Avon Tyres are to sponsor the 2012 MSA British Hillclimb Championship, which was officially launched at Mallory Park this afternoon (Feb 4). As has been previously announced, administration is in the hands of the BARC, who are now in their Centenary year, with experienced British hillclimber and Harewood organizer Tim Wilson at the helm.

Championship sponsor Paul Coates, general manager of Avon Tyres Motor Sport, said: ’We will be working with long-time Avon hillclimb tyre supplier Paul Smith of BMTR and part of our sponsorship deal is to provide lower cost competition tyres for competitors. We are also looking at their increased longevity. We will also be mounting an intensive PR and marketing campaign to enable the sport to reach a wider audience, in terms of both spectators and prospective competitors.’

TTC Group, competitor Graham Wynn’s company which sponsored the Midland Hillclimb Championship last year and will be continuing its backing in 2012, will also sponsor this year’s MSA Hillclimb Leaders Championship, which is run concurrently with the mainland British rounds.

Full details of the 2012 British Hillclimb Championship (which opens at Prescott on April 28/29) including regulations and entry forms, are available at the British Hill climb web site

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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. 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 a 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.