £17.99 plus p&p, or from the authors: phil.short@blueyonder.co.uk or srw48@talktalk.net SPEED CLIMB 60 – A review of the past 60 years of the MSA British Hill Climb Championship. This 55 page A4 softback, packed with monochrome photos covering the entire life of the British Championship, contains a comprehensive history of the series by Jerry Sturman and is edited by Bob Cooper. A Speed Championships Ltd publication, it is available for a modest £7.50 inc p&p from: The Secretary, Midland Automobile Club, Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb, Worcestershire. WR6 6RP. Tel: 01886 812211 (office hours) Email: secretary@shelsley-walsh.co.uk

ALDON HSA Championship 2007 Top Three
24/10/2007

First John Bradshaw (Striker Toyota)

Second Steve Filkin (Lotus Elise)

Third John Owen (Swift SC92FF)

Congratulations to John Bradshaw on winning the 2007 ALDON HSA Speed Championship in his Sylva Striker Toyota. Having swapped his old crossflow motor for a more powerful Toyota twin cam unit at the end of 2006 John was hoping for a more successful year in 2007. However, even John's expectations were exceeded as the new engine clearly suited both the car and his forceful driving style with class wins coming aplenty. After finishing third in the 2006 Championship in his Honda Integra Type R Steve Filkin acquired Sponsor Alan Goodwin's Lotus Elise and quickly got to grips with his new mount and finished the year one place better moving up to second. Another driver improving on his 2006 position was John Owen in his familiar Swift SC92 Formula Ford. Having finished sixth last year John went three places better to finish third in 2007. Full results can be found here.

NEW HILLCLIMB DVDs
24/10/2007

The latest DVDs from Brayspeed are now available. SHELSLEY WALSH SPEED HILLCLIMB 2007 features the record-breaking June meeting, the first British round held on Shelsley’s new surface. All the top class run action is in this 2-disc set, together with the dynamic run-off battle between Martin Groves and Scott Moran. £19.99 inc.p&p WISCOMBE PARK SPEED HILLCLIMB 2007 includes Torbay MC’s May club meeting, with all classes featured plus in-car action from Jo Hodgson’s Elan, Martyn Pike’s Escort and John Forsyth’s Pilbeam-DFZ. There is also footage from July’s British run-offs, featuring the amazing tied duel between Martin Groves and Trevor Willis. £15.99 inc.p&p Both DVDs are available by post from: Hillclimb DVDs, 42B Edwards Avenue, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 6UT Please make cheques payable to: Hillclimb and Sprint Association

DALLARA’S DAY AT CURBOROUGH
15/10/2007

CURBOROUGH, October 14: For the second year running a Dallara F3 chassis took FTD at the HSA’s Alan Payne Trophy meeting, the last round of this year’s Aldon Speed Championship. Last year it was Paul Webster that set the pace, and in 2007 it was Andrew Platt’s turn as he broke one of the oldest records in the Curborough book, demolishing Peter Griffiths’ eleven-year-old record 2-litre racing record by fourteen hundredths. With Jim Tatler in overall charge and Peter Curtis in charge of a healthy turnout of marshals, this slickly run event offered competitors three practice runs, two timed runs and an eighteen-car class winners’ run-off for the Alan Payne Trophy and saw competitors assembling for the prize presentation just after 4.00pm! John Bradshaw, who had already secured the 2007 Aldon/HSA title at Loton Park’s penultimate round, was a non-starter, so the main Championship battle centered around second place honours and it was Steve Filkin who came through to grab the series runner-up spot, a class win securing the overall placing from the absent John Owen after a fine year in his ex.Alan Goodwin Lotus Elise. A record-breaking run to win the Modified Roadgoing Imp class – in which Stewart Cairney and Graham Cashmore also ran inside Duncan Batty’s 1998 record – secured a championship fourth place for Davrian pilot Mark Ibbotson, while class A1 winner Andrew Till bagged a series fifth overall in his MG ZR 105 to leave Simon Andrews to round off the top six in his MG TF. Despite a close fought battle for the minor placings in the Alan Payne class winners’ run-off between runner-up Alan Goodwin’s Aldon sportscar and John Palmer’s Westfield-Puma, separated by a hundredth, Jonathan Plowe dodged the bullets in the rare Jensen Healey to bag the coveted award (which he will receive on our December 2nd awards presentation at Gaydon), a clear 0.34sec inside his class winning time. (A full report will appear in the Christmas issue of Speedscene)

