Hillclimb and Sprint Association
a Motorsport UK recognised club

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Competitors gallery
30/12/2011


There will be a short break in loading competitors photos on to the 2012 gallery page. In the meantime if you have photos you would particularly like to appear please email them to web@hillclimbandsprint.co.uk

Registration for 2012 REIS HSA Championship now open
30/12/2011


You can now regsister for the 2012 REIS HSA Championship. The draft SRs are available on http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/regs.asp. Please go to http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/compform.asp to register. This year's calendar is based on last year's successful one, with some new venues. See http://www.hillclimbandsprint.co.uk/calendar.asp


2012 HSA Speed Championship calendar
07/12/2011


The provisional calendar for the 2012 HSA Speed Championship has been published.

2012 BRITISH HILLCLIMB CALENDAR
04/12/2011


The 2012 MSA British Hillclimb dates have been confirmed as follows:

April 28/29                                     
Prescott                                 Bugatti OC

May 12                                            Barbon Manor                       Westmorland MC

May 13                                            Harewood                              BARC Yorkshire

May 26/27                                       Gurston Down                       BARC South West

June 2/3                                           Shelsley Walsh                     Midland AC

June 9/10                                        Loton Park                             Hagley & DLCC

June 16/17                                      Doune                                    Lothian CC

July 7/8                                            Harewood                              BARC Yorkshire

July 19                                             Bouley Bay *                          Jersey MC & LCC

July 21                                             Val Des Terres *                   Guernsey MC & CC 

July 28/29                                        Wiscombe Park                    Woolbridge MC

August 4                                          Craigantlet *                           Ulster AC

August 18/19                                  Shelsey Walsh                       Midland AC

August 25/26                                  Gurston Down                        BARC South West

September 1/2                               Prescott                                  Bugatti OC

September 15/16                           Doune                                     Lothian CC

September 29/30                           Loton Park                             Hagley & DLCC
 
Except where marked *, all events are also rounds of the Hillclimb Leaders Championship
 
For further details, contact Tim Wilson: chairman@harewoodhill.com 

Provisional MSA British Sprint Championship calendar released
02/12/2011


The organisers of the MSA British Sprint Championship have released details of their provisional calendar for 2012:

24 March        Castle Combe
02 June           Snetterton
03 June           Snetterton
09 June           Pembrey
10 June           Pembrey
24 June           Silverstone
30 June           Kirkistown
01 July             Kirkistown
28 July             Kames
29 July             Kames
18 August       Lydden Hill
06 October     Anglesey
07 October     Anglesey
 
Best 8 rounds to count.




SHERIDAN’S MEMORIAL SERVICE
28/11/2011


A memorial service in memory of Sheridan Thynne will be held at St Andrew’s Church, South Stoke, Oxfordshire on Monday, December 5th at 2.30pm. All are welcome. http://www.achurchnearyou.com/st-andrews-church-south-stoke

 


SHERIDAN THYNNE 1939 – 2011
22/11/2011


 

We are sad to report that Sheridan Thynne has died suddenly while on holiday in Egypt. He was 71. As financial director of Williams GP, Sheridan was a key figure in the success of the Formula One team run by his old friend from his club racing days, Frank Williams. More recently, as an keen supporter of hillclimbing and sprinting he was a leading light within the HSA, serving for several years as our Competitions Secretary, and was a driving force behind many of the Association’s initiatives. We offer sincere condolences to Sheridan’s family and to his many friends in motorsport worldwide.

            A full appreciation will appear in Speedscene 166.

 

 




HSA AWARDS LUNCH
13/11/2011


 

The annual HSA Awards lunch took place at its new location of Shelsley Walsh last Sunday. Left to right on the Shelsley startline are 2011 REIS/HSA Champion Nick Mugglestone, runner-up Geoff Stallard, outgoing champion Tony Thomas, who finished third overall, fourth placed man Mark Paterson and the fifth placed Bob Ridge-Stearn, who also received the HSA’s Man of the Year award (photo by Shireen Broadhurst).

            A full report and pictures will follow in Speedscene 167.

 




Final Championship results
01/11/2011


The final REIS HSA Speed Championship results have been published here.

Nick Mugglestone wins 2011 REIS/HSA Championship
11/10/2011


Congratulations to Nick Mugglestone on winning the 2011 REIS HSA Speed Championship in his Mazda MX5. This was a noteworthy achievement to succeed in the same Class in which the two previous champions had set some demanding records and is a testament to his driving skills and a well sorted car.

Well done to runner up, Geoff Stallard in his TVR Vixen, who wasn’t far behind Nick, and to outgoing Champion Tony Thomas also in a Mazda MX5. Mark Paterson took a well earned fourth in his Ginetta G15 and this marks him out as a strong contender for next year’s Ginetta Owners Club Championship which is to be run within the HSA Championship in 2012. However, Geoff Stallard has a quick Ginetta G12 lurking in his garage which is likely to provide some stiff competition. Rounding out the top five was Bob Ridge-Stearn in another Mazda MX5 who will be changing classes to a Formula Ford for 2012.

 The Peter Stevens award for the highest overall competitor with no more than 4 scores went to HSA Championship stalwart, Stuart Cairney in his immaculate Hillman Imp.

In all, 97 car/driver combinations scored points in this year’s Championship and we thank all of them for contributing to another year of friendly and exciting competition.

 Please note: Results remain provisional until officially confirmed.





CRACKING CURBOROUGH FINALE
09/10/2011


2011 REIS/HSA Speed Champion Nick Mugglestone ended his year in style with a class win and a new MX5 record at the Championship finale at Curborough. Safe in second place on the table, Geoff Stallard also took a class win in his TVR Vixen, but a broken rotor arm put him out of contention in the Alan Payne class winners’ run-off. After lowering his record twice during the class runs, Stuart Cairney found even more time in the run-off to take the coveted trophy by four hundredths from Phil Skipp’s Vauxhall Astra, adding it to the Peter Stevens Trophy for the highest score over four qualifying rounds.

            Chasing Mugglestone home in the Mazda class, outgoing champion Tony Thomas surged up from sixth on the table to round off the Championship top three.

            The battle for FTD between Gary Thomas and Simon Keen promised much as Keen led the way by just four hundredths at half-time. Sadly, the Dallara’s Peugeot engine cried enough on co-driver Richard Keen’s first run, leaving Thomas to storm to the outright win and third in the run-off with a 29.12 in his Force-Suzuki.

            Full report and pictures to follow in Speedscene 166.

            Results can be downloaded here.

Final Championship standings: 1 Nick Mugglestone 153; 2 Geoff Stallard 141; 3 Tony Thomas 135, 4 Mark Paterson 133; 5 Bob Ridge-Stearn 131; 6 Graham Cashmore 128; etc. (Full listing on the Championship Results page of the HSA website)


FRs and Entry list for HSA Curborough Sprint
01/10/2011


the Final Instructions and provisional entry list for the HSA Curborough Sprint on Sunday 9th Oct can be found on the Events page.

Anyone who would still like to enter are advised to contact the Secretary, Eric Morrey at   mailto:eric.morrey@talktalk.net or on 01162477851 (Evenings).

We are still short of a few helpers in the paddock or return road and even someone willing to assist with marshalling duties. Anyone who can assist are welcome to come along on the day or give Eric a call in advance.

THE GENERATION GAME
25/09/2011


Scott Moran ended his third hillclimb title year in style with a new Loton Park record – the only British hill record of the year – on the very last run of the 2011 Championship. Trevor Willis failed to qualify for the opening run-off on a wet track and Scott opted out of his opening class run, so the way was clear for Roger to take the morning run-off win and secure second overall in the Championship from Willis. Pictured right is the victorious family duo, the only father and son not only to have each won the British Hillclimb Championship, but to have finished first and second in the same year. With them is a potential third generation champion – Scott’s son Oliver!

            Despite his early no-show, Willis recovered to finish third in the second run-off as Wallace Menzies’ challenge for the championship third place faded, the Scot losing out to his determined rival by just three points. On equal scores before the final run-off of the year, the straight fight between Lee Adams and Tom New ended with just one place in the GWR Raptor driver’s favour as took fifth place on the table by a single point.

