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."

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.

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 with 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 beating his class record in practice, Rob Stevens spun out in his self-developed supercharged 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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),  took a double run-off win in their shared Gould-NME, this time on a dry track. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.’

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.

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.

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.

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 90pts; 2 Trevor Willis 72; 3 Roger Moran 62; 4 Lee Adams 52; 5 Chris Merrick 42; 6 Wallace Menzies 39; etc.

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

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 (2^nd in C4) and Whimple’s Ben Stephenson (2^nd 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.

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, Garen Gumbley (Force PT) and John Burton (Ralt RT3) both 1st in their classes on Sunday, in the 36's. Other HSA contenders were also on the pace with no fewer than 7 new HSA class records and high points scoring. 

The 16^th 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 31.90seconds.

All the times can 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 interested in Mike Broome’s Eldon Formula Ford, one of which he owned following his introduction to motor sport in a Lotus 51 which he won in an Autosport competition.

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.

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, 8^th June & 17^th 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.  

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 (5^th), Tom New (7^th), Will Hall (10^th), Wallace Menzies (8^th), Paul Ranson (6^th) and Roger Moran (4^th). The only absentee is Deryk Young (9^th), 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.

2010 Nicholson McLaren MSA British Hillclimb Championship, final positions: 1 Martin Groves 247pts; 2 Scott Moran 238; 3 Trevor Willis 203; 4 Roger Moran 182; 5 Chris Merrick 141; 6 Paul Ranson 137; 7 Tom New 112; 8 Wallace Menzies 72; 9 Deryk Young 62; 10 Will Hall 57; etc.

British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves 242pts; 2 Scott Moran 229; 3 Trevor Willis 194; 4 Roger Moran 181; 5 Chris Merrick 132; 6 Paul Ranson 122; etc.

British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves 230pts; 2 Scott Moran 210; 3 Trevor Willis 182; 4 Roger Moran 178; 5 Chris Merrick 129; 6= Tom New and Paul Ranson 108; etc.

British Championship positions: 1 Martin Groves, 214pts; 2 Scott Moran 210; 3 Roger Moran 171; 4 Trevor Willis 159; 5 Chris Merrick 126; 6 Tom New 108; etc.

            In an astonishing replay of their May Gurston duel, Chris Merrick and Scott Moran (pictured) again tied for the win in a British Hillclimb run-off, this time at Shelsley Walsh. Each time in his two-win career and within the space of three months, Merrick has had to share victory with Moran, but it was the defending champion’s 57^th win, which puts him within striking distance of five-time British champion David Grace’s fourth place overall on the all-time run-off winners’ table. Craigantlet victor Paul Ranson finished a strong third ahead of co-driver Martin Groves in an ill-handling Gould, which gave both drivers heart-stopping moments through Crossing at 130mph.

British Championship standings: 1 Martin Groves 195pts; 2 Scott Moran 191; 3 Roger Moran 162; 4 Trevor Willis 156; 5 Chris Merrick 111; 6 Paul Ranson 94; etc.

We are sorry to report that Bob Dayson finally lost his battle with cancer in the early hours of this morning. The ever jovial arch-enthusiast for motorsport, particularly hillclimbing and sporting trials, will long be remembered for his light-hearted but always competitive approach to the sport to which he contributed so much, in so many ways. The HSA would like to offer sincere condolences to Bob’s family and countless friends. One of hillclimbing’s true characters, he will be much missed.

            A full appreciation will follow in a future issue of Speedscene

After a fine opening shot by Peter Kukainis in his Westfield-Duratec had got right in amongst the single seaters to secure third FTD, Elden FF driver Mike Broome won one of the closest fought Alan Payne Trophy class winners’ run-offs ever seen with the top three; Broome, Ben Hamer’s Mini Turbo and Clive Wooster’s Radical, covered by just seven hundredths of a second on corrected times.

Full report in Speedscene 156.

