SPEED EVENT TRACK GUIDES - "DRIVE IT" ARTICLES FROM SPEEDSCENE MAGAZINE

These useful track guides have been published in Speedscene magazine over the years and are re-published here in scanned form as .pdf documents. They generally come out quite well except for a few cases where the photos span the magazine centre line.

1. Gurston Down Published in Speedscene 128 (April/June 2004). "In an article considerably revised and updated since it appeared as the first "Drive It" in the summer of 1996 (Speedscene 86), Simon McBeath describes his technique for tackling this popular Wiltshire hill. A former 2 litre single seater class record holder here, McBeath is now one of the team of instructors at the Gurston Down Hillclimb Drivers' School. A regular hillclimber (though not so regular these days......) for 25 years with considerable success at hillclimb courses across the British mainland, he is a freelance writer for magazines such as Racecar Engineering, Circuit Driver and the late lamented Cars & Car Conversions, and has also produced a series of technical Motorsport books for Haynes." Download file: gd.pdf
2. Shelsley Walsh Published in Speedscene 130 (September/October 2004). "A graduate engineer in automobile engineering at Loughborough University, 22 year old Guernseyman Chris Guille regularly drives along side father Geoff in Powermec Leaders series events. Their 2 litre Mallock Vauxhall Mk32, the only rear engined Mallock to regularly compete on the hills and is one of the top contenders in the burgeoning 2 litre SPorts Libre class. A former Shelsley record holder in the car, Chris describes his technique for tackling the MAC's classic 1,000 yard hill, the oldest surviving motorsport venue in the world in regular use since its inception." Download file: sw.pdf
3. Loton Park "Published in Speedscene 131 (November/December 2004). Adam Fleetwood has earned two consecutive British Championship titles in his meteoric hillclimb career in the Nicholson McLaren XP powered Gould. Alongside these, he's scored an unprecedented number of hill records. Hardly surprisingly, one of these is on his home hill at Loton Park, where he reset the outright mark on three occasions during the 2004 season. Who better, then, to give us the inside line on just how to climb Hagley & DLCC's challenging Shropshire hill?" Download file: lp.pdf
4. Doune "Published in Speedscene 132 (January/March 2005). OMS Yamaha driver Jonathan Rarity's bid for the outright Scottish Hillclimb title ended amid a three way fight at the very last, very wet, round. A mistake on the very last corner of the Championship cost him any chance of the crown, but even so the Helensburgh driver had taken the Scottish Speed, the Scottish Top Ten Sprint and the Scottish Highland Championship titles, and at the end of a superb season in his 1 litre single seater was deservedly awarded the Paul Squires Memorial Trophy by the HSA. The stage for that last, crucial Scottish Championship round was Doune, regarded by many - if not most - people in the aport as the ultimate hillclimb challenge. Jonanthan describes his technique for tackling this most demanding of venues; the acknowledged 'King of Hills'." Download file: dn.pdf
5. Barbon Manor Published in Speedscene 129 (July/August 2004). "The current 1400 ModProd record holder in his Westfield SE, Peter Herbert, describes his technique for ascending the short but tricky Cumbrian hill." Download file: bm.pdf
6. Oliver's Mount Published in Speedscene 135 (September/October 2005). "Speedscene's continental correspondent Peter Herbert stays nearer home to describe his technique for tackling one of hillclimbing's best kept secrets." Download file: om.pdf
7. Werrington Published in Speedscene 127 (January/March 2004). "Keith Harris visited the Cornish venue on his way to the runner's up spot in last year's Aldon/HSA Speed Championship in his Formula Ford Jamun M90. To mark the return of our Drive It series, Keith gives a driver's eye view of Werrington on the run up to this year's visit on May 2." Download file: wr.pdf
8. Castle Published in Speedscene 136 (November/December 2005). "Speedscene's 'Swift Progress' columnist Steve Chaloner outlines his techniques for tackling one of our most challenging Southwest hillclimbs." Download file: cs.pdf
