Changeable weather conditions failed to drain the colour from the Midland Automobile Club’s British Racing Green event held at Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb over the weekend.
Undisputed star of the show was the futuristic-looking Aston Martin Vulcan, a £2.5million hypercar, which left the longest strips of rubber away from the start line that I have ever seen and combined with an awesome sound and blistering performance, certainly won the approval of most people present.
Another aspect to the weekend celebrating the ‘Best of British’ was an invitation class for car manufacturers to showcase electric and SUV vehicles which allowed MAC member and regular single-seater racer Darren Gumbley, of Tenbury Wells, the chance to bring along his own everyday mode of transport, a new 3ltr-supercharged Land Rover Discovery 5, to the iconic track.
Darren, said: “I may have set my sights a little too high by aiming to get a mid-30s time in this sort of machine, but the applause and banter I received at the warm-up line each time certainly made my concerted efforts worthwhile, even though I only achieved a best time of 41.88 seconds.
“With the advent of more electric vehicles in the future, I think these special classes just highlight the very wide range of vehicles that can compete in hill climbing and I think the whole weekend was very well organised and great fun, and personally, I will still love driving the Discovery every single day.”
A new women’s record was set over the weekend when website road test editor Vicky Parrott, of DriveTribe.com competed in a 600bhp Bentley Bentayga W12, setting a time of 35.53 seconds, 80 years after Miss May Cunliffe first set a ladies record at Shelsley Walsh in a 3-litre Bentley.
Vicky, commented: “I have driven on many circuits but this is my first visit to Shelsley Walsh and what a fabulous place it is, very narrow and daunting but this Bentayga is some serious machine and has enabled me to set a new women’s record, so I am very grateful to Bentley for giving me this opportunity … oh and also for the loan of the special Bentley racing overalls with the name of a certain David Brabham embroidered onto the waist band!”
Joining Darren and Vicky in the British Racing Green Invitation Class were MAC members Trevor Willis, 2012 British champion, who was driving the recently announced Ford Focus Electric winning his class with a time of 45.29 seconds and Simon Durling, who took second place overall behind Vicky in a Volkswagen Golf R with a time of 35.65 seconds, also being the fastest estate car of the weekend.
Besides various invited classes, the weekend hosted entrants in the very closely fought Midland Hill Climb Championship where reigning champion Mike Turpin, from Hereford, in his Vauxhall VX220, won his Modified Production class to consolidate his current lead in this year’s standings.
Saturday welcomed entrants in the motorcycle National Hill Climb Association championship, which produced class wins for Quentin Woollacott on a Suzuki, Mike Tilley on a Honda CR, Tommy Hodges on a Team GV KTM and Paul Jeffery on a KTM RC8R, with Ian Guy and Shelley Smithies taking the sidecar class.
The New Barns Championship saw a win for Graham Ramsey in a Triumph TR7, from Thomas Frankland in a Westfield Mega S2000 and Pete Fletcher in an Abarth 500 Essesse.
Paul Howells in his 911 RSR won the Porsche Club National Hill Climb Championship class and the Pirelli Ferrari Hill Climb Championship round was won by Nick Taylor in an F430 Coupe.
Heavy rain affected leading drivers in the Top Ten Challenge run-offs with Trevor Willis taking the first round in his and Ed Hollier in his 1600cc Empire Evo taking the second.
Best time of the day went to Wallace Menzies in his new Gould GR59M with a time of 24.04 seconds and class winners included Richard Brant in a Renault Clio 172 Sport, Robert Lancaster-Gaye in a Porsche GT2, David Warburton in a Caterham 7, Paul Jones in a Lotus Exige and Ash Mason in a Westfield SEi.
Sports and racing car classes saw wins for Robert Kenrick in a GWR Raptor, Neville Rollason in a Jamun, Stuart Ridge in a Pilbeam MP53, Michael Henney in a Lotus Elan S3, Steven Mogg in a TVR Griffith 500, Richard Hollingworth in a DJ Firehawk, Philip Stader in an Alfa Romeo Berlina and Robin Nicholson in a Mallock Mk20.