            With a fourth class record of the year in his self-developed, supercharged Force-Hayabusa, Rob Stevens clinched a record fourth Midland Hillclimb Championship, while Scott Moran secured the Avon/BMTR Top Ten Challenge to add to his 2011 British and Leaders titles.

 

Nicholson McLaren British Hillclimb Championship – final scores (subject to confirmation): 1 Scott Moran 267pts; 2 Roger Moran 224; 3 Trevor Willis 210; 4 Wallace Menzies 207; 5 Lee Adams 152; 6 Tom New 151; etc.

 




Ginetta Owners Club Championship joins the HSA
23/09/2011


The Hillclimb and Sprint Association  and the Ginetta Owners Club are pleased to announce that the GOC Speed Championship, which began in 1994, will continue as the GOC Speed Challenge within the HSA Speed Championship from 2012.

Members of the GOC, driving Ginetta cars will compete in their applicable HSA class and the top three competitors in the overall standings will receive the same trophies that have been awarded since 1994, thus ensuring a continuation of the history of this popular competition.

 Chris Bennett, HSA Chairman, welcoming the news, noted that “GOC members will now be able to compete for their own trophies as well as HSA Class and overall awards and that HSA members will see some interesting new competitors in their Championship”. 

Nick Stephens (GOC Club Competition Secretary) said that "The news has been well received by Ginetta Competitors some of whom are already doing the HSA Championship."




Championship Awards
20/09/2011


Entry forms for this years awards dinner can now be downloaded from the Events section on the website.
 
This year we will be moving to the Stratstone Restaurant at Shelsely Walsh.  We have a self serve hot buffet menu all at a reasonable price of £20 per person, followed by the presentation of the class and overall awards.
 
If anyone has any questions please contact Chris Flavell.

ADAMS AND MORAN AT DOUNE
18/09/2011


It was honours even for Lee Adams and Scott Moran last weekend as they took a win apiece at Doune’s British Hillclimb counter and Adams (pictured) just failed to make it four wins in a row at his home venue. In the second run-off, the 2011 champion elect pipped the fleet GWR Raptor, which was running intermediate tyres all weekend in changeable conditions, for his eighteenth win of the year. Wallace Menzies chased home his Scots compatriot on a damp track in the opening shootout and followed the two leaders on his second, building his challenge to championship third place man Trevor Willis. He now lies just three points adrift of the OMS-Powertec driver going into the final two rounds at Loton Park this weekend.

            As in June at the Scottish hill, Willis had a character-building weekend starting with a breakdown on the motorway on Friday afternoon. After his road car and trailer had been recovered to the venue, his opening run-off shot ended out of the points after a wild moment and a subsequent engine problem. He recovered to sixth place in the second stanza and while he still has an outside chance of catching Roger Moran for second overall at Loton this weekend unless Moran repeats his June form at his local hill, when Willis will need two good results to avoid losing third place on the table to the on-form Menzies.

 

British Championship standings after Doune: 1 Scott Moran 262pts; 2 Roger Moran 215; Trevor Willis 202; 4 Wallace Menzies 199; 5 Tom New 144; 6 Lee Adams 128; etc.

 




DJ ONE/TWO
04/09/2011


 

As the weather fluctuated from drizzle to sunshine during the opening run-off at Prescott’s Gold Cup meeting, Wallace Menzies (seen here with DJ Racecars’ Del Quigley – pic Rich Danby) took his third British hillclimb win in the DJ Firestorm. Making it a one/two for the Peak District-based company young Alex Summers, who had scored their first ever win at Shelsley Walsh in June before Menzies went on to make it a DJ double on the day, ran a strong second in his supercharged Firehawk. Harewood ace Richard Spedding kept up the bike engined challenge with third place in his Force-Hayabusa, but top qualifier Lee Adams slipped out of the points after a lurid moment at Ettores in his Raptor.

            In dry run-off conditions in the afternoon, 2011 British champion elect Scott Moran set the day’s outright pace of 36.50 after qualifying top with a new class record. Over six tenths away, Menzies got closest while Adams recovered for a strong third place ahead of Roger Moran. On his last event in the Gould-Judd before a move back to the circuits in historic sports car racing, Chris Merrick bowed out in style by qualifying second, then trailed the leading quartet as the pace hotted up in the run-off.

            After breaking his own class record in practice, Rob Stevens spun out in his  self-developed, supercharged sports libre Force-Hayabusa on his one chance to do it officially on a dry track on Sunday. But he’d already done enough during the year to win the prestigious Prescott Gold Cup, awarded annually for the best improvement over target times at the Cotswold hill.

 

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 256; 2 Roger Moran 210; 3 Trevor Willis 197; 4 Wallace Menzies 182; 5 Tom New 131; 6 Chris Merrick 121; etc.

 




The end of Sprinting at St Eval
03/09/2011


Cornish motorsport & in particular the Newquay Auto Club Ltd has received a major blow to the promotion of motorsport in Cornwall for 2012.

The NAC Ltd which was founded in 1914 and has promoted sprint racing at the Old Technical Site at St Eval Airfield for circa 45 years, has been advised by the Ministry of Defence that they are undertaking preliminary disposal actions within certain areas of St Eval, which includes the area used by the NAC Ltd. This means the facility will not be available for the NAC’s 2012 season.

The sprint events held at St Eval are the life line for the NAC Ltd and allows the Club to promote events such as the Classic Tour of Cornwall in aid of local charities.

The Club is determined to make their final event at St Eval on the 25th September 2011 a great success and are already actively seeking a new venue for the continued promotion of speed events in Cornwall.


HSA Curborough October 9th Regs available
29/08/2011


Regs and entry forms for the HSA Sprint at Curborough on October 9th are now available on the  Events page. As usual the day's competition will be wrapped up with a Class winners run-off for the Alan Payne memorial trophy.

This year, for the first time, there is a Class for electric vehicles which will provide something new.

Booking forms for the annual Awards & Social lunch to be held at Shelsley Walsh on November 13th can also be found on the same page.

MORAN TAKES THIRD TITLE
28/08/2011


With two more wins at Gurston Down on Bank Holiday Sunday, Scott Moran (pic - John Hayward) secured his third British Hillclimb title with six rounds in hand. Despite just failing to match his 25.56 qualifier for the second run-off, which set FTD, broke the class record and lay just fourteen hundredths away from Martin Groves’ outright hill standard, Scott’s half-second margin over his father Roger in the final shoot-out clinched the title, with the dominant yellow Gould-NME once again speeding to a family one/two in each run-off.

Whether the same will apply to the overall Championship outcome will depend on Trevor Willis. His OMS-Powertec is traditionally outgunned by the bigger V8s on Gurston’s power slopes, particularly on the run to the finish, but Willis pulled out all the stops for a fine third place in the afternoon and with fewer scores to drop than current runner-up Moran Sr, will challenge hard for the series second place at the remaining events at Prescott, Doune and Loton Park.

Wallace Menzies’ two fourth places at Gurston kept the spectacular DJ Firestorm in a fairly safe fourth place on the table ahead of Tom New, while despite Lee Adams working wonders to get the tiny bike-engined Raptor in each of the two V8-dominated run-offs, a single point score saw the Scot just edged out of the top six by Chris Merrick's Gould-Judd.

 

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 252pts; 2 Roger Moran 202; 3 Trevor Willis 178; 4 Wallace Menzies 156; 5 Tom New 121; 6 Chris Merrick 112; etc.

 




TWO MORE FOR MORAN
21/08/2011


On a day when class records tumbled, Shelsley Walsh’s hill record remained intact. Scott Moran’s (pictured) 23.31 FTD, set in qualifying for the second run-off, may have been threequarters of a second away from Martin Groves’ 2008 hill standard, but that didn’t stop him from adding two more run-off victories to his already impressive total as he continued his relentless progress towards a third British Hillclimb title.