Winning day for top three ALDON HSA Championship contenders
30/09/2007

At a dry and pleasant Loton Park on Saturday September 29th each of the top three runners in the ALDON HSA Championship put in excellent performances in pursuit of thier championship ambitions. In a very hard fought Formula Ford class John Owen came out on top on his last run just pipping Richard Summers while Steve Filkin won the Roadgoing Production cars class. However, it was John Bradshaw (pictured right locking up into Triangle), winning the smaller Specialised Production car class in his Striker Toyota who unofficially sealed the 2007 ALDON HSA Championship. With 44 ALDON HSA Championship runners entered it was a successful and ejoyable day for many competitors. Eynon Price set FTD in his OMS 2000M with a sub 50 second run. Full report to follow in Speedscene.

PayPal problems reported
20/09/2007

We've had a couple of reports of members experiencing problems trying to renew using PayPal. We've checked with PayPal and carried out tests and everything appears to be working normally. If anyone encounters a problem we would be grateful if you could let us know by email.

FINE ALDON TURNOUT AT RECORD-BREAKING GURSTON
28/08/2007

With over 30 entries, the Aldon/HSA Championship class at Gurston Down’s August Bank Holiday Sunday British Championship hillclimb provided a fine prelude to each of the two top twelve run-offs. Storming British Championship action on the fast Wiltshire hill saw the inevitable duel up front between series leader Scott Moran and Martin Groves, but this time Groves had the whip hand winning both rounds, resetting his hill record on the morning shoot-out and winning again in the afternoon for a maximum points haul of 22. Moran ran second each time as Groves ate into his lead in a series that looks increasingly like going down to the wire at Shelsley on October 7. Records tumbled on one of the warmest days of the hillclimb year. As well as the hill record, Groves also reset his class mark in qualifying, Ed Hollier took a new 2-litre sports libre record to break clear of a tie with Paul Haimes at the head of the PowerMec Leaders table, Nic Mann lowered the big libre mark with another scintillating run in the astounding Mannic Beattie, while Sue Young and the Gould-Judd carved a whole second off Sandra Tomlin’s Gurston Ladies record. With race cars not surprisingly setting the outright pace in the Aldon/HSA class, husband and wife team Morgan Jenkins and Amy Tomlin led the way in their OMS on 32.68 and 33.23 respectively. Surprisingly, it was Alan Goodwin’s first visit to Gurston but the Championship sponsor ran third in his Aldon AL3 on a mid-35. Championship second place man John Bradshaw brought the Toyota powered Striker home fourth overall, within a couple of tenths of Goodwin’s Ford powered sportsracer. Tony Jarvis in the ex.Moon ‘Pterodactyl’ FF Van Diemen RF84 collared fifth, but John Owen lost out in his Swift as Vincent Dubois elbowed the burly Nissan 200 SX through to ease the Aldon series leader out of the top six. Peter Roberts and the Jedi bagged eighth ahead of Martin Webb in the Van Diemen, while in tenth place was Simon Andrews rorty ex.MG X-Power Cup TF. Mechanical misfortune befell the Wil Ker/Ben Hamer Mini turbo in practice and problems also struck Chris Jones’ Westfield, which ground to a halt on his first competition run. Will and Chris took no further part, but Ben made the event courtesy of a ride in Eric Morrey’s Clan, running a deferential six tenths behind the car’s owner!

Rob Barksfield
14/08/2007

Sadly we learnt over the week-end that Rob Barksfield (pictured right) had been tragically killed in a motorcycle accident whilst returning from a trip to the Nurburgring. Rob was an active member of the BARC at Gurston Down where he holds the 1100 Class record in the Martin Ogilvie designed Saxon PCD. Having developed the car from scratch he set the new standard in 2004 leaving it at 28.93secs. Rob will be missed by the whole of the speed events community and our deepest sympathy is extended to his family and close friends.

ALDON HSA round at Prescott - latest
27/07/2007

The replacement date for the ALDON HSA Championship round at Prescott that was cancelled on July 22nd has now been confirmed as Saturday September 22nd. It will be an eligible round of the ALDON HSA Championship and entires may still be made by contacting the Bugatti Owners Club.