Provisional final championship positions: 1 John Gallagher (1.8 Mazda MX5); 2 Simon Andrews (1.8 MG TF); 3 Brian Ball (0.6 Force-Yamaha); 4 Steve Filkin (1.8 Lotus Elise); 5 Geoff Kershaw (2.9 Ford Sierra); etc.

            With Eynon Price also in the points each time and finishing tenth overall on the British table, 1600cc cars figured well in both run-offs. Lee Adams made a great British Championship debut in the new Graeme Wight Jr built GWR Raptor-Hayabusa (pictured), opening his account straight away with sixth place in the opening run-off before an oil leak stemmed the superb new machine’s progress.

Final British Championship positions: 1 Scott Moran 246pts; 2 Trevor Willis 219; 3 Roger Moran 202; 4 Martin Groves 184; 5 Chris Merrick 134; 6 Paul Ranson 113; 7 Tom New 87; 8 Will Hall 83; 9 Deryk Young 80; 10 Eynon Price 75; 11 Paul Haimes 66; 12 Rob Turnbull 45; etc.

British Championship positions after Prescott: 1 Scott Moran 230pts; 2 Trevor Willis 214; 3 Roger Moran 194; 4 Martin Groves 184; 5 Chris Merrick 134; 6 Paul Ranson 113; 7 Tom New 87; 8 Deryk Young 80; 9 Will Hall 72; 10 Eynon Price 71; etc.

Scott Moran (pictured) took a step nearer an almost inevitable second successive British title after taking both run-off wins at Shelsley Walsh. The result moved his 2009 win tally to 13 and his points lead to 41 with just six rounds to go. In a clean sweep for the Moran family, his father Roger finished second each time ahead of an on-the-limit Trevor Willis and Shelsley expert Deryk Young. With his two third places, Willis leveled his Championship score with the absent Martin Groves, who had already announced his withdrawal from the series.

            In what has been something of a ‘comeback year’, Moran Sr looks set to overhaul Groves on the Championship table as increases his lead over Chris Merrick. Summer sunshine brought big crowds to Shelsley, most of whom were rooting for Merrick to score his first ever British win after he’d qualified top for the opening run-off. But as co-driver Tom New neared the finish line on his opening run-off shot, the Gould’s Judd unit went off-song. New finished a strong fifth, but a broken valve spring sidelined the car before Merrick had a chance to run.

            Driving his Pilbeam-Judd, Oliver Tomlin enjoyed his finest British Championship day so far with sixth and later fifth place, while the impressive Simon Marsh made the cut each time aboard his late father Tony’s Gould V6, getting his first ever British points on the board with ninth place in the afternoon.

British Championship positions after Shelsley Walsh: 1 Scott Moran 225pts; 2= Martin Groves and Trevor Willis 184; 4 Roger Moran 170; 5 Chris Merrick 134; 6 Paul Ranson 113; 7 Tom New 87; 8 Deryk Young 63; 9 Eynon Price 62; 10 Will Hall 53; etc.

Stewart Robb Jr finally broke Roy Lane’s long standing 25.72 hill record at Grampian MC’s short, 725 yard hill at Fintray, near Aberdeen, last Saturday. Lane’s old hill standard was set at 1989’s British Championship meeting in his Pilbeam-DFL MP58. Robb’s father, Stewart Sr, was first inside the record – by a mere hundredth – aboard their 4-litre Pilbeam-Judd MP88. But on a day when nine class records were reset, his son applied the coupe de gras on the very last run of the day with a 25.28.

            The traditional large sign at Ruin, which displays the current hill record and its holder, was updated and in place by the start of practice for Sunday’s event!

Chasing Roger Moran home each time, two fourth place finishes marked Tom New’s best result of the year. His co-driver Chris Merrick spun out of the opening qualifying runs – which with just 13 potential runners let in Peter Herbert for his first British run-off appearance in the Westfield-BDH – but recovered to finish sixth in the second stanza behind the flying Will Hall. And after two mid-field placings as he swapped run-off honours with sparring partner Eynon Price, Hall eased the absent Paul Haimes off the number ten spot on the championship table.

