The Speed Scene:
MORAN AND GROVES ON RECORD FORM AGAIN
In a re-run of their duel at Loton Park’s season opener, Martin Groves and Scott Moran (pictured) each broke the hill record at Doune last weekend. Moran qualified top each time, ahead of Trevor Willis and Groves, but after an all-out charge by Groves had shaved five hundredths from his own record to beat his rival to the win in the opening run-off, Moran turned the tables later, a super-smooth shot carving another quarter-second off the new mark to win the second shoot-out.
Willis hurled the diminutive OMS-Powertec up the daunting, barrier-lined slopes for third place each time, drawing clear of Chris Merrick for third spot on the MCL Motorhomes series table. Merrick twice had to give best to his co-driver as Tom New rapidly dialled their Gould-Judd into the Scottish hill. With two strong fourth place run-off finishes, Roger Moran leapfrogged Paul Ranson by one point to take over fifth place in the series.
Chased hard by Will Hall, Scottish hillclimb champion Jonathan Rarity was one of several drivers on record-breaking form at Doune as he took the 1600 racing class win in his minimalist MH Ghost. Both drivers made the cut for the opening run-off but in the heat of battle during qualifying for the second shoot-out, both spun away a further chance for points at the notorious, blind brow East Brae!
A full report will follow in Speedscene.
Championship standings after Doune: 1 Scott Moran 137pts; 2 Martin Groves 132; 3 Trevor Willis 100; 4 Chris Merrick 92; 5 Roger Moran 80; 6 Paul Ranson 79; 7 Tom New 50; 8 Deryk Young 44; 9 Paul Haimes 24; 10 Jos Goodyear 21; etc.
21/06/2009
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TWO MORE FOR MORAN
With two straight run-off wins at Loton Park on Sunday, Scott Moran made it five wins in a row and increased his MCL Motorhomes British Championship lead over Martin Groves to five points. Groves chased hard for second place each time but despite lowering Adam Fleetwood’s long-standing class record during the qualifying runs, with British points at stake he couldn’t match the smooth, unrelenting pace of hill record holder Moran.
The latest of a growing number of competitors to install a paddle gearshift, Trevor Willis dialled in the new system to run third each time and level with Chris Merrick in third place on the series table. Another superb performance from Will Hall brought his tiny bike-engined Force, the only 1600cc car to make the run-off cut, into the points each time.
Backed up by his father Roger (pictured) in the supercharged DJ Firehawk, ‘occasional driver’ Todd Fleetwood mirrored his brother Adam’s Easter class win over 2-litre ace Paul Haimes and would also have made second cut, had he been registered for the championship. Despite warm, dry weather, the only other class record of the day fell at the hands of Midland Man of the Meeting Andrew Griffiths, who lowered his previous record in the Caterham-Hayabusa by half a second.
Full report in Speedscene 154.
Championship positions after Loton Park: 1 Scott Moran 117pts; 2 Martin Groves 112; 3= Chris Merrick and Trevor Willis 84; 5 Paul Ranson 67; 6 Roger Moran 66; etc.
14/06/2009
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MORAN BACK ON TOP
Scott Moran powered into the lead of the MCL Motorhomes British Hillclimb Championship last weekend after taking both run-off wins at Shelsley Walsh. Under pressure from his top qualifying rival, Martin Groves spun out of the opening shoot-out and failed to score, but a marginally more cautious runner-up spot in the second run-off (‘I couldn’t afford to drop another round!’ confessed the three-times champion) left Moran with a three point series lead. An on-form Paul Ranson continued his climb up the championship table to fifth place, with second and third in the run-offs. After taking a front corner off the Gould-Judd during Saturday’s practice, Tom New (pictured) recovered brilliantly to finish fourth in the closing run-off, beating co-driver Chris Merrick for the first time.
The best weather of the year so far prompted several new class records, including the pre-71 racing car mark as Richard Jones and the Brabham-BDA shaved four hundredths of Peter Voigt’s 5-years-old Techcraft-Buick standard.
Full report in Speedscene 154.
Championship positions after Shelsley Walsh: 1 Scott Moran 97pts; 2 Martin Groves 94; 3 Chris Merrick 71; 4 Trevor Willis 68; 5 Paul Ranson 59; 6 Roger Moran 53; etc.