New Prescott Date
26/07/2007

Some news from Dave Riley about Prescott. The rain has done some damage to the track. The area after esses has moved further and dropped a section of the return road has tried to move into the stream.The bulk of the tidying up of gravel traps etc has now been done. Tomorrow Thurs. our contractors are coming on site to undertake the necessary repairs this is due to be finished by Saturday giving the club Monday & Tuesday to finish preparations for the driving school on Wednesday. The VSCC meeting Aug 4th & 5th will go ahead as usual as will Sept. 1st & 2nd. Last weekends two meetings will now run September 22nd & 23rd.

HSA MIRA JULY 14th
23/07/2007

After many wet events in the preceding weeks the competitors were thankfully greeted to a warm and bright MIRA. The rain stayed mercifully away and with few incidents, the slickly run event concluded after a class winners’ run off at about 4 o’clock. Morgan Jenkins took his first FTD with a 47.82s in his OMS CF96 on what was generally regarded as a slower day although a couple of new class records were set. Notable performance came from Steve Filkin and Mark Ibbotson who both set new records with Mark's new time nearly two seconds better than his own previous record! Full report in Speedscene issue 145.

Shelsley
23/07/2007

The latest press release from MAC. The severe weather conditions affecting Worcestershire have unfortunately caused serious damage at Shelsley Walsh. During the night of 21st July an earth slippage brought the spectator pathway down onto the track in the area between the Kink and Bottom Ess. Although the total damage has not yet been fully assessed it does put the 3 day August meeting in jeopardy although no decisions regarding the August and September meetings have been made at present. The Secretary, Hill Committee and contractors are currently involved in addressing the situation and a decision will be taken when the full extent of the damage is known. Members, competitors and spectators are asked to check with this website on a regular basis for the latest news regarding the situation... Please keep telephone calls to the MAC office to a minimum to allow the situation to be dealt with.

Prescott 21st & 22nd July Cancelled
20/07/2007

Due to severe wet weather in the Cheltenham area the Prescott events on the 21st and 22nd July 2007 have been cancelled. It is planned to reschedule these to later in the year and entrants will be advised accordingly.

Mannic Day at Shelsley
17/07/2007

Member’s day on July 14th at Shelsley and at last Nic Mann’s Mannic/Beattie realised its full potential. His startling run of 25.83 seconds not only created a new Shelsley Special record but also gave him BTD. As exciting was the 64ft time of 1.67seconds – instant acceleration with no apparent wheel spin! Runner up was Rob Stevens with an impressive 27.04 seconds in his Force SR4. Congratulations to both these HSA members. Unusually for this season a sunny day and a dry track!

MORAN'S THE MAN AT HAREWOOD
09/07/2007

HAREWOOD, July 8: Only a small contingent of Aldon/HSA contenders travelled to Yorkshire for the Championship's first visit to the Harewood, but the venue drew universal praise from all concerned, who eagerly awaited their next visit to the longest and one of the most 'technical' hillclimbs in the British Championship. Stuart Cairney with the Imp and Steve Filkin in the ex.Alan Goodwin Elise were the only ModProd representatives among the 'A' licence contenders and were, perhaps not surprisingly, a little outgunned by the British Championship regulars that knew the tricky Stockton Farm venue well. But Aldon/HSA series leader John Owen took on Harewood's Formula Ford regulars with gusto and despite a second run spin acquitted himself well in the Swift SC 92, finishing second to one of the venue's top FFmen, Andrew Henson, in his later model Swift. The dedicated class for HSA 'B' licence holders saw Eric Morrey in charge with the Clan. In a close battle with Vincent Dubois, he finished just 13 hundredths clear of the big Nissan SX. Emerson Kent was within a couple of seconds of the leaders in his Peugeot 205, and a similar margin clear of co-driver Chris Flavell, with Michael Tindale fifth in his 850 Clan. Unfortunately Tim Beardsley retired the Ginetta G15 from the fray on his first run. Top man in the Nicholson McLaren British Championship lineup was series leader Scott Moran, who netted both run-off wins and FTD in his Gould-NME, with season-long rival Martin Groves having to settle for second place each time as the pair continue to head the championship table. Moran climbed within a quarter of a second of his hill record on a day that started wet and dried progressively, but which saw four new class records. Ed Hollier lowered his own sports libre mark in the OMS-Suzuki, then Brodie Branch demolished Mark Budgett's 1100 racing record in the Ian Dayson Force using rear suspension parts loaned by Russ and Chris Pickering, their Vision (with Force rear end), having been sidelined in practice after a wiring loom fire. Paul Haimes took 0.03sec off Trevor Willis's 2-litre record with the Dallara, while after Robert Kenrick had broken Phil Cooke's 1600 record - in the same car that held it a year ago - James Blackmore went one better to finally bag the new mark with a time that still, as before, outpaced the 2-litre record! Photo gallery to follow soon.