Tom New maintained his recent run of form with two second places in the Gould-Judd, the first of them tying with Trevor Willis for second FTD. Amazingly, this was the third time since Harewood last month that Willis had tied for the runner-up spot in a British run-off. Still challenging hard for second overall on the championship table, the OMS driver’s deficit to Roger Moran is now just eleven points and with eight rounds still to run, dropped scores could prove crucial.

On a dry, warm day, Lee Adams did well to make the cut each time in the bike engined Raptor on the steep power slopes of Shelsley and even tied for seventh place with John Bradburn’s potent Gould V8 in the second shoot-out. But after his fine performance on the day, New elbowed past the Scot to take over fifth place on the championship table. However his next target, Wallace Menzies, is still 36 points clear after taking a fourth and a third at Shelsley in the spectacular DJ Firestorm.

 

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 232pts; 2 Roger Moran 184; 3 Trevor Willis 173; 4 Wallace Menzies 149; 5 Tom New 113; 6 Lee Adams 109; etc.

 




Dyrham Park hillclimb cancelled
15/08/2011


As most people will have heard by now the disappointing news is that the proposed return of Hillclimbing to Dyrham Park this October will now no longer happen.

Following a lot of hard work by the Bristol Motor Club the costs of installing safety barriers required to gain a track licence have proved to be too expensive and too great a financial risk to the Club. In its place the Club will be organising a 'Spirit of the 60s' event at the hill on October 2nd. Visit the BMC web site for more details.

The sport's hopes now look to Odiham and Blyton Park as possible long term new venues, albeit for Sprints.

Championship Awards - venue & date change
13/08/2011


In a change from the originally advertised venue and date at the start of the season, please note that the venue will now move from Gaydon to the facilities at Shelsley Walsh.  The date has also moved to 13th Novemeber so make sure you put in it your diaries and get those acceptance speeeches written.
 
The event will be a less formal affair than previous years with the food being a choice a hot buffet treats followed by a hot pudding and custard. 
 
Places will be limited to 80, so early entry is encouraged.  Keep an eye on the website for the entry form.

Video report of the Irish Festival of Speed
09/08/2011


Vantage Point Video have produced an interesting video report of the Irish Festival of Speed (a competitive event) held in the grounds of Adare manor in Co. Limerick at the end of July. We hope to include a report of the event in the next issue of Speedscene magazine.

 

3 Sisters 7th August Round 20
08/08/2011


With the first dry run being wet it meant that the pressure was on for the HSA competitors to make their second and dry run count.

Jonathan Dowding, Chris Flavell and Gary Thomas responded by taking good HSA points from their second runs while Jim Spencer (on his own this week-end), Chris Bennett, Paul Masters, Father & Son Mugglestone (Alan & Nick) and Mark Paterson also managed to pick up decent points.

Paul Masters (Jedi MK6), Gary Thomas (Force PT) and Craig Powers (OMS 2000M) staged an intense fight for FTD over the entire 6 (yes 6!) timed runs with Paul taking FTD by a tenth over Gary and Craig (a scant 0.07s further behind) with a 42.33s final run.

Harewood 6th August Round 19
07/08/2011


The weather forecasters had been predicting rain for several days before the round at Harewood, though from the skies on Friday night there was a faint hope that they may have got it wrong……….they didn’t.  Even before first practice the rain had fallen and conditions were slippery until after lunchtime when conditions slowly improved until we had a bone dry circuit for the 4th and final run of the day.

Fifteen of the HSA Championship contenders made the journey, some of them having a better day than others due to the weather conditions.   Paul Cutts in his Subaru Type R decided to test his 4x4 capabilities to their fullest but sadly caused some damage to the front end with an excursion off the tarmac.  He could be seen frantically working away in the paddock straightening boost pipes with all manner of tools and finally succeeded with the aid of some tank tape to be back on the start line for the timed runs in the afternoon, it certainly didn't hold him back as he set a new HSA A3 class record with 70.74.    Paul wasn’t the only one to suffer a mishap, with Eric Morrey returning to action following his engine failure at Curborough with a newly built 998 turbo.  On this occasion the engine held but the gear lever didn’t and snapped off in his hand, a repeat of a similar incident 3 years ago, unfortunately leaving Eric without a timed run.   The Mugglestone duo (Alan & Nick) were joined by Mrs Mugglestone in her own MX5.  Alan was obvioulsy keen to impress his wife with his driving skills and perhaps to scupper Nicks chances, on the first timed he ran out of tarmac at Willow and embedded the car in the hedge.  Fortunately damage was limited to a cracked indicator lense and some scuffing of the paint work.

Ivan Russell was back out in his Ford Anglia, this time with a slightly smaller engine capacity but it certainly wasn't any less potent as he could be seen snaking his way off the line in spectaular style, and managed to equal the class record with a 69.24.   Bernard Kevill and Simon Andrews were unable to capitalize on the dry conditions for the final run having struggled with grip in the wet and missed out on beating the record set by Simon in July.   Mark Paterson however improved on his own class record set in July in the immaculate Ginnetta G15 with a 70.29  

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH
06/08/2011


As if on a pre-arranged cue, drizzle closed in just before the end of each of the two British Hillclimb run-offs at the fast Craigantlet road course on the outskirts of Belfast. Last to run each time, top qualifier Scott Moran, the current series leader, was twice faced with a wet track and for the second time this season his father Roger (pictured), who had set a storming pace each time on a dry track, took a double run-off win in their shared Gould-NME. The 1997 British champion closed the gap to his son on the championship table, but with a 40 point advantage, that third British title is still firmly in Scott’s sights.

            Both Trevor Willis and Wallace Menzies, third and fourth in the series, took it in turns to qualify second fastest and thus fall foul of the deteriorating weather conditions, swapping second place finishes. Fifth on the table, Lee Adams flew on his first visit to Craigantlet and traded mid-field places with Will Hall in their bike-engined 1600s. The top five championship places remain unchanged, but with Tom New outpacing his co-driver Chris Merrick each time, the Gould-Judd pairing are now tied in sixth place on the championship table.

 

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 212pts; 2 Roger Moran 172; 3 Trevor Willis 157; Wallace Menzies 134; Lee Adams 103; 5= Tom New and Chris Merrick 95; etc.

 




Thorseby Park 17th September
01/08/2011


For those looking to enter this event there has been some confusion as the supplementary regs indicate that the HSA Champiopnship is invited to the Sunday 18th not the Saturday17th event.  I can confirm having spoken with the orgainsers that the regs are incorrect and anyone wishing to enter the event on the 17th can do so.
As a bonus they have also extended the offer to anyone wanting to stay on and enter on the Sunday can do so subject to available spaces, though this won't of course be counted towards your Championship result. 
If anyone has any questions please contact Chris Flavell.

THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
31/07/2011


Bringing his 2011 win tally firmly into double figures, Scott Moran increased his British Hillclimb Championship lead over his father Roger to a healthy 46 points with a double win at Wiscombe Park. For the first time since the BHC’s twin run-off system was introduced in 1999, the order of the top seven finishers was identical in each run-off.

In second place each time, Wiscombe ace Trevor Willis closed in on Moran Sr on the championship table, despite a lurid moment at the Gate during the second run-off. Boosted by his win in Guernsey a fortnight earlier, Tom New scored two third places on the tight, tree-lined Devon hill and is on the verge of regaining a top six series placing, three points adrift of Gould-Judd co-driver Chris Merrick. Wallace Menzies maintained his championship challenge with fourth in each run-off. The bike-engined challenge was upheld by Scots compatriot Lee Adams, really flying on his first visit to the hill. After breaking the 1600 racing class record on consecutive runs, he took the Raptor to fifth place run-off finishes ahead of Roger Moran and Will Hall.

 

Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 198pts; 2 Roger Moran 152; 3 Trevor Willis 141; 4 Wallace Menzies 117; 5 Lee Adams 96; 6 Chris Merrick 85; etc.