Championship standings after Craigantlet: 1 Scott Moran 205pts; 2 Martin Groves 184; 3 Trevor Willis 168; 4 Roger Moran 152; 5 Chris Merrick 134; 6 Paul Ranson 113; 7 Tom New 81; 8 Eynon Price 62; 9 Deryk Young 49; 10 Will Hall 47; etc.

            Two days later, at Le Val des Terres on Guernsey, the weather was even more unpredictable and top qualifier Chris Guille scored a brilliant first ever British win in the 2-litre OMS-Vauxhall, with even Scott Moran unable to challenge the Guernsey-born driver and Eynon Price and Will Hall proudly flying the 1600 flag in third and fourth. Groves, who had missed the opening cut after a failed run, made up for it later on to take the second run-off win from Trevor Willis and the on-form Guille, thus matching Roy Lane’s all-time best total of 90 British run-off wins.

            Full report in Speedscene 155.

Championship positions after Le Val des Terres: 1= Martin Groves and Scott Moran 177pts; 3 Trevor Willis 139; 4 Chris Merrick 123; 5 Roger Moran 118; 6 Paul Ranson 101; 7 Tom New 59; 8 Deryk Young 49; 9 Paul Haimes 41; 10 Eynon Price 40; etc.

            Robert Capper set the pace among a strong Richard Egger/HSA contingent, finishing third in the 600cc racing class in his Nemesis. After a head gasket had blown on his Elise, Steve Filkin shared RE championship third place man Simon Andrews’ X-Power Cup MG TF, chasing his benefactor home behind a strong contingent of 2-litre ModProd British championship regulars. In the HSA ‘B’ Licence class, Eric Morrey followed up his Prescott win with another in the turbocharged Clan, keeping the Peugeot 205 of Emerson Kent and Chris Flavell at bay. Championship leader John Gallagher headed a quartet of Mazda MX5s to finish fourth.

            Full report in Speedscene 155.

            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.

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.

            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.

            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.

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).

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.

            In-depth tributes to HSA members Tony Marsh and Allan Staniforth will follow in Speedscene 154

            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.

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.

A full report of both days’ motorsport will appear in Speedscene 153.

            Full report and pictures in Speedscene 153.

Championship positions after rounds 1 and 2: 1= Scott Moran and Martin Groves 20pts; 3= Deryk Young and Jos Goodyear 15; 5 Chris Merrick 9; 6 Roger Moran 8; etc.

With his Rover V6 powered Pilbeam appearing at Loton in the hands of its new owner, Cornishman Mike Tregoning, former 2-litre ace Tom New gets his first taste of V8 power alongside Chris Merrick. His successor to the number 10 spot in the Championship, Paul Haimes in the Dallara, heads a strong 2-litre class which also sees the return of another former champion, Adam Fleetwood. The former hill record-holder will partner father Roger in the ex.Wallace Menzies supercharged DJ Firehawk-Suzuki.

Expect more fireworks as Will Hall, now with a bigger Hayabusa in his Force, takes on rapid Welshman Eynon Price and the rest in a competitive 1600 class. Driving his awesome 700bhp Puma-Gould, Endean himself will join the new Mallock-BDG of Chris and Ashley Ward among the sports libres. A good entry of classic racers is headed by defending UK Changes Midland Hillclimb Champion Peter Cox’s beefy Chevron-Rover, while Paul Matty Classic champ Richard Jones in his Brabham-BDA will come under fire from Simon Durling’s Brabham-Buick and HSA stalwart Alan Goodwin’s Aldon AL3 sportsracer in the pre-‘72 class.

With practice on Easter Sunday, April 12, the competitive action gets under way the following day after a final practice session starting at 9.00am.