Prescott June 24th
02/07/2007

Chris Merrick set the outright pace at a somewhat damp Prescott hillclimb as Aldon/HSA Speed Championship contenders made their annual visit to the Gloucestershire hill for the June Midland Championship round. In the absence of several of the British Championship regulars, who were taking time off from a hectic schedule of no less than seven championship outings in as many weekends, the June Prescott invariably features a wide variety of cars in the Avon/ BMTR run-offs. Both Brodie Branch and his co-driver Darren Luke figured strongly in their Ian Dayson built Force-Suzuki, as did Rob Stevens’ rapid Force-Suzuki sports libre car, but it was Merrick and fellow British championship regular Trevor Willis that took the wins, with second and third placings for Simon Durling enough to give him the lead in the Avon/BMTR Challenge series in the absence of front-runners Scott and Roger Moran. The 2-litre roadgoing sports car class contained the largest number of HSA championship entrants, with ten on hand in the 22 car class. In a typically close fought division, less than 4.5sec covered the top ten runners and while, as expected, Ash Mason continued his unbroken run of 2007 wins to maintain his place in the joint UK Changes Midland series lead, it was our own Chris Jones that ran him closest. In a last minute switch from his own Toyota powered Sylva Striker, Aldon/HSA Championship leader John Bradshaw shared the car with Chris, who elbowed his way through from fourth place in the wet morning runs to pip class regulars Ken Evans and David Uren. Turbocars ruled in the ‘B’ licence class for Aldon/HSA contenders, Wil Ker and the Mini giving valiant chase to Vincent Dubois’ Nissan 200SX before the bigger car pulled out a lead of almost half a second for the win. Ben Hamer made it a one/three for the howling red and black Mini. Eric Morrey closed in with the Clan for fourth and in the battle for the final top six place, Peter Joy gladdened the hearts of Lotus enthusiasts as he hustled his superb Climax engined Lotus Elite past the Westfield-Vauxhall of Chris Child.

The ALDON AL3 visits Prescott
30/06/2007

Alan Goodwin bought his unique ADLON AL3 car, built for the F100 series over thirty years ago, to Prescott over the week-end of June 23/24. After putting up some very respectable times on the the practice runs Alan managed to post a 51.76s on a still dampish course on the Sunday.

Not much to tell until now
19/06/2007

Well it's been a long time since I blogged anything; there are plenty of excuses for this. Mainly because 3 of our good friends decided to get married between March and June. This meant 3 stag dos, 3 weddings and best man duties absorbed many weekend. Also, the car only got returned to me from the body shop on 26 May and I was then on holiday for a week. I've worked every hour available in the last 2 weeks to get it all back together. A few modifications have been put aside for the moment, but will hopefully be done after Prescott this weekend. Only the brakes to bleed and the suspension to set up now. See you at Prescott if you're going

MISSING COPIES OF SPEEDSCENE
19/06/2007

It has come to our notice that one or two new members/subscribers or those who have renewed recently may have missed the most recent copy of Speedscene (issue 143 and pictured above). If you haven't received your copy yet please let us know by emailing us here.

Barkston Heath
05/06/2007

Unfortunately it now looks extremely unlikely that the planned sprint and ALDON HSA Championship round at Barkston Heath on 12th August will be able to go ahead. Appologies to all those who were looking forward to competing there this year.

Records Fall at Shelsley
04/06/2007

In perfect conditions at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday, the MAC hosted their first National Championship round for 2007. Expectations of startling times on the new track surface were well founded. Scott Moran and Martin Groves traded hill records throughout the day with honours finally grasped by Scott in the closing runoff at 22.83sec. There was plenty of excitement in most classes, too, with records falling everywhere: The 2-litre ModProd sportscar record fell to Ash Mason on 30.44sec, while the big saloon mark was reset by Roger Banks’ mighty Audi on 29.16sec after HSA member Roy Standley had already broken his existing record. David Tomlin moved the Ferrari record to 34.35sec, Tom Hammonds’ Shelsley closed car record finally fell to Mike Endean in his Puma on 28.06sec, the 1100cc race car standard was now in the 26second bracket, reset by George Brown on 26.83sec while the 1600cc race car record went to Chris Pickering on 26.08sec. Tom New set a new 2-litre record at 25.39sec and of course the unlimited race car record went too – to Martin Groves on 23.25sec. Among the Classics, HSA member Peter Cox reset the pre-85 mark to 28.84sec with the big Chevron-Rover and Classic Saloon/Sports cars to Kelvin Lee set a new Classic saloon/sports record with 31.62sec. Oh, and almost inevitably, Sue Young set a new outright Ladies’ record, leaving it at 24.73sec. Just too much excitement for one day!

Spring Shelsley 13th May 2007
15/05/2007

The first Shelsley for 2007 and for many HSA members a chance to drive the newly resurfaced track. General opinion was one of excellent and consistent grip, very smooth and good drainage, whilst the new surfaced loop road in the finish paddock made life easier for both competitor and marshal. Class wins by several HSA members and BTD to John Jones on 28.19sec in his Pilbeam MP82. Saturday was a day of sunshine and showers, but almost perfect when compared with the meeting the following day which enjoyed continuous monsoon rainfall and for the final batches 100m visibility in the finish straight!

Peter Hubbard - Out of hospital and recovering
15/05/2007

As some of you will have heard Peter had a nasty off coming out of Top S in damp conditions at Shelsley Walsh on Saturday. Peter's unique KBS turned sharp left into the fence and suffered extensive damage while Peter himself was taken to hospital for checks. He was released on Monday morning and is now at home nursing a few bruises. Peter would like to extend his thanks to everyone at Shelsley for their effort and care.

New Welsh Hillclimb
24/04/2007

The Brecon Motor Club are organising a new hillclimb on June 17th at a venue called Epynt in Mid Wales. The course is 1650 metres long. Entry forms are available from martin@leonard77.fsnet.co.uk or Martin.Leonard@BreconMotorClub.co.uk or by phoning 07766991803. Further details will be available shortly at www.breconmotorclub.co.uk HSA members are invited so if you fancy something different to MIRA on June 16th why not have a look?

THE HSA AT RACE RETRO 2007
26/03/2007

The HSA's stand (pictured right) at Race Retro was once again the focal point for hillclimbers and sprinters visiting the popular annual Historic Motorsport Show at Warwickshire's Stoneleigh Park. With the Brayspeed hillclimb DVDs playing throughout the three days of the show, many new and potential speed eventers visited the stand to find out just what our branch of the sport is all about, while in pride of place on the stand was Alan Goodwin's recently re-acquired Aldon sportsracer that he and business partner Don Loughlin originally built in 1970 for the short-lived F100 Formula, with BMC A Series power. After a successful circuit career over many years in several hands, Alan has bought back the now Ford Twincam engined car from long distance sportscar racer Phil Meaney Jr in the States, and intends to campaign it on the hills this season. A big draw on Friday was the presence of motorsport legend Tony Marsh, who was on the stand (pictured left) to sign copies of his newly published autobiography - which sold like hot cakes! It was the fourth successive, and successful, appearance at the show by the HSA. Our thanks to all those members who came along to help out on the stand over the three days, in particular to Fyrth Crosse, Alan Terry, Grant Cratchley and Pam, Peter Curtis, Alan Goodwin, Jerry Sturman, Dave Parr, Paul Richardson and Chris Bennett.

HISTORIC DVD OFFER
21/03/2007

A limited number of DVDs, featuring the early days of one of Australia's premier hillclimbs at Rob Roy, are now available through the HSA. This 49 minute history produced for the Penrite Oil Company tells the story of the first dedicated hillclimb in Australia from 1935 to 1961, when the hill was discontinued prior to it's resurrection in more recent times. It includes rare footage and photographs plus commentary from six-times Australian Hillclimb Champion Bruce Walton and other Aussie racing legends such as Tony Gaze and Bob Jane. The DVD is available for £15 including p&p from: Rob Roy Hillclimb DVD 42b Edwards Avenue Ruislip Middlesex HA4 6UT Please make out cheques to 'The Hillclimb and Sprint Association'. STOP PRESS! Together with the Brayspeed Gurston Down and Longleat DVDs, the Rob Roy DVD will be on sale on the HSA stand at Race Retro this Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Tony Marsh's autobiography will also be on sale and the author will be signing copies on the stand on Friday.