 

 


Bob Ridge-Stearn's Blog
30/07/2011


HSA member and Championship competitor, Bob Ridge-Stearn maintains an interesting and topical blog of his experiences throughout the season. He takes some good photos too so a visit to his web pages is highly recommended.



New Sprint event at RAF Odiham
20/07/2011


The Sutton & Cheam MC have announced the Chinook Sprint is to be held at RAF Odiham on September 3rd this year.

It's always good to hear of a new venue and all those involved, including the Odiham MC and Farnborough DMC, are to be congratulated. HSA members are invited through our affiliation with the ASWMC.

Regs and Entry Forms are available now.

Llandow 16th July REIS HSA Round 17
18/07/2011


The weather predictions turned out to to be depressingly accurate as heavy winds and driving rain hit the South Wales coast for Round 17 of the REIS HSA Speed Championship.

With a modest entry the organisers gave competitors the opportunity for three practice runs but only the third was less than fully wet. As the day went on the track tried to dry out but as soon as it did another shower came through and it was only on the final timed run that competitors saw anything approaching a dry track and even then it wasn't 100% dry. Stuart Hill is pictured trying to find some grip at the Bus Stop in his Westfield.

Gary Thomas took FTD with a 69.25s in his Force PT with Craig Sampson and Matt Hillam vying for the runner up spot in their shared SBD Westfield. It was Craig who came out on top with a creditable 73.74s.

HsA competitors had a mixed afternoon. Simon Andrews (running solo for a change with Bernard Kevill away on holiday in Crete and probably not regretting missing Llandow!) was sixth overall in his OMS 2000M with a 76.12s. Clive Wooster won the Libre class in his Radical while Philip Young and Gordon Hick sharing the former's Mallock retired after the first timed runs with a broken starter. Phil Skipp took his Astra home after practice for reason unknown while Liz Pearce was out of sorts in her Impreza but continued to improve as the day wore on. Alan Mugglestone put all his experience to good use to win the up to 2000cc Roadgoing class with son, Nick destroyed John Gallagher's class record by a neat 1.5s - quite a feat in the conditions and netting some good points. Richard Hearnden did well to see of the other Elise in his Class for a good win.

Report and full results in Speedscene.





GUERNSEY TOM
16/07/2011


With another win at the opening Le Val des Terres British Hillclimb run-off in Guernsey, Scott Moran continued on his relentless way towards a third title. But the sensation of the day was Tom New’s victory on a drying track in the closing shootout. The Southampton-based driver (pictured) was delighted with a second career win, his first having come back in 2004, driving his V6 Pilbeam-Rover K at Gurston Down. More poignantly, it was in that same car, at that same Guernsey meeting nine years ago, that the legendary Roy Lane scored his last ever victory.

            On a roll after his Bouley Bay win two days earlier, Wallace Menzies continued to rack up strong championship points with second place each time ahead of Roger Moran. The Scot closed the gap behind Trevor Willis, whose fourth place in the morning was his only score after spinning the OMS out of the second shoot-out just after Terres House. His earlier finishing position was taken by local man Darren Warwick, who scored his first British points in the ex.Haimes Dallara-Vauxhall.

 

British Championship standings after Le Val des Terres: 1 Scott Moran 178pts; 2 Roger Moran 142; 3 Trevor Willis 123; 4 Wallace Menzies 103; 5 Lee Adams 84; 6 Chris Merrick 82; etc.

 




ANOTHER WIN FOR MENZIES
14/07/2011


Scott Moran set the outright pace with a 38.35 sec opening run-off win at Bouley Bay, the opening leg of the British Hillclimb Championship’s annual Channel Islands trip. He extended his series lead by a single point over his father Roger, despite only finishing fifth to Roger’s fourth place in the afternoon shoot-out.

Most consistent runner on the day was Bouley record-holder Trevor Willis. Runner-up each time, for the second time in consecutive British events the OMS 25 driver tied for the placing in the afternoon shoot-out, this time with Will Hall. But it was Wallace Menzies (pictured) that grabbed a narrow five hundredths advantage over Willis to take the afternoon win, the second of his career in the DJ Firestorm.

With Lee Adams not making the long trip from Aberdeen, Menzies took over fourth place on the championship table by a single point from his Scots compatriot and now looks set to extend his advantage when the circus moves to Guernsey’s tortuous Le Val des Terres road course on Saturday.

 

Championship standings after Bouley Bay: 1 Scott Moran 162pts; 2 Roger Moran 126; 3 Trevor Willis 116; 4 Wallace Menzies 85; 5 Lee Adams 84; 6 Chris Merrick 82; etc.

 

 




Pat Toulmin - The HSA's new Championship Co-ordinator
12/07/2011


I am pleased to confirm that Mrs Pat Toulmin is taking over as the HSA's new Championship Co-ordinator and will begin her role by putting together the calendar for next year's Championship.

Our Assistant Championship Co-ordinator, Chris Flavell, will continue to deal with any outstanding issues regarding this year's activities while Pat becomes familiar with our Championship.

Contact details on the contacts page.



Llandow 16/07/2011 Finals & Entry
12/07/2011


The Final Instructions and Entry List for Llandow on July 16th have been published.

Lydden Hill - records and course changes
11/07/2011


For those that made the trip down to Kent at the weekend, there has been a change in the scoring for this event.
Previous records at this course have been based upon 1 ¾ laps, this years event however was changed to a 2¾ lap format.
As such all drivers will be scored against no pre-existing records.
If anyone has any problems please contact Chris Flavell.

Photo montage from Prescott 25/26 June
08/07/2011


Have a look at another of Chris Bound's image videos from the June 25/26 Prescott meeting. 

Llys Y Fran July 17th
07/07/2011


Entries are still being taken for the Llys Y Fran hillclimb on July 17th.

The entry fee is £95 and last minute entires can be made by contacting Steve Lloyd on 01792 368684  or email at s.richard.lloyd@homecall.co.uk

BARC TO RUN BRITISH HILLCLIMBS IN 2012
06/07/2011


The Motor Sports Association has appointed the British Automobile Racing Club as the promoter of the MSA British Hill Climb Championship and Hill Climb Leaders Championship for a period of five years from 1 January 2012.

The appointment follows an open tender process that was launched by the MSA earlier this year. BARC will take over from Speed Championships Ltd, which has run both Hill Climb championships successfully for many years.

BARC Chief Executive, Dennis Carter, said: ‘We are delighted to have been given this opportunity. We have been involved in hill climbing for more years than I can imagine, and of course operated the hill climbs at Gurston Down and Harewood Hill.

‘When Tony Fletcher first suggested that we should apply to run the championships when he decided to retire we were flattered to say the least; Tony has done a great job in keeping the championships strong and healthy and will be a hard act to follow.’

MSA General Secretary Rob Jones said: ‘The MSA was delighted by BARC’s interest and we are confident that the championships will flourish under fresh management. We must thank Speed Championships’ Tony Fletcher for his great contribution to the championships’ ongoing success, and would like it noted that he has been involved in their organisation for over 50 years.’

 


Space still available for Llandow on July 16th
05/07/2011


Despite the closing date being passed BARC Wales are still taking entries for Llandow on July 16th.

MORAN IN ALL-TIME TOP THREE
03/07/2011


For the first time since Gurston Down at the end of May, Scott Moran was back on the winner’s rostrum with two straight wins at Harewood’s British hillclimb meeting last weekend. Setting FTD in the afternoon run-off, he pulled out a half-second margin over day-long rivals Trevor Willis and Roger Moran as they tied for the runner-up spot on a hot day when elevated tyre temperatures were causing problems for many competitors.

But in the morning run-off, after Willis had stolen a narrow edge over Moran Sr for second place, Scott’s victory margin of two tenths had been enough to book a top place in the lineup of hillclimb greats as he became the third most successful driver in the history of the Championship. He finally overtook 5-times champion Martyn Griffiths’ total of 67 run-off wins and of the 87 drivers that have won British hillclimb rounds since 1947, only Roy Lane (90 wins) and Martin Groves (104) have exceeded Scott Moran’s current total of 69.