As broadcast on the Motors TV channel in November, these two hour-long seasonal reviews are now both available from Brayspeed on DVD in widescreen format. They cover the Nicholson McLaren British Hillclimb Championship and the Gates of Brockenhurst Gurston Down Championship. These specially produced programmes include all the top action and many of Tony Wiltshire’s penetrating interviews as featured on the regular programmes, each with an all-new commentary by Jerry Sturman. For full details and selected video excerpts, visit: www.brayspeed.co.uk

In autumnal Curborough sunshine, John Palmer secured his fifth HSA Speed Championship title in style with a new class record at Curborough on Sunday. ‘Conditions were ideal this afternoon,’ said Palmer. ‘I was determined to break my old record that’s stood for over five years. ‘I’d beaten it before by two hundredths during a run-off, which didn’t count, but it’s good to have taken four hundredths off officially.’ His Westfield Zetec S left Curborough’s 1700 Roadgoing Specialist Production Car mark at 33.49 sec.

            Rival Steve Filkin in his Elise, who Palmer had beaten to the Paul Matty Midland Sprint title only the previous weekend at Curborough, had to settle for second place in the Richard Egger Insurance backed HSA Championship. However long time series sponsor Alan Goodwin had a field day each weekend, with both cars powered by engines from his Aldon Automotive stable.

            After pipping equally hard trying Mini driver Hugh Whitcombe to the class win on his second run, the spectacular Matt Clarke found another half second to win the coveted Alan Payne Memorial Trophy for victory in the 16-strong class winners’ run-off. FTD went to Jeremy Wilson after not only he but his closest challengers, Curborough expert Glyn Sketchley in his 1100 Megapin-Yamaha and Simon Marsh in the Gould-Opel V6 went a little agricultural on their second runs!

            Full Championship results are now available elsewhere on the HSA website, and a full report of the meeting will appear in issue 151 of Speedscene.

A delighted Graeme Wight Jr scored the first British Hillclimb Championship victory for his awesome V10 Predator on home turf at Doune, edging out Martin Groves by two hundredths of a second to win the opening run-off. Trailing smoke from a blown gearbox towards the end of the second shoot-out, he all but matched his earlier pace but had to settle for settle for second place after a superb closing effort by Groves. With traces of Wight’s gearbox oil still on the track on the final bend, the outgoing British champion took the win a mere hundredth of a second outside his outright hill record.

            Despite clipping the notorious Doune barriers during the first run-off, Trevor Willis chased the leaders hard for third place each time in the OMS-Powertec. Another fine drive by Paul Haimes, who also had to contend with the oily track during the final run-off of the season, saw the 2-litre Dallara driver survive intense pressure from Wight Jr to hang on to his coveted tenth place on the Championship table by a single point from the Scot. But earlier, in a last round duel, Haimes’ bid to take the PowerMec Leaders Championship crown failed when a class win for Pilbeam-Millington sportscar driver Simon Fidoe secured the class-based title.

Final British Hillclimb Championship positions: 1 Scott Moran 265pts; 2 Martin Groves 247; 3 Trevor Willis 209; 4 Roger Moran 178; 5 Chris Merrick 170; 6 Jos Goodyear 133; 7 Paul Ranson 123; 8 Basil Pitt 96; 9 Deryk Young 76; 10 Paul Haimes 63; etc.

A full set of 1-hour Brayspeed DVDs covering Nicholson McLaren British Hillclimb rounds at Gurston, Shelsley, Loton Park, Doune, Bouley Bay, Le Val des Terres, Wiscombe and Prescott, plus all four rounds of the Gates of Brockenhurst Gurston Down Championship, is now available. For full details and selected video excerpts, visit: www.brayspeed.co.uk

Despite having already lost this year’s British Hillclimb Championship to Scott Moran, Martin Groves showed he’d lost none of his fighting spirit as he stormed to the double run-off win and FTD at Loton Park, resetting Moran’s hill record by three hundredths of a second on his final run with a 44.53. At the end of another typically all-out performance by the outgoing champion, he’d exceeded Moran’s total of wins this year and equalled the new champion’s number of 2008 records.

            Scott didn’t get the chance to retaliate as his Gould was sidelined for the day after a steering rack ball-joint broke – at 120mph on Cedar Straight – during his father Roger’s first qualifying run of the day. Roger escaped unscathed after a happily minor off-course excursion, but with nothing more to prove this year they took the decision to withdraw the car.