NEW EDITOR FOR SPEEDSCENE
21/03/2007

Jerry Sturman will be bowing out as the editor of Speedscene after the next issue, 143, which is due out in June. 'After 20 years and 105 issues, I think it’s now time to step down and let someone else occupy the Editorial chair', said Jerry. ‘Martin Price, who many of you will remember as editor of the popular "Ingear Motorsport" magazine and who currently edits "MAC News" has agreed to devote much of his own spare time to taking on this not inconsiderable task. He will, I’m sure, do a great job. All Speedscene’s regular writers and photographers, including myself, will continue to contribute to the magazine which I’m confident will continue to give unrivalled coverage of our sport. Good luck, Martin – and here’s to the 20 years!'

Race Retro reminder
19/03/2007

Don't forget that Race Retro (International Historic Motorsport Show) is on at Stonleigh 23-25 March. The HSA will have a stand as usual and will be featuring Alan Goodwin's ALDON F100 recently returned from the US. So please come along to say hello and to meet other HSA members who stop by for a chat. Tony Marsh will be on the stand from time to time on Friday to sign copies of his recently released autobiography.

Lydden Sprint April 7th regs
13/03/2007

The regs for the first round of the ALDON HSA Speed Championship can be dowloaded here.

TONY MARSH TELLS HIS STORY
21/02/2007

One of motorsport's greatest all-rounders, Tony Marsh, who mixed Grand Prix racing with an unrivalled career as six-times British Hillclimb Champion, has at last put down his reminiscences in a volume just published by Parley books. You can read a review of the book here, where you can also find out how to obtain it. The book will be on sale on the HSA's stand at this year's Race Retro Historic Motorsport Show at Stoneleigh and on Friday, March 23, Tony will be present on the stand to sign copies. Don't miss this great opportunity to meet a legend in the sport and to acquire a copy of his long-awaited book.

2007 ALDON HSA Championship Regs & Entry Forms
15/02/2007

You can download the regs and an entry form for the 2007 ALDON HSA Speed Championship here. Please also note that the final calendar and classes include a few changes (an extra MIRA and 3 Sisters replaced by Harewood).

ALDON F100 COMES HOME
14/02/2007

In 1970 ALDON built an advanced monocoque sports car for the new F100 class (remember, at this time most racing cars outside F1 were of spaceframe construction)of sports racing cars. Powered by a 1300cc BMC engine, Alan Goodwin raced it in 1970 and after changing hands a few times it eventually finished up in the USA where, fitted with a powerful twin cam engine, it has recently been very successful (pictured right). Now, after 37 years it is finally returning home, Alan having purchased the car at the end of last year and he is intending to enter it in a number of speed events in the UK once he has had a chance of checking it over. You will be able to follow the story of this unique and interesting car here on these pages and there will also be major article appearing in a future issue of Speedscene.

ALDON F100 Sport Car returns!
14/02/2007

The unique & historic 1970 ALDON F100 car is being brought back to the UK from America by Alan Goodwin. Click here for more details.

BARC PPC Speed Championship
09/02/2007

Draft calendar and regs for the BARC PPC Speed Championship have been published here. As a reminder, all HSA members are elegible to enter this Championship in 2007.

The Start of the New Season
13/01/2007

So here we go with a blog of a year of hillclimbing and sprinting in a turbo charged mini. Happy New Year to everyone (bit late). If you don't know (and why would you) the mini got a bit damaged at Shelsley towards the end of the season. The picture was taken outside the body shop when I dropped it off a week or so ago, I am told it is now straight. The accident caused a few other things to get bent, but it will all be back together by the start of the season. We're still chasing the elusive 160bhp, new pistons to cope and a new turbo should hopefully see us nearer the mark. Cheers to everyone who's got in touch since this blog has been here, I look forward to seeing you all in a couple of months.