Full report in Speedscene 165.

 

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 146; 2 Roger Moran 111; 3 Trevor Willis 98; 4 Lee Adams 84; 5 Chris Merrick 70; 6 Wallace Menzies 69; etc.

 




TWO MORE FOR ADAMS
19/06/2011


At the third wet British Hillclimb meeting in as many weekends, a stunning performance on his home hill by Lee Adams (pic – Jerry Sturman) defeated a strong V8 challenge, taking both run-off victories at Doune ahead of Scott Moran. Now with three wins on his slate, the driver of Graeme Wight Jr’s bike engined GWR Raptor becomes 2011’s second most prolific round winner so far. Championship leader Moran has six and despite not having won a round since Gurston in May, with a string of second place finishes he retains a comfortable series lead. Wallace Menzies upheld local honour with the screaming DJ Firestorm V8 to chase home Trevor Willis for fourth place before lunch. Then when Willis’s OMS-Powertec clipped a wall and punctured a tyre in the second run-off, Menzies took over third place. It had been a character-building weekend for Willis, who had wiped off two corners at virtually the same spot during Saturday practice and, with the aid of OMS constructor Steve Owen, repaired the car for Sunday’s event.

            Full report and pictures in Speedscene 164

 

Championship standings after Doune: 1 Scott Moran 126pts; 2 Roger Moran 94; 3 Trevor Willis 80; 4 Lee Adams 72; 5 Chris Merrick 62; 6 Wallace Menzies 57; etc.

 




Mallory Park 18th June FTD for Gary Thomas
19/06/2011


A good number of HSA competitors made their way to Mallory Park for the Classic Touring Car Racing Club morning Sprint. weather predictions were pessimistic and the track was damp for the first practice runs which caught out a few including Les Buck who went off at Gerards and damaged the front end of his smart Lotus 61. George Cole experienced gear selection problems in his Terrapin and didn't make the timed runs.

With dark clouds gathering the final runs were completed just as the heavens opened and the day saw Gary Thomas take FTD with a 55.37s on the 3/4 Lap course including three chicanes.

Alan Mugglestone did particularly well to finish second in the Roadgoing series production class in his MX5 only 2 tenths behind James Kerr's rapid Peugeot 205 GTi.

See a fuller report and results in the next Speedscene

HOLMES AND CALDER TAKE THE HONOURS AT ANGLESEY
15/06/2011


Terry Holmes (Lola Judd T90/50) and Colin Calder (Gould Judd GR37) took the Top 12 run off spots in the British Sprint Championship rounds 9 and 10 on two very different days at Anglesey.

The Saturday was dry and saw Holmes take his first run off victory of they ear over championship leader Stewart Robb. Sunday's event on the National circuit was very wet and saw Calder take the vistory by over three seconds from Robb, again in runner up spot.

Terry Holmes pictured on the Sunday (image courtesy of Neil Lambert).

Full report in Speedscene 164.



Gary Thomas takes Graham Hill Trophy hat trick
13/06/2011


At a wet Curborough for the Owen Motoring Club sprint on Sunday 12th June, Gary Thomas made it a hat trick of FTDs in his Force PT.



ROGER AND OUT
12/06/2011


Roger Moran dominated the British Championship run-offs at a streaming wet Loton Park with two superlative wins and FTD  last weekend. Even double British champion Scott Moran couldn’t get within a second of his father’s times as they splashed to a family double twice during the day. With Scott’s 2011 championship rival Trevor Willis failing to score after spinning out of qualifying in the morning and again missing the cut in the afternoon, the two wins moved Roger (pic - Jerry Sturman) up into second overall on the championship table behind Scott. Another former rallyman, Eynon Price, revelled in the conditions with third place each time in his 1600c Force, while Mike Manning’s 4WD rallycross Puma underlined its status as the most successful saloon car in the history of the British championship with best ever fourth and fifth place finishes.
   Full report and pictures in Speedscene 164.

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 108pts; 2 Roger Moran 82; 3 Trevor Willis 72; 4 Chris Merrick 54; 5 Lee Adams 52; 6= Eynon Price and Wallace Menzies 42; etc.




Robb double at sunny Pembrey
06/06/2011


Stewart Robb (Pilbeam MP88) took a couple of dominant Top 12 Run Off top spots at a hot and dry Pembrey on June 4/5 for the BARC Wales Summer Sprint week-end.

It certainly felt like summer with clear blue skies and hot conditions on the Saturday and despite the rest of the country (and not just  Wales!) experiencing rain on the Sunday the Pembrey circuit stayed warm and dry.

Notable performances included a Top 12 4th and 2nd by Ross Napier,  a 6th and 7th from Steve Miles and an 8th from Kevin Lealen (pictured in the ex Dave Mills Pilbeam MP62) on the Sunday having had a suspension failure on the Saturday and a trailer blow out on the M4 while returning with the repaired car! There were also plenty of exciting battles in other classes which included competitors from the HSA, Westfield and TVR championships.

Full report in Speedscene 164.

Top 5 Saturday: Stewart Robb, Terry Holmes, Mark Smith, Ross Napier, Steve Broughton
Top 5 Sunday: Stewart Robb, Ross Napier, Terry Holmes, Mark smith, Steve Broughton



DJ DOUBLE
05/06/2011


Champagne flowed in the DJ Racecar pit at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday as the Derbyshire-based team celebrated their maiden British Hillclimb success after not one, but two run-off wins! 
   After giving notice of intention at Gurston Down the previous weekend, when he had chased home Scott Moran each time at Gurston in the the 3.2-litre DJ Firestorm-Cosworth XD, Wallace Menzies scored his first British hillclimb victory with FTD in Shelsley's closing run-off ahead of championship leaders Trevor Willis and Scott Moran. But the very first win for Del Quigley and Andy Smith’s DJ team had already come in the opening run-off when, after Dave Uren had set the top qualifying time in his 1100cc Force during rapidly deteriorating track conditions, Alex Summers (pic – Jerry Sturman), despite the presence of six V8s and a host of ultra-competitive 1600cc cars, stormed through from third Q-spot on slick tyres, when many had switched to wets, to score his own first win and the first for the DJ team, leading home Scott and Roger Moran in his 1.4-litre supercharged Firehawk-Hayabusa.
   Full report and pictures in Speedscene 164.

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 90pts; 2 Trevor Willis 72; 3 Roger Moran 62; 4 Lee Adams 52; 5 Chris Merrick 45; 6 Wallace Menzies 39; etc.




SCOTTISH SHOWDOWN AT SNETTERTON
03/06/2011


Stewart Robb (Pilbeam Judd MP88) and Colin Calder (Gould Judd GR37) went head to head at the first British sprint on the revised Snetterton layout.

Rounds 5 and 6 of the British Sprint championship saw competitors make their first visit to the new, revised Snetterton circuit. Running on the '100' circuit which competitors all seemed to enjoy Championship leader Robb took the honours on day 1 ahead of fellow Scot Calder.

Day 2 saw the positions reversed along with notable performances from Heather Calder (4th) and Martin webb (9th).

Pictured: Peter Howgate (RALT RT37. Image courtesy of Richard Leach

Full report in Speedscene 164.



Three Sisters regs available
02/06/2011


Regs for the HSA round at Three Sisters in August are available here.

Stohr Stars at The Palace
01/06/2011


Following their success last year 7Oaks Motor Club repeated their sprint weekend at Crystal Palace on the 29th and 30th of May. Once again conditions were dry and warm and several HSA members were present, the HSA being one of the invited clubs.

In front of large crowd on both days the Stohr DSR was the car to beat, BTD on both days, Sunday and John Hewatt on 35.47sec, Monday and Mike Field in the seat on 35.85sec, slightly slower than 2010 although the finish line was closer to North Tower for safety reasons with the start line repositioned accordingly.

Large crowds of spectators were present on both days and the Mayor of Bromley presented the prizes on Monday, the cooperation of Bromley vital to the continued success of this venue. It will certainly be happening again in 2012 so make a note in your diary.