31/05/2009
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GROVES AND MORAN SHARE GURSTON HONOURS
Topping 130mph into the Hollow Bend sweeper and 150mph over the finish line, championship leader Martin Groves and rival Scott Moran swapped wins and second places at Sunday’s MCL Motorhomes British Hillclimb rounds at Gurston Down. With 24 rounds still to run, the battling duo are inching clear of the field and the series is looking increasingly like a two-horse race, but Chris Merrick and Trevor Willis are still fighting hard for third place. Merrick chased the two leaders home in the opening run-off only for Willis to get the upper hand in the second shoot-out, although the OMS-Powertec driver’s devastating pace on the early part of the hill was blunted each time by a lack of urge on the power-sapping blast over Burke’s Rise to the finish. Another good weekend for Paul Ranson saw Groves’ co-driver move into the championship top six behind the consistent Roger Moran.
Basking in the May sunshine, a good crowd also enjoyed entertaining class battles, the Rutland brothers disputing the1100cc racing class by hundredths before a similarly close1600cc tussle between the ever spectacular Eynon Price and Will Hall. Amid fine two-wheel action from the NHCA contingent, Glyn Poole repeated his April Prescott form as he twice lowered Gurston’s outright motorcycle record.
Full report in Speedscene 154.
British Hillclimb Championship positions after Gurston: 1 Martin Groves 85pts; 2 Scott Moran 77; 3 Chris Merrick 59; 4 Trevor Willis 55; 5 Roger Moran 43; 6 Paul Ranson 42; etc.
24/05/2009
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TONY MARSH
The funeral of the late Tony Marsh (see below) will take place at 11.00am on May 27th at Chichester Crematorium. Tony’s son Peter has asked that those wishing to attend would kindly inform him, so that names and numbers are known. Peter can be Emailed on: peter@turbodynamics.co.uk , or phoned at his direct work number (01202 233923), his home office number (01425 480139) or on his mobile (07843 225877).
Anyone wishing to send flowers or to donate to a charity of their choice in Tony’s name should contact the undertakers, Michael Miller & Partners, Buriton House, 27A High Street, Petersfield, Hampshire, GU32 3JR (01730 233244).
Alternatively, The Marsh family have decided that Tony would have liked to do something for the marshals at Gurston Down hillclimb, with which he was so much involved since its inception in 1967. If anyone wishes to donate towards this, cheques should be made payable to the undertakers and posted to their address (above) with a covering note stating Tony Marsh Motor Racing Marshals Fund. Any queries regarding this fund should be made to Graham Masters, who has kindly offered initially to arrange this on behalf of the family. Graham can be contacted on 02392 828430 (w) or 736217 (h).
16/05/2009
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WET WEEKEND FOR BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP CHASERS
The weather did its best to disrupt a hectic two days for MCL Motorhomes British Hillclimb competitors travelling north for rounds at Barbon Manor and Harewood last weekend. After torrential rain shortly after the start of Barbon’s event on Saturday and a long delay to clear standing water, most of the top championship runners qualified, and then ran for points, in sunshine on a steadily drying track. With second runs abandoned due to time constraints, Championship leader Martin Groves set FTD in the single run-off, chased hard by Trevor Willis and an on-form Chris Merrick, who eased out defending champion Scott Moran by a hundredth. An early class run in the dry had paid off for Mike Fitzsimons. Just two weeks short of his 71st birthday, he made history in Tim Wilson’s OMS-Hayabusa as the oldest driver ever to qualify top for a British Hillclimb run-off – the single point he scored on the day’s final run being the icing on the cake!
More rain, though only showery by comparison with Barbon, turned the two run-offs at the following day’s Harewood event into something of a lottery on a slippery track. Groves' co-driver Paul Ranson made the most of the worsening conditions to take second place each time and bag the best combined result of his career while Roger Moran, also running early in the opening shoot-out, took his first win of the year. Running last, a superb shot from Groves demonstrated the former champion’s skill as he bagged third place on what was by then a treacherous track.
Outqualified by his father Roger (pictured), who topped the Q-sheets with a time that would remain as the best of the day, Scott Moran ran early to bag the second run-off win in similar conditions, making it a family clean sweep on the day. Once again, Groves secured third place despite running almost last. He still heads the championship table, but Scott Moran is closing the gap and after a consistently good weekend, Chris Merrick holds third place.
