All set up and ready to race.
Arriving on Friday night, I set up my tent and proceeded to walk the hill. I was stunned to find that the first 300m is downhill! In fact it is more like a mini-sprint than a hillclimb. However, the second part of the course is pure speed hillclimbing a its best with blind over-crest corners, fast sweepers and a storming section through a farmyard. Mooo.....
The competition
My competion was in the form of John Gallagher - current HSA championship leader in his Mk1 1.8 Roadster, Tony Thomas - placed second in the championship with is Mk1 1.6 and Barbara Fogden - 2008 MX-5 Class champion in her Mk1 1.6.
As this meeting was also a round of the MSA British Hillclimb Championship, Saturday was purely practice with a further practice run on Sunday followed by two vital timed runs.
Practice went well with me getting quicker with each run: 77.62, 77.39, 75.05, 74.06. John managed a cracking 73.10 on his third practice but couldn't repeat it. Tony and Barbara were struggling to keep up with us - the 1.6 probably not having the grunt for the second part of the course. Their best practice runs were 76.19 and 76.79 respectively.
I spent hours on Saturday night analysing split times and walking the course again. I was sure I had it cracked and could take another 2 seconds off my time. Alas, it was not to be!
My Sunday practice run was a bit of a disaster - I had a couple of big lockups and got well out of shape coming into 'Orchard' which cost me a lot of speed on the exit. I only managed a time of 75.12. John did a 73.40 so was close to his best time from Saturday.
First timed runs came along and it looked like it might rain so I went all guns blazing in the hope that my competitors would get caught out later. I got a good start and held on through the first corner. I locked up coming into the twisty 'esses' which cost me time but I managed to get on the power early for the start of the uphill section. I had another lockup at 'Orchard' (guess what I need to practice!) and lost lots of time again but I managed to get a reasonable run through the final part the course to post 74.12secs.
John came in with a 73.51 so I was within striking distance. If only I could string together a smooth, error free run (the holy grail!). Tony did his best time of the weekend (76.01) and Barbara had a spin so was well down.
The final run came and I tried a wee bit too hard (for a change!). It was more aggressive and messy and I forgot all that I had learned from the split times and walking the course. Unsurprisingly my time was around 74.5 sec. No one else bettered their earlier times so John was winner again with me a close second.
Martin Groves (left) and Scott Moran (right) set off for the final runoff
Whilst all this was going on, there was of course the small matter of the MSA British Hillclimb Championship. It was the usual Groves v Moran tussle with Scott Moran just having the upper hand before I had to leave for my five hour drive home.
There were a few other scots there too - Drew Dawson in his bike engined DJ Firehawk and Nicola and Wallace Menzies - the latter with a brand spanking new DJ Firestorm with Cosworth V8 powerplant. That looks like it could be some machine............
Overall, the best weekend of the year so far (even though I didn't win!).
I'm off to Scammonden Dam near Huddersfield next weekend for round 5 of the TJ Services Northern Speed Championship.
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