SCOTT STARS AS SCOTS CHALLENGE
29/05/2011


With a double run-off victory and FTD at Gurston Down on Sunday, Scott Moran increased his British Hillclimb run-off tally to 67 wins to level with Martyn Griffiths in third place on the all-time winners’ table behind Roy Lane and Martin Groves. But a significant feature of one of Gurston’s best-ever meetings, both in terms of competition and spectator attendance, was the effectiveness of the ‘Scots invasion’, spearheaded by Wallace Menzies and Lee Adams. Chased hard by Trevor Willis’s OMS 25 and the Gould Judd of Tom New and Chris Merrick, Menzies and the DJ Firestorm (pic - John Hayward) harried Moran to score his best ever result with second place each time. 
   As the only two 1600 class runners to make the cut on Gurston’s fast downland slopes, Adams’ day-long battle with Will Hall saw both drivers well inside Hall’s 1600 racing record during the run-offs. But whereas Hall couldn’t quite match his old mark officially during the class runs, on his first visit to Gurston the flying Scot reset the record each time in the GWR Raptor, finally lowering it by half a second.
   Read Speedscene 164 for a full illustrated report.   

British Championship standings after Gurston Down:
1 Scott Moran 73pts; 2 Trevor Willis 58; 3 Roger Moran 53; 4 Lee Adams 44; 5 Chris Merrick 36; 6 Tom New 29; etc.



Another year, another car and another Mole Racing report!
27/05/2011


It's time for another Mole Racing report which describes how to turn two (yes two!) Van Diemen RF96s into one even faster machine and how it went in its first few events of 2011.

Sprinter Steve Miles (pictured at Silverstone with a little braking problem.......) provides his own personal insight ("a new car, 2 full rebuilds, selling, improving, adding, innovating, testing, existing and new sponsors and we made the first round of the British Sprint Championship and the results haven't been so bad!") into the world of single seater competition.

Link now working!



30° HANS SPORT AVAILABLE!
27/05/2011


At long last a 30° version of the 'clubman' model HANS device, which is is needed by many single seat and sports racing drivers, is available at £399.

The Schroth SPORT HANS 30° is in stock at MSAR and can be ordered now.

Championship Co-ordinator
26/05/2011


It is with regret that we must announce the immediate retirement of Kathryn Blackburn as HSA Championship Co-ordinator.  I am sure you would all like to thank her for the hard work, effort and dedication she has put in over the last few years to make our championship one of the best out there.
As an interim measure Chris Flavell has stepped into the role until a permament replacement has been appointed.
If you have any problems or enquiries regarding the Championship please contact Chris directly at chrisjflavell@gmail.com
 

Prescott video montages by Chris Bound
23/05/2011


HsA member and competitor Chris Bound has created some interesting video montages from Prescott 2010. They are hosted on YouTube and can be found here:

Prescott Apr 2010
Prescott May 2010
Prescott Aug 2010
Prescott Sept 2010
Prescott Oct 2010
Prescott Apr 2011

Llandow regs available
20/05/2011


Regs for the HSA round at Llandow in July are available here.

MIRA May 14th
16/05/2011


Despite the predictions of showers MIRA remained dry, if a little windy, for MAC's traditional Spring sprint.

Notable performances included some reversals of recent form with Matt Hillam and Bernard Kevill overcoming their respective co-drivers Craig Sampson and Bernard Kevill.

The small roadgoing kit car class saw a battle royal with John Palmer, sporting a brand new gearbox after a failure at Silverstone needing his usual blinding second run but was still pushed hard by David Hussey (less than a tenth behind), Jim Spencer and John Loudon all within 0.7s of the winner.

A large entry in the combined Modified Production classes was enhanced by a four car team of Spoox supported Peugeots. Spoox boss Darren Spooner was concerned about his 309 Gti’s handling after practice which was a fateful portent of things to come. On his first timed run  the car rolled along the straight leading to the control tower taking out the speed trap as it went! The car was quite badly damaged but the roll cage did its job and the driver thankfully unharmed. As expected Dave Marshall ran out the winner but was run close by Adrian Crawley and Emerson Kent.

Bernard Kevill and Simon Andrews, now becoming more familiar with their OMS 2000M and thoroughly enjoying the experience were going well despite being a little short on gearing. Jonathan Toulmin was finding his Marengo (in place of his usual Force) a bit of a handful with too much oversteer but increasing rear wing was able to post a 45.73s in the small Single Seater class to win narrowly from David Owen’s OMS 2000M.Phil Lynch’s Dallara F301 won the large single seater class with FTD at 42.99s with Simon Keen and Bill Huthcins not too far behind.

Peter Hubbard was out in a Marcos V6 but not his own having had a mighty blow up on the rolling road just prior to the event. For MIRA he was sharing David Bennett’s similar car with David having his first competitive event at the age of 71! But it was Ivan Russell’s Classic Anglia who recorded a 56.57s to win the Classic class.


Graves takes the win at Wiscombe
16/05/2011


Launceston’s Terry Graves, in his immaculate Gould GR37, took Fastest Time of the Day on Saturday at Wiscombe Park with an electrifying first run of 37.72 seconds, a victory which compensated for his narrow defeat at the hands of Newton Abbot’s Tony Wiltshire at last year’s event.  And, just like Wiltshire in 2010, his first run was never beaten, despite the best efforts of fellow-class runners John Forsyth/Andrew Forsyth, and Rodney Thorne/Colin Pook, both sharing 3.5 litre Pilbeam MP58 machines. The real threat to Graves, however, came from the winner of the up-to-1600cc class, Saltash resident Mike Lee, who also had a stunning first run to stop the clock on 37.94 seconds, only just over 2/10ths adrift of the eventual winner.  Despite giving away almost 2 litres in engine capacity, Lee’s first time was over a tenth faster than Graves’ second run but as both were slower at the second time of asking the winner was settled by mid-afternoon.  In the 1100cc racing car category, Honiton’s Dave Gardner propelled his 998 cc Empire 001 to a time of 40.31 and then bettered that with a sub-40 second run in 39.68 seconds to take the class win.

 Sponsored by the local partnership of The Tipton Garage and Alansway Body Repairs, Torbay Motor Club’s Wiscombe event was again held in dry, bright and mostly sunny conditions, although cooler conditions later in the afternoon contributed to no fewer than nine classes being decided by the first timed runs.

 Other Torbay Motor Club members to take home class awards were Westward Ho! resident Andy Cawsey (2nd in B3), Ian Yeo from Willand (2nd in C4) and Whimple’s Ben Stephenson (2nd in E1).  

 12 contenders in the TVR Sports Car Club speed championship battled hard all day, the winner’s spoils eventually going to Frome’s Mark Everett (TVR Chimaera) on handicap with a time of 47.51.


RAPTOR RAPTURE AT HAREWOOD
15/05/2011


On one of those days when changing weather conditions occasionally upset the formbook in qualifying, a delighted Lee Adams (pic – Rich Danby) scored the first British Championship win for Graeme Wight Jr’s GWR Raptor in an opening run-off at Harewood on Sunday in which no less than seven 1600cc single-seaters made the cut. On a damp but slowly drying track for the opening run-off, even early runners Roger and Scott Moran could do little about the flying bike engined cars as Harewood ace Richard Spedding ran second ahead of Eynon Price and Jos Goodyear, Saturday’s ‘clubbie’ winner Goodyear heading Moran Sr by nearly half a second. Better weather later on saw the V8s back in the fray for the second shoot-out and the status quo returned with a Moran one/two, Scott from Roger, but on the best day of his British career, the flying Spedding took his Force-Hayabusa to third place, demoting even Trevor Willis (who had spun out of qualifying for the opening run-off) by five hundredths. Another good result for John Bradburn left the mighty Gould-HB fifth ahead of a tie between Will Hall and Adams, after the Scot had run wide at Farmhouse.