            With still an outside chance of catching Groves on the Championship table, Trevor Willis ran him close in the opening run-off before qualifying top for the second shoot-out, but then spun the OMS-Powertec out of the points at Fletchers. With two spectacular runs in the Predator V10, Graeme Wight Jr gave notice of his intention to return with a vengeance next year with third and second places respectively. The Scot is closing in to threaten Paul Haimes’ tenth place on the series table, and with Haimes also set to challenge fellow class winner Simon Fidoe in a PowerMec Leaders Championship showdown in the remaining round, there will still be plenty to play for at Doune’s Championship finale in a fortnight.

British Championship standings after Loton Park: 1 Scott Moran 265pts; 2 Martin Groves 228; 3 Trevor Willis 201; 4 Roger Moran 178; 5 Chris Merrick 170; 6 Jos Goodyear 133; etc.

Trevor Willis took the fourth British Hillclimb win of his career and clinched the Midlands based 2008 Avon/BMTR Top Ten Challenge title as he sped to FTD at Prescott on Sunday. With his British title already relinquished to Scott Moran at Gurston a fortnight earlier, Martin Groves won the opening Nicholson McLaren run-off from the howling Predator V10 of Graeme Wight Jr after Willis slipped to ninth after a mistake on the wet track and Moran failed even to qualify. But in the drier second run-off, Willis hit top form with the only sub 40sec run of the day to deny Moran the win.

            With the non-appearance of closest rival Robert Kenrick, Peter Cox clinched the UK Changes Midland Hillclimb title in the big Chevron-Rover B42, giving a huge boost to the increasingly popular pre-86 single seater class on the Midland hills. With two rounds to go, at Loton Park and Doune, the PowerMec Leaders Hillclimb Championship is reaching a climax as a class win for Paul Haimes at Prescott put the 2-litre Dallara driver at the head of the series table, level with Simon Fidoe’s Pilbeam-Millington sportscar.

British Championship standings after Prescott: 1 Scott Moran 265pts; 2 Martin Groves 207; 3 Trevor Willis 194; 4 Roger Moran 178; 5 Chris Merrick 170; 6 Jos Goodyear 118; etc.

Mike Endean, MD of Nicholson McLaren who has sponsored the MSA British Hillclimb Championship for the last five years, announced his continued backing for the Championship at Gurston Down’s BHC event in August. In 2009 the series will be supported by Endean’s company MCL Motorhomes, based in North Wales. For more information visit www.mcl-motorhomes.com

After another weekend of misfortune for the Groves/Ranson team, Scott Moran finally secured his first British Hillclimb title at Gurston Down with six rounds in hand.

            Early runner Paul Ranson slid wide over the Karousel rumble strip in the opening run-off, punctured a tyre with a piece of the Gould’s carbonfibre aero diffuser broken in the incident and spun the car at Ashes. Moran stammered up in fifth place with an electrical problem and with a new wheel and tyre in place, penultimate runner Martin Groves set the outright pace, salvaging a reprieve from what was by now his almost inevitable championship fate and handed the win when top qualifier Jos Goodyear slid the Pilbeam-Judd into the Ashes barrier.

            But when Ranson stormed the Gould down into Hollow early in the second shoot-out, the car coasted to a halt with a broken third gear. With no time for repairs, Groves was unable to take his run. Goodyear made amends for his earlier mistake by taking the second British run-off win of his career and FTD in the process. But this fine achievement was a little overshadowed as with just a second place finish and Groves non-starting, a delighted Scott Moran had easily done enough to secure his first British Hillclimb title.

            Scott’s victory also drew a parallel with Graham and Damon Hill in F1 – together with father Roger’s 1997 title, it marked the first father and son championship winning pairing in British hillclimbing.

Championship standings after Gurston Down: 1 Scott Moran, 262pts; 2 Martin Groves 189; 3 Trevor Willis 186; 4 Roger Moran 171; 5 Chris Merrick, 157; 6 Jos Goodyear, 114; etc.

