The real Motor Sport season of 2008 gets underway on May 4^th and 5^th when speed hill climb action returns to the world famous Shelsley Walsh in Worcestershire. In a two-day meeting there is a round of the UK Changes Midland Hill Climb Championship, the Richard Egger Insurance/HSA Speed Championship and the Porsche Club Speed Championship.
*Note that this event takes place on the Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, with practice on Sunday and the event on Monday. *
With 172 entrants the classes are packed with highly competitive car and driver combinations. In the heavily subscribed 1100 to 1600cc single seater class is the expected to be front-running and 2007 sensation Robert Kenrick in his 1600cc Force PC Suzuki. Will Hall is out at Shelsley in a new but similar and slightly smaller 1300cc capacity Force which dispenses with paint such is the desire to save weight. In the 600 to 1100cc class is another Force PC this time shared by Darren Luke and Brodie Branch who astonished spectators last year with only 999cc. With their engine now grown by another 71cc the pair are bound to stun other competitors and watchers with their performance.
The 2-litre racing car class is growing and sees two new competitors in Ash Mason and Steven Day the boss of Midland Championship sponsors UK Changes who are driving the ex-Mark Goodyear Pilbeam .MP 62 Vauxhall this season. Also in what may prove to be the most competitive class are Andrew Platt and Tim Elmer in a brace of Dallara cars, Tony Hunt in his rip-roaring supercharged Force PC and the ever competitive Steve Owen sharing the latest 2008 OMS with wife Lynne.
Lovers of nostalgia will find something to roll back the years of their memory with immortal Shelsley specials The Martyr and Spider II and much traveled Australian driver Scotty Taylor in his Cooper Bobtail similar to the car in which 3 times World Champion Jack Brabham made his F1 debut in 1955.
The unlimited capacity single seater class should see the front runners for Best Time of Day (BTD) amongst its ranks and three of the most powerful cars in speed hill climbing are entered. These are the three Goulds of husband and wife Deryk and Sue Young, veteran Rob Turnbull and Chris Merrick but perhaps the favourite should be Trevor Willis in the small but nimble OMS with Suzuki Hayabusa derived Powertec V8 engine. Trevor was fifth in the 2007 British Hill Climb Championship in this car which features on the Shelsley 2008 poster and he never fails to impress on the tight and incredibly steep confines of the historic Worcestershire Hill.
Why not plan to make it a date and attend every Shelsley event in 2008?
Shelsley Walsh is AA signposted approximately 10 miles North West of Worcester. Practice starts at 9:30 am on Sunday and the event starts at 9:30 am on Bank Holiday Monday. Admission is £10 on practice day, £14 on event day and accompanied children under 16 get in free. This includes parking, transfer to the paddock, and seated trackside enclosures.
Excellent catering and light refreshment facilities are available as are a range of souvenirs and regalia.