British Championship standings after Harewood: 1 Scott Moran 53pts; 2= Roger Moran and Trevor Willis 42; 4 Lee Adams 39; 5 Richard Spedding 25; 6 Chris Merrick 24




WILLIS’S BARBON WIN
14/05/2011


Following the new car’s double run-off win at Shelsley’s Midland meeting the previous weekend, Trevor Willis (pic - Rich Danby) scored the first British Championship win for his 3.2-litre OMS-Powertec 25 in the opening run-off at Barbon Manor on Saturday. Scott Moran pushed him hard all day in the Gould-NME, finally snatching victory and FTD from Willis in the second run-off with a noticeably on-the-edge closing shot. Never far away, Roger Moran shadowed the duelling pair each time. The talking point of Prescott’s opening rounds, the strong challenge to the V8s from the 1600cc bike powered brigade was upheld as Will Hall’s Force and Prescott hero Lee Adams, a newcomer to the fast Barbon hill in his GWR Raptor, pegged back Chris Merrick and Tom New to sixth and seventh. The Gould-Judd duo found more in the second shoot-out, turning the tables on the 1600s as Eynon Price’s  Force edged out Hall to take sixth place. After a determined attack on the notorious Lafone Hairpin almost – but not quite – ended in the Armco, Adams failed to qualify.




Snetterton May 29th
13/05/2011


There is still time to experience the new Snetterton on May 29th. HSA members are invited and more info including regs and entry forms can be found on the Borough 19 web site.

HSA members invited to the Brecon (Epynt) hillclimbs
12/05/2011


Brecon Motor Club organises two club hillclimbs in Mid Wales in June (18th & 19th) and would this year like to invite members of the HSA to compete. We are not licenced to run monocoque cars but are always keen to welcome new competitors. The course is a mile long and climbs fairly steeply, anyone wishing to see it can find it on Youtube. We look forward to possibly seeing some of your members.

More details can be found at:

http://www.breconmotorclub.co.uk/hillclimb

HSA members invited to BMC/BPMC Llandow track day
12/05/2011


The Bristol Motor Club and Bristol Pegasus Motor Club were due to run a Sprint at Llandow on May bank holiday May 30th. Unfortunately a shortfall of entries has led to the Sprint being cancelled.

However, rather than waste the day, they have made arrangements for Llandow circuit to run a trackday for them. They are able to offer this at a very attractive £65 per car for the full day; an additional driver sharing a car can be added for only £15. The key features are:
  • 40 places maximum
  • Separate sessions for single-seaters
  • No competition licence required
  • All types of car accepted
  • Noise limit 105dbA at 0.5 metre
more details and an application form can be found at:

http://www.bristolmc.org.uk/EventRegs/llantrackday.htm

HSA RETURN TO WERRINGTON
05/05/2011


Having last visited Werrington in 2008 the REIS/HSA Speed Championship returned to this country estate north of Launceston for their May Bank Holiday hillclimb. Ably run for many years by Plymouth Motor Club the hill was partially relaid in 2010 and record times were in the offing. Mixed weather conditions affected both days, in particular racing car times on Saturday when Mike Lee took BTD in his 1600cc OMS on 35.23sec. Sunday and it was business as usual with Terry Graves dry climb of 33.29sec in his Gould GR37 securing not only BTD but a new hill record. HSA contenders were in the honours too, Darren Gumbley (Force PT) and John Burton (Ralt RT3) both 1st in their classes on Sunday, in the 36s. Other HSA contenders were also on the pace with no fewer than 7 new HSA class records and high points scoring across the board. 




Results delay - Silverstone
02/05/2011


As you may have noticed we have not yet updated results for the Silverstone event for which we apologise.  The reason for the delay has been due to an issue that has been raised regarding the course.  It has been brought to our attention that the course was fundamentally changed to that used in 2010, whereby the chicane on the straight was changed in position but also direction, from a left/right to a right/left.
We have been discusisng if this represents a siginifcant change in the course and therefore if the times from last year can be used as records or if they should be reset to zero and the venue treated as new.
The opinion of the Championship Committe is that this is the case and all records should be re-set to zero, however before we make this change if any of the competitors at the event have any serious objections to this, can they please contact Chris Flavell - chrisjflavell@gmail.com and we will take the matter to the Championship Stewards for a ruling.

FLYING SCOTSMAN
01/05/2011


Lee Adams (pictured) was the star of a dramatic Nicholson McLaren British Hillclimb Championship opener at Prescott. The flying Scot in his tiny, bike engined GWR Raptor left the scenic Gloucestershire hill on Sunday evening with second place on the Championship table after twice outqualifying the field and finishing second in each run-off, narrowly losing out each time to former double champion Scott Moran’s Gould V8. Trevor Willis caused a stir, too, arriving with not only a bigger, 3.2-litre Powertec V8 but with a brand new OMS 25 chassis. That the new combination has serious potential was demonstrated with two third place run-off finishes. 
   Without a drop of rain in sight to aid their cause, no less than four 1600cc bike-engined single seaters posed a strong challenge to the V8 Goulds of Roger Moran, Chris Merrick and an on-form John Bradburn in each run-off on a warm, sunny day in the Cotswolds. As well as Adams’ sensational performance, Richard Spedding joined regular pace-setters Will Hall and Eynon Price in a strong Force attack (although Hall’s afternoon bid ended in a spin), while Jos Goodyear returned with the ex.Day/Mason Firehawk to make the cut for the morning shoot-out.
   Although Adams will be venturing into new territory in a fortnight at Barbon, the British hillclimb scene already looks set for something of a revelation.
   Full report and pictures in Speedscene 163.

British Hillclimb standings after round two: 1 Scott Moran 20pts; 2 Lee Adams 18; 3 Trevor Willis 16; 4 Roger Moran 11; 5 Chris Merrick 9; 6= Richard Spedding and John Bradburn 8; etc.




HSA AT LOTON
24/04/2011


0.16sec clear of Chris Merrick’s Gould-Judd V6, Will Hall set the outright pace at Loton Park’s season opener on Easter Sunday as REIS/HSA contenders visited the challenging Shropshire hillclimb for the first time this year. Pending the appearance of his new Force-Nissan V6, the 2010 Leaders and Midland Hillclimb champion is back for a full season in his Leaders and Midland Championship-winning Force-Hayabusa. 
   Heading a class one/two ahead of his daughter Debbie, Andy Dunbar (pictured) set the pace amongst the HSA runners in his Westfield prepared by Peter Kukainis, who also took a class win. Last year’s Championship runner-up, single-seater convert Simon Andrews maintained his challenge for this year’s title, taking a second successive class victory in his OMS.
   Full report and pictures in Speedscene 163



GURSTON ON 'FIFTH GEAR'
22/04/2011


In a successful appearance by Tiff Needell (pic - Simon McBeath) and Jonathan Smith at Gurston Down, the Fifth Gear presenters made their joint hillclimb debut in the 475bhp Ariel Atom V8 for a forthcoming edition of the Channel 5 motoring programme. ‘What a hoot!’ said former F1 driver and Le Mans veteran Needell. ‘A great day out. Hillclimbing is surely the hardest and friendliest form of motorsport.’ The crew spent a whole day filming at the BARC’s Wiltshire hillclimb and you can see the result on May 13th, when the show is currently scheduled to air.




Round 1 of the REIS/HSA Speed Championship
16/04/2011


  

The 16th of April 2011 and the first round of the REIS/HSA Speed Championship at Gurston Down. The weather was unseasonably warm and the dry track produced good driving conditions, so much so that Matt Hillam set a new hill record for class C on 31.90 seconds. All the times may be seen at:

http://tsl-timing.com/sprint/2011/111584.pdf

The day was also enlivened with filming for Fifth Gear, Tiff Needell showing excellent form in the V8 Ariel Atom and also very interested in Mike Broome’s Elden Formula Ford, one of which he owned following his introduction to motor sport in a Lotus 69FF which he won in an Autosport competition.
    Full report and pictures in Speedscene 163
 



Paul Parker becomes new President of the HSA
12/04/2011


After serving on the HSA committee for many years in a number of roles including Championship co-ordinator and Chairman. Paul Richardson has decided to step down as President of the association. I am sure that all of you who know Paul will join me in thanking him for his significant contribution and wish him well for the future, which, incidentally should see him and his Clan Crusader make a re-appearance on the tracks very soon.

 As one chapter closes another opens, as they say, and I am delighted to welcome Paul Parker (pictured) as the new President of the HSA. Many of you will know him either through his regular column in Speedscene magazine, as co-ordinator of the British Sprint Championship, as a Clerk of the Course or as an HSA committee member a few years ago. Paul’s extensive knowledge of the sport and wide range of contacts will be of enormous help in shaping the future direction of the association and we look forward to his contribution.

Chris Bennett - Chairman




Dyrham Park photo shoot
05/04/2011


In preparation for the Bristol Motor Club's Centenary in June 2011 and the forthcoming revival of hillclimbing at Dyrham Park scheduled to take place on October 2nd, a selection of cars gathered in front of the imposing National Trust property at the foot of the hill for a photo shoot.

Pride of place was taken by John Marshall in his Lotus 6 who competed in one of the original events in the 60s. Symbolising BMC's 100 year history were a 1911 Gregoire and a 2011 Lotus Evora. Also present were Simon Clemow's 'new' Mini, Matthew Rumney's Jedi and Chris Bennett's Van Diemen.



Regs for Pembrey, Llys Y Fran and Mallory Park rounds in June available
30/03/2011


Regs for the HSA rounds at Pembrey, Llys Y Fran and Mallory Park are available. See the Calendar Page for details.

new facilities at Llandow
16/03/2011


Following on from the new control tower/garage/briefing room put up recently at Llandow Circuit a much need new toilet block is nearing completion.

The block has facilities for disabled users and with the newly cleared and levelled area at the back of the paddock makes Llandow an even more attractive venue for testing and Sprints.



Anglesey regs available
02/03/2011


Regs for the HSA rounds at Anglesey in September and the early May bank holiday week-end, to which HSA members are invited, are available here.

Wiscombe regs available
28/02/2011


Regs and entry forms for the HSA rounds at wiscombe on 21/22 May are available for download. See the  calendar page for details.

Silverstone & Werrington Regs available for download
23/02/2011


Regs and entry forms for the HSA rounds at Silverstone on 17th April and Werrington on 30th April/1st May are available for download. See the  calendar page for details.

Revival of Hillclimbing at Dyrham park moves closer
22/02/2011


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.

The accompanying photo is taken looking down at the penultimate corner on the hill, a little like the Esses at Prescott, which leads up to the final corner, coincidentally not unlike Semi Circle.

More Dyrham photos to appear on this site shortly.



2011 REIS/HSA Speed Championship permit granted
18/02/2011


We are pleased to announce that a permit has now been granted for the 2011 REIS/HSA Speed championship. There were no changes made from the draft that originally appeared on the Regulations page.

We wish all of our competitors a safe and successful season.

New sponsor and trophy for the MX5s
04/02/2011


In exciting news for the Mazda MX5 community, the HSA are pleased to announce a new Class sponsor for A2.1. AutolinkMX5.com are Mazda MX-5 specialists, based in Hampshire and  are one of the largest suppliers of new and used parts for MX5 in Europe. The company is also planning to enter a car in a few events this year so keep an eye out for them.

We are also pleased to announce that the MX5 Owners Club are continuing their support  with a new permanent award for the MX5 driver with the highest overall score in the HSA Speed Chamiponship.

Drivers of other makes aren't being neglected though as special awards are on offer for drivers of Ginetta and Flathead cars, drivers sharing a car in the same class, 1100cc racing cars  and competitors scoring in up to 4 events.

Loton Park drivers school
04/02/2011


Loton Park are delighted to announce the introduction of the Loton Drivers` School in 2011.

Sir Michael Leighton who owns the course has very kindly given us the go-ahead, with three dates initially, on Wednesdays 18th May, 8th June & 17th August, and if they are as successful as we anticipate, we will add additional dates for 2012.

The School will be run under the guidance of AHASS (The Association of Sprint & Hill Climb Schools) and will be run along the same lines as Prescott, Harewood, Gurston Down, Shelsley & Curborough.

There will be at least four experienced instructors at each event.

Pupils will provide their own road legal vehicle, which must be silenced, taxed, insured and have a current M.O.T certificate where applicable.

Helmets will be available to borrow, but pupils can provide their own if preferred.

Dates and application forms are now available to download from our web-site-: www.hdlcc.com , but if you wish to register your interest in advance, please e-mail Martyn Silcox at martynsilcox@talktalk.net

The cost is £175.00 per day to include the following-:

Instruction on how to drive the course, individual runs, buffet lunch and video of runs.

The School will be supported by  TTC Group based in Telford, specialising in driver training.  


2011 Championship registration
24/01/2011


You can now register for the 2011 REIS HSA Speed Championship. Go to the Regulations page for more details. Please note that the regs are only in draft form at this stage and are subject to change prior to a Championship permit being issued.

Blue Book clarifications for Sprint & Hillclimb vehicles
24/01/2011


It has been brought to our attention that the Motor Sports Association (MSA) has issued a number of clarifications and corrections for Sprint and Hill Climb Regulations that will be implemented with immediate effect.

To view a document detailing these Regulation changes, please click here.


BRITISH HILLCLIMB AWARDS
15/01/2011


The top 2010 contenders are pictured after the annual British Hillclimb Championship awards ceremony at Droitwich’s Chateau Impney. British Champion Martin Groves is flanked by runner-up Scott Moran (right) and third man Trevor Willis. Left to right behind them are Chris Merrick (5th), Tom New (7th), Will Hall (10th), Wallace Menzies (8th), Paul Ranson (6th) and Roger Moran (4th). The only absentee is Deryk Young (9th), who was in America.

Groves also took the Raymond Mays Trophy for the lowest total time of the best runs at BHC Prescott and Shelsley meetings, while Midland Hillclimb Champion Will Hall added the Shell Racing Solutions Leaders Championship title and the trophy awarded by British Championship sponsor Nicholson McLaren for outstanding performance to his tally of 2010 awards.

The coveted Norrie Galbraith Memorial Trophy, first awarded in 1983 by the HSA and now recognized as one of the foremost awards in British Hillclimbing, goes to the best organized British Hillclimb round of the year. For a record seventh time Lothian Car Club took the award, for their June Doune round in 2010. Pictured are Clerk of the Course Vernon Williamson (left) and Secretary of the Meeting Billy Cater, with Nicholson McLaren’s John Waghorn.

 




Stohr Stars at The Palace
06/01/2011


Following their success last year 7Oaks Motor Club repeated their sprint weekend at Crystal Palace on the 29th and 30th of May. Once again conditions were dry and warm and several HSA members were present, the HSA being one of the invited clubs.

In front of large crowd on both days the Stohr DSR was the car to beat, BTD on both days, Sunday and John Hewatt on 35.47sec, Monday and Mike Field in the seat on 35.85sec, slightly slower than 2010 although the finish line was closer to North Tower for safety reasons with the start line repositioned accordingly.

Large crowds of spectators were present on both days and the Mayor of Bromley presented the prizes on Monday, the cooperation of Bromley vital to the continued success of this venue. It will certainly be happening again in 2012 so make a note in your diary.




Stohr Stars at The Palace
06/01/2011


  

Following their success last year 7Oaks Motor Club repeated their sprint weekend at Crystal Palace on the 29th and 30th of May. Once again conditions were dry and warm and several HSA members were present, the HSA being one of the invited clubs.

In front of large crowd on both days the Stohr DSR was the car to beat, BTD on both days, Sunday and John Hewatt on 35.47sec, Monday and Mike Field in the seat on 35.85sec, slightly slower than 2010 although the finish line was closer to North Tower for safety reasons with the start line repositioned accordingly.

Large crowds of spectators were present on both days and the Mayor of Bromley presented the prizes on Monday, the cooperation of Bromley vital to the continued success of this venue. It will certainly be happening again in 2012 so make a note in your diary.




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