The event also drew a healthy 33 cars and drivers vying for Richard Egger HSA Speed Championship points. With the entry split into two sections for awards purposes, Chris Jones headed the saloon and sports car section with an enterprising couple of runs in the Westfield – rather too enterprising second time up as he spun off into the Karousel infield in an attempt to get on terms with Simonn Braithwaite’s class record, although the win was secure from defending champion John Bradshaw, who took just one run in the Striker. That could have proved Bradshaw's undoing as Neil Duncanson, no stranger to the venue in the big Quattro, closed to within eight hundredths for a strong third place ahead of championship second place man Steve Filkin in the Elise. Wil Ker howled the Mini Turbo home in fifth, while a fine second run by Richard Colwill hauled the Impreza up through the field to complete the top six.

            John Burton and John Opie ruled the racing section in their Steve Owen built Ralt-Vauxhall RT3, Fyrth Crosse finding a massive second run improvement in the historic Ensign to almost get on terms with Opie as he drew clear of Brian Ball’s tiny Force-Yamaha. A fine scrap between Tony Jarvis and Martin Webb in their shared Van Diemen ‘Pterodactyl’ RF 84 was only settled on aggregate in Jarvis’s favour, after both set identical second run times.

            Full report will follow in Speedscene 150.

The weather gods stepped in to move Scott Moran one step further towards a 2008 British Hillclimb title on the very last run of the day at Shelsley Walsh on Sunday.

            After qualifying top with a new class record, Martin Groves went on to set yet another outright Shelsley record, at 22.58s, and win the morning run-off from Moran. He topped the Q-sheets in the afternoon, too, ahead of his rival. But after Moran had edged in front of Groves’ co-driver Paul Ranson, Groves took his final run just as rain started to fall at the top of the hill. Clocking 135mph on the approach, he was a quarter of a second up on Moran to the Esses before he hit the now slippery tarmac. He controlled the slide, but the time was gone and he had to settle for eighth place, leaving Ranson to score a season-best second place – just three hundredths of a second away from his first ever British run-off win.

            Moran’s series lead is now 68 points and although it’s still mathematically possible for Groves to win a fourth successive British title, he will need a string of record-supported wins over the remaining eight rounds with Moran returning a series of mediocre scores, which seems unlikely given the championship leader’s current form.

            Full report in Speedscene 150.

Championship positions after Shelsley Walsh: 1 Scott Moran 247pts; 2 Martin Groves 179; 3 Trevor Willis 172; 4 Roger Moran 155; 5 Chris Merrick 144; 6 Jos Goodyear 104; etc.

All Coast mufflers feature all stainless steel TIG welded construction and can be repacked.

Two straight run-off wins and a new hill record at Craigantlet boosted Scott Moran’s already healthy lead in the Nicholson McLaren British Hillclimb Championship. Rival Martin Groves’ Gould didn’t even turn a wheel in anger, a gearbox output shaft breaking as co-driver Paul Ranson brought the car to the line for its very first practice run on the high speed Belfast road course. With no spare available, the car was sidelined for the day and Groves could only watch from the sidelines as Moran stretched his series lead to 63 points.

Having equalled former champion Adam Fleetwood’s outright record at last year’s event, Scott carved a whole quarter of a second off the mark on the very last run of the day and with ten rounds of this year’s championship remaining, must now be a strong favourite for the 2008 title.

A relatively small group of British contenders made the trip across the Irish Sea and with qualification certain – provided they completed the course and got a time – several drivers scored their first ever British points. Among them was Andrew Platt who, with two fifth place finishes in his 2-litre Dallara, moved straight up to 14^th place on the championship table. Tom New, however, desperate to gain ground on 2-litre rival Paul Haimes in his absence, crashed out of the opening run-off. Sustaining rear wing and gearbox damage, he failed to add to his score.

            Full report in Speedscene 150.

