A quiet time of year with no events to report so a chance to reflect on things past and those to come.

 

The Issue (BUY) starts with an interesting article by 2008 debutante (?) Barbara Fogden describing her experiences with her inexpensive Mazda MX-5. This is followed by part 2 of the Aldon AL2 story with the car returning back to the UK and its originator, Alan Goodwin after a long spell in the USA.

 

Two new features appear in this issue. One is a view from the 'other side of the fence' with a marshal recounting some of his experiences on the hills. The other is a timely piece from a 'friendly scrutineer' helping to interpret the 2009 rule changes.

 

All the othe usual features are present including 'a visit to' Pillinger Motorsports, Jerry Sturman's 'senior moments' looks at post war hillclimbing, the Speedscene, familiar pieces from Russ Ward, Paul Parker and Clive Wooster plus plenty of book reviews and a centre spread of the HSA committee with their cars.

The popular Christmas issue (BUY) of Speedscene features 2008 SBD British Sprint champion, Stewart Robb junior and his 4.0 Pilbeam-Judd KV4 MP88 on the cover.

 

Issue 151 includes British Hillclimb championship reports from Prescott, Loton and Doune plus the final British Sprint report of the season from Cadwell Park. There is a results round up of all the major Hillclimb and Sprint championships across the country. Club events from Curborough, Shelsley and Scammonden Dam are also featured.

 

Book reviews include the autobiography of hillclimbing's favourite son, Andy Priaulx. Jerry Sturman's Senior Moments column features reminiscences of the classic Lotus 35 although he does (as usual!) digress into an interesting story concerning an Imp engine's timing dowel.

 

Regular contributions from Clive Wooster and Paul Parker are supplemented by a 'Visit to...' BMTR tyres and an interesting 'Drive it...' feature on the popular Antree track by Elise driver Gary Thomas.

 

A colourful centre spread and a feature on the proposed Bee Automobiles electric Hillclimb car can also be found. Finally, being the Christmas issue the familiar XMAS quiz rounds off the issue. 

 

 

The historic 150th issue (BUY) of Speedscene features a thumbs up from Scott Moran having won the 2008 British Hillclimb championship on its cover.

 

It includes British Hillclimb reports from Harewood, Bouley Bay, Val des Terres, the golden jubilee Wiscombe, Craigantlet, Shelsley Walsh and Gurston Down. British Sprint rounds from Llandow and Colerne are reported together with rounds of the Richard Egger Insurance HSA championship and other events including a rare Sprint at Brands Hatch.

 

Jerry Sturman looks back at long lost hillclimb venues around London and the South East while the 'A visit to' series goes to Cougar Engineering who have looked after many of the fastest Seven type cars on the hills.

 

Plenty of interesting book reviews and othe regular features complete the issue.

Speedscene 149 is the biggest issue (BUY) of the year at 68 pages and covers events held during the summer (or what there was of it in 2008!) months. The cover features Jos Goodyear's 4 Litre Pilbeam at Harewood at the end of May.

 

British Hillclimb Championship rounds at Barbon, Harewood, Gurston, Shelsley, Loton and Doune are covered along with British Sprint Championship rounds at Pembrey, Lydden and Anglesey.

 

The "visit to...." series goes to DTA, home of one of the UK's leading ECU developers and Senior correspondent, Jerry Sturman recalls memories of Gurston Down. A busy "the speedscene" section of news, an extensive set of book reviews, numerous reports of club events and regular features from Clive Wooster and Paul Parker complete the issue.

 

Speedscene 148 (BUY), covering events during April and May features Ian Fidoe winning his class at Shelsley Walsh in May in his smart and rare Pilbeam MP43.

 

A big issue at 60 pages starting with a report of the British Hillclimb championship round at Prescott and the early British Sprint rounds at Croft, Combe, Mallory and East Fortune.

 

There is a description of the little known but highly demanding Sprint track at Longcross, arguably the closest to London, situated near to Chobham and a 'Visit to' RAW Engineering, home of the popular and successful (one won the HSA Championship in 2007) Striker.

 

A new innovation sees a precis of the most recent HSA committee meeting plus a colour centre spread of an eclectix mix of competitors. There is the full round up of many club meetings including all the Richard Egger Insurance HSA Championship rounds along with events at Gurston, Lydden, Three Sisters and Harewood.

 

The issue is rounded off with the regular contributions from Jerry Sturman, Paul Parker and Clive Wooster and some interesting book reviews and letters.

This 'Winter' issue (BUY) of Speedscene features a clasic action photo of Matt Oliver's Gould Judd on its cover amply demonstrating the wealth of modern and extremely powerful machinery to be seen at Sprints and Hillclimbs around the country.

 

This issue also premieres two new feature articles - 'A visit to.....' and 'Senior moments'. In the first, our correspondents will visit organisations who we hope are both of interest and relevance to our readership, beginning with Merlin Motorsports at Castle Combe who supply race parts for all competitors but particularly for older and more unusual cars. The second is a regular column from Jerry Sturman, for many years the editor of Speedscene, who revisits interesting events form the past and puts them into today's context.

 

Also in this issue is a celebration of the Reverend Barry Whitehead's forty years in Speed events written by fellow competitor Allan Staniforth, the 2008 calendars of many of the most prominent Championships, a fascinating history of outgoing sponsor, Alan Goodwin's ALDON AL3, a feature on Dave Oldridge's most successful season to date with his OMS Hornet Yamaha plus the usual news, book reviews, Clive Wooster & Paul Parker columns and colour photographs.

 

The final issue of 2007 (BUY) wraps up the major championships leading with reports of the British Hillclimb Championship from Doune and Shelsley Walsh and the final round of the British Sprint Championship from Aintree.

 

The final two rounds of the ALDON HSA Speed Championship from Loton Park and Curborough are covered. The 'between the beams' section includes reports from Gurston Down, Longleat, Thoresby and Prescott. Steve Wilkinson take time off from Sprinting and  has a day out at Shelsley and continental correspondent Peter Herbert visits Craigantlet.

 

This issue includes the ever popular Christmas Quiz along with the regular columns from Paul Parker and Clive Wooster. Suspension wizard Allan Staniforth unravels some of the mysteries of spring rates in a feature article and the issue is rounded off with the usual collection of book reviews and classified ads.

Speedscene 145 (BUY), featuring Fyrth Crosse's Mallock on the cover at Shelsley Walsh during some of the wettest conditions experienced in the UK during the summer, included reports of all the British Hillclimb Championship rounds at Harewood, Wiscombe, the Channel Islands, Craigantlet, Gurstond Down and Prescott.

 

The British Sprint Championship was reported with rounds at Llandow, Kirkistown and Colerne and the ALDON HSA Championship rounds at MIRA and Shelsley were also covered.

 

The regular 'between the beam' section included coverage of events at Aintree, Loton Park (5 events), Gurston Down, Shelsley Walsh, Scamonden Dam and Brands Hatch.

 

With so many events covered there was only enough space left for a couple of pages of book reviews and a centre colour spread featuring many familiar cars from the hills and the tracks.