Shelsley Walsh is fit and ready to stage the final meeting of the 2007 MSA British Hillclimb Championship on the weekend of 6 th & 7th October. The meeting also incorporates a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the championship. The meeting and anniversary celebration takes place this late in the season because the historic hill fell victim to flooding damage during the July storms that so badly affected Worcestershire and adjacent counties and which caused cancellation of the August meeting. But the trauma of late July and early August are in the past and the iconic venue is ready to host the seasons finale as proven by a total of seven new class records at the September meeting.
The anniversary celebration takes the form of special classes with one for past champions and two for historic hillclimb cars, one pre 1939 and one post World War Two. Amongst the champions of the past who will be in the master class are Tony Marsh (six times champion), Martin Griffiths (five) and Roy Lane (four). Current Shelsley Ladies Record Holder Sue Young will be driving the historic HWM Jaguar of Shelsley stalwart Terry Grainger and Sean Gould will be driving the Gould 84G, the ancestor of the family of cars that have taken the last nine championships.
The climax of the meeting will be the final two top twelve run-offs of 2007 and the championship race will be settled on the day. Although Scott Moran (Ludlow) has led for most of the season, in reality Martin Groves (Bicester) leads by two points as only 26 of 32 scores count at seasons end and 2005/2006 champion Groves has less points to drop.
Practice for all takes place on Saturday 6th with the event on Sunday 7th . The first top twelve run-off will take place immediately before the lunch break on Sunday with the second and final run-off of 2007 taking place at the end of the event. An MAC spokesman said “Motor Sport enthusiasts everywhere must make sure they attend this meeting. The outcome of the entire British Hillclimb Championship season depends on the two exciting run-offs. Miss this event and regret it all winter long”
Shelsley Walsh is AA signposted approximately 10 miles North West of Worcester. Practice is on Saturday and the event starts at 10:00 on Sunday. Admission is £8 on Saturday and £12 on Sunday while accompanied children under 16 get in free. This includes parking, transfer to the paddock, and seated trackside enclosures. Excellent catering and light refreshment facilites are available as are a range of souvenirs and regalia.