Championship standings after Craigantlet: 1 Scott Moran 228pts; 2 Martin Groves 165; 3 Trevor Willis 157; 4 Roger Moran 144; 5 Chris Merrick 138; 6 Jos Goodyear 95; etc.

Wiscombe Park celebrated its 50^th Anniversary year in style at July’s British Championship meeting. A cavalcade of hillclimb cars and drivers associated with the Devon hillclimb’s history took place at lunchtime, many of which took part in a special class to commemorate the event. Tony Freeman’s picture shows a small cross-section with British champions Chris Cramer, Roger Moran, Tony Marsh and his famous 4WD Marsh Special, together with Martin Groves and Roy Lane, who between them have taken no less than sixteen British titles.

            Groves and Scott Moran took up the cudgels once again in their duel for the 2008 title, with Groves taking his tenth win of the year in the opening run-off to level with Moran’s total. But in the final shoot-out the ever present Trevor Willis, despite bouncing nudging the bank at Sawbench with his OMS-Powertec, split the battling duo as Moran took the win.

            Full report in Speedscene 150 – or check the Woolbridge MC website: www.woolbridge.co.uk

British Championship standings: 1 Scott Moran 207pts; 2 Martin Groves 165; 3 Trevor Willis 143; 4 Roger Moran 127; 5 Chris Merrick 121; 6 Jos Goodyear 95; etc.

            A full review will appear in Speedscene 149.

On a weekend in which conditions alternated between torrential rain and bright sunshine, a limited choice of tyres confined British Hillclimb Championship leader Scott Moran to fifth place in the wet opening run-off at Harewood. Martin Groves continued his championship fightback to take the win, almost a second clear of the hot favourite in the conditions, Trevor Willis.  But when sunshine and a dry track greeted competitors in the afternoon shoot-out Moran approached hill record pace, storming to victory over Groves with the only sub-50sec run of the weekend and maintaining a healthy 40-point series lead over the defending champion.

            Amid a strong contingent of Richard Egger HSA Championship contenders, John Palmer boosted his score with a good run for fourth place in the 2-litre ModProd class and Fyrth Crosse enjoyed his first visit to Harewood as he took on the bike-engined hordes in the 1600 racing class with the Ensign-BDA. The dedicated HSA class enjoyed the best weather towards the end of the meeting, Eric Morrey setting the top pace of the day in the Clan to take the win from Wil Ker (bouncing back after a transmission failure on the Mini turbo in practice) and battling Peugeot duo Chris Flavell and Emerson Kent.

Full report in Speedscene 149.

Championship standings after round 16, Harewood: 1 Scott Moran, 150pts; 2 Martin Groves, 110; 3 Trevor Willis, 103; 4 Roger Moran, 91; 5, Chris Merrick, 84; 6 Paul Ranson, 68; etc.

Trevor Willis boosted his lead in the Avon/BMTR Challenge series with both run-off wins and a 37.71 FTD at Prescott last weekend. Behind the dominant OMS-Powertec driver, this UK Changes Midland Hillclimb Championship event staged a day-long battle between Chris Merrick and Deryk Young that began with a tie for second spot in the opening run-off, before moving up ahead of the absent Scott Moran to take second and third on the Championship table.

            A strong turnout of Richard Egger HSA Speed contenders supported the event, both throughout the classes and in two dedicated classes for B Licence competitors. They figured strongly in the overall results with Gary Hill the outright pacemaker in his OMS-Yamaha, his 43.43 taking outright victory in the 1100cc single-seater class. John Burton and John Opie took on the pre-85 racing cars in their 2-litre Ralt-Vauxhall RT3, with Burton shadowing new Midland Championship leader Peter Cox’s massive Chevron-Rover for second in class, while Opie was eased out of third place by a last run charge from Barrie Lines’ similarly powered Argo JM8. Stuart Cairney took the top Paul Matty Classic Saloon class handicap award in the Imp while in the ultra-competitive 2-litre ModProd sports car class, Chris Jones returned in his Westfield-Vauxhall to take on regular pacemakers Tim Cross and Dave Wilson and finish third in a sixteen-strong class.