Full report in Speedscene 154.
Championship positions after Harewood: 1 Martin Groves 66pts; 2 Scott Moran 58; 3 Chris Merrick 45; 4 Trevor Willis 42; 5 Roger Moran 33; 6 Paul Ranson 27; etc.
11/05/2009
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TONY MARSH
In what has been a sad week for motorsport, we are sorry to learn of the passing of Tony Marsh, at the age of 77. One of the true all-rounders, Tony’s motorsport career began in a 1952 Hagley trial and embraced everything from autotests through hillclimbing to Grand Prix racing. Winner of the British hillclimb championship an unrivalled six times, he also competed internationally alongside drivers such as Fangio and Moss. After a break from motorsport to concentrate on such varied pursuits as yachting, flying and ski-bobbing as a member of the British team, Tony returned to a successful hillclimbing and sprinting career in the late eighties which he pursued right up to this current season. Even with such a long and varied career behind him, he remained the ultimate enthusiast and will be sorely missed, nowhere more so that at his local hill, Gurston Down, at which he advised on the layout and where he rarely missed a meeting. The HSA would like to offer sympathy to his Tony’s wife Liza, to his sons, Simon, Peter and Paul, and to all whose lives were touched by this ever courteous, mild-mannered gentleman.
In-depth tributes to HSA members Tony Marsh and Allan Staniforth will follow in Speedscene 154
08/05/2009
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ALLAN STANIFORTH
The Association was saddened to hear of the passing of Allan Staniforth, on May 2nd. He was 84. One of the true ‘elder statesmen' of the sport, he began racing and writing about motor racing in the 1950s. For many years, his ‘day job’ was as a staff journalist on the Daily Mirror, a discipline that honed his style as perhaps the most readable of all motorsport technical authors. As a driver/constructor, the originator of the Terrapin range of ‘do it yourself’ hillclimb single-seaters influenced just about everyone who’s ever built or worked on their own cars, including top hillclimb car constructor David Gould. On his retirement from full-time journalism, Allan’s Terrapin Services consultancy proved invaluable to generations of racers. Allan was a regular competitor in his Megapin single-seater right up until his final weeks, and his death will leave a void in paddocks across the country, particularly his beloved Harewood, that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill. The Association offers sincere condolences to Allan’s family, and to the countless enthusiasts whose motorsport careers have been influenced by his wise and unfailingly jovial guidance.
A full appreciation of Allan’s career will follow in a future issue of Speedscene
06/05/2009
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GROVES’ PRESCOTT DOUBLE
‘This is my best start to a season yet,’ said Martin Groves, after two straight wins at Prescott on Sunday raised his tally to three out of four in this year’s MCL Motorhomes British Hillclimb Championship. After trading hill records with him at Loton Park’s opening rounds a fortnight ago Groves’ main rival, defending champion Scott Moran, chased him home each time at Prescott. The Championship is already beginning to look like a two-horse race as the leading pair, split now by just two points, lead the third placed Deryk Young by a 14 point margin. However there are still 30 rounds to run and, as last year’s runner-up Groves demonstrated after his disastrous start to the 2008 season, anything can happen.
After a two-week break, the British Hillclimb circus heads north for the most hectic weekend of the series. Two rounds at Cumbria’s fast and picturesque Barbon Manor course on May 9th are followed by a trip across the Pennines to Harewood, the longest hill in the Championship, for two more rounds the following day.
Full Prescott report in Speedscene 153.
Championship positions after rounds 3 & 4: 1 Martin Groves 40pts; 2 Scott Moran 38; 3 Deryk Young 24; 4 Chris Merrick 23; 5 Trevor Willis 22; 6 Jos Goodyear 21; etc.
26/04/2009
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Two historic cars stolen
Bruce Fullerton has had a March 78B and Lola T460 Atlantic, which are campaigned in the HSCC Championship, stolen from a garage last week. He is trying to spread the word around the motor racing community to both get the cars back as well as avoiding someone buying car/spares which are stolen.
He is offering a £10,000 reward for info leading to their return as they are very prized cars which have been completely restored and are now used in competition.
Contacts:
e: brucef@wessextg.com
m: +44 (0) 7712 885 354
t: +44 (0) 8700 869 941
20/04/2009
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