9. Aintree Published in Speedscene 113 (March/May 2001). "Top sprinter Steve Liptrott takes us round the deceptively tricky AIntree course. Situated only a mile from the northern end of the M27, Liverpool's Aintree circuit must be one of the most easily accessible venues available to the sprinting community." Download file: at.pdf
10. Curborough Published in Speedscene 88 (October/December 1996). "Unlimited ModProd class record holder on thoriginal, single lap Curborough course, Mark Waldron dispenses a few tips on how to tackle Shenstone and District Car Club's popular Midlands sprint venue." Download file: cb.pdf
11. Cairncastle Published in Speedscene 97 (July/August 1998). "With all hillclimbs in Northern Ireland run on closed public roads, Speedscene's Ulster correspondent Michael Beattie takes us up the longest and fastest of them all." Download file: cc.pdf
12. Craigantlet Published in Speedscene 112 (January/February 2001). "Speedscene's Ulster correspondent Michale Beattie takes us up Northern Ireland's British Championship hillclimb. A public road, of course......" Download file: cg.pdf
13. Colerne Published in Speedscene 100 (January/February 1999). "Airfield courses, despite the increasing use of race circuits, have long been the mainstay of sprinting. Here Chevron-Rover V8 driver Russ Ward guides us round one of the best. Bristol MC's long established Colerne sprint was where Ward secured one of the most significant wins of a long career - outright victory at the venue's 1994 British Sptint round." Download file: cl.pdf
14. Eagle's Rock Published in Speedscene 99 (November/December 1998). "As readers will know from our recent 'Drive-it Cairncastle' feature, Ulster public road hillclimbs are among the longest and most demanding in the sport. Michael Beattie - second overall in last year's NI Hillclimb series driving his Vision-Vauxhall - returns to guide us up another of these challenging venues." Download file: er.pdf
15. Harewood Published in Speedscene 87 (August/September 1996). "Yorkshireman Peter Herbert describes his technique tackling his home hill. Westfield hillclimber and BMW circuit racer, former rallyman Peter Herbert's competition career has encompassed many facets of the sport. Here he lay bare the secrets of BARC (Yorks) popular course at Stockton Farm that first saw the light of day, in shortened form, back in 1962." Download file: hw.pdf
16. Kirkistown Published in Speedscene 106 (January/February 2000). "The first customer for Mike Pilbeam's MP82 chassis, Ulsterman Robert Morgan, took the Millington powered car to the Northern Ireland Sprint and Hillclimb Championship double in 1998 in a double defeat of legendary sparring partner Robert Woodside. On Kirkistown's 2-lap sprint course, unique to the British series, Morgan showed the mainland contenders the way round to win the 1999 Farndon run-off. Here he describes his technique in the Pilbeam on the circuit where Gran Prix drivers such as John Watson and Eddie Irvine cut their racing teeth." Download file: kt.pdf
17. Prescott Published in Speedscene 93 (September/October 1997). "Established on 'Long Course' form in 1960, there's a lot of driving packed in to the Bugatti Owners' Club's 1127 yard hill. Supersports record holder Alan Thompson describes the way he tackles the twisting Gloucestershire climb in a Mallock." Download file: pt.pdf
18. Three Sisters Published in Speedscene 89 (January/February 1997). "Already an FTD man at Three Sisters, Jamie Hylton takes us round the popular WIgan circuit. With several alternative tracks available at the Wigan motorsport complex, here he describes the one used most frequently. It's the one on which the Longton & DMC hosts two rounds of the Farndon Engineering Bristish Sprint Championship." Download file: ts.pdf
19. Wiscombe Park Published in Speedscene 98 (September/October 1998). "A former Supersports record holder at the South Devon hill, Colin Pook still holds the ASWMC 1700cc sports libre record at this most picturesque of venues." Download file: wp.pdf
20. Barkston Heath Not a track guide yet but a series of in car photos which gives some idea about the nature of this exciting new venue. See photo gallery here.
21. Thoresby Park Published in Speedscene 114 (June/August 2001). "Nottingham Sports Car Club Speed Champion, David Marshall takes us up his home sprint course." Download file: tp.pdf
22. Tregrehan Published in Speedscene 140 (September/October 2006). "Our South West correspondent Steve Chaloner describes his technique for tackling one of the country's lesse known hillclimb venues" Download file: tg.pdf