            In the equally well supported HSA B Licence road car division, winner Eric Morrey and the Clan outran Championship leader Lyn Padfield’s Lotus Seven by just over half a second, Emerson Kent running a close third in his Peugeot 205 GTi.

            Full report in the next issue of Speedscene.

I am devastated to report that long standing member 1914 and past HSA committee member Malcolm Eaves was fatally injured in a motor accident last night, returning home from Prescott.

Malcolm regularly competed for 52 years and at the highest level. At Prescott on Saturday he spoke with his customary enthusiasm about how much he was relishing competing with his Lotus Elan twincam after a delayed start to his season.

The HSA Committee wish to extend their deepest condolences to Malcolm’s family and friends. Malcolm was the perfect example of those who make hill climbing the sport we love – his thoughtful and courteous presence brightening any paddock with his enthusiasm, understanding, charm, and quiet support. A true gentleman who we all will miss.

Scott Moran set the outright pace at a miserably wet Doune hillclimb, scaling the daunting heights of the Carse of Cambus with a 41.14s FTD to win the second of the day’s two run-offs and extend his lead on the Nicholson McLaren British Hillclimb Championship table. Top challenger Martin Groves, who had denied Moran the win in the first run-off, had to settle for third place behind Trevor Willis, the OMS-Powertec driver recovering well from a barrier-swiping incident in the opening shoot-out that had left him with a puncture, a damaged wheel and an eleventh place finish out of the points. But the mistake proved costly for Willis, who lost his second place on the series table to Groves as the defending champion continued his long haul back into 2008 contention.

            After a stunning practice run in the awesome Predator V10 on Saturday, just over half a second outside Groves’ 36.00s outright hill record, Graeme Wight Jr qualified in second place for the opening run-off. Then gearbox problems struck yet again and he finished only ninth before retiring the car. Former Scottish Hillclimb Champion Jonathan Rarity made a fine debut British run-off appearance in his Mark Hutcheson built Ghost-Hayabusa, bringing the diminutive machine, minus bodywork, well into the points each time.

            Full report in Speedscene 149.

Championship standings after round 14, Doune: 1 Scott Moran 134pts; 2 Martin Groves 91; 3 Trevor Willis 89; 4 Chris Merrick 84; 5 Roger Moran 81; 6 Paul Ranson 56; etc.

1995 British Hillclimb Champion and now triple FIA Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in recognition of his outstanding motor racing career. ‘I was very surprised and honoured to receive an envelope with the royal logo on,’ said a delighted Priaulx, whose autobiography will be launched at at the Brands Hatch World Touring Car event on July 26-27. ‘I love my racing and I’m proud to carry the flags of both Guernsey and the UK on my car and overalls, so recognition of this sort is something really special.’

            A full report will follow in Speedscene.

Championship standings after round 12, Loton Park: 1 Scott Moran, 115pts; 2 Trevor Willis, 80; 3= Martin Groves and Roger Moran, 73; 5 Chris Merrick, 72; 6 Jos Goodyear, 54; etc

Hillclimb Supersports (Clubmans to the regulars!) stalwarts Chris and Ashley Ward will be out in the sports libre class this year aboard the ex.Paul Haimes Mallock Mk20, with a new 2-litre BDG/Connaught unit, although they still have the Mk20X Clubmans spec car to run in the Supersports class until the new car's rebuild is completed. The ever-competitive Clubmans ranks will be swelled in 2008 by John Waggitt and Peter Needham, who will be running the ex. Colin Pook/Piers Thynne Mallock.

All programmes will go out at 9.00pm except for the Shelsley event, which will be aired at 7.30pm.

TOYO TIRES have announced the introduction of the new PROXES R888 SG Soft compound racing tyre.

This new tyre has been specifically designed for use at Sprint/Hill climb or Short Tarmac speed events. Built on the immensely successful R888 casing design, this new tyre features a super soft compound mix for extra grip, short heat build up and super responsive steering.