Shelsley Walsh 17th September

Nick Smith

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Shelsley Walsh is a fantastic location for a hillclimb. It is well off the beaten track, about fifteen miles west of Worcester. It is the oldest continuously run motorsport venue in the world, and as such it is packed with atmosphere and history.

The course itself winds steeply up the side of a hill (sic) with continuous and mature viewing facilities most of the way up. Great for spectators but fearsome looking when you are behind the wheel. Walking the course is a must, not least because the views as you reach the top are truly breathtaking, and hard to appreciate from a speeding car.

The paddock is fully garaged; great when it rains, provided you do not leave all your kit uncovered to the rear of the garage (note to self not to be so stupid next time). The 17th September was a challenging weather day, with variable conditions throughout, sometimes with rain at the top of the course but sun at the bottom.

There was a relatively good TR turnout, with four cars and five drivers, headed by the Simon and David duo in the Gulf liveried TR8. Roger and I were there in our TR6s and Simon Coldbreath in his green TR4.

The course is challenging, and like a lot of hillclimb courses, it favours the brave and powerful. Throw into the mix the changing conditions and we had an amusing, sometimes sideways day.

As is often the case we were running in a late batch, which proved to be an advantage due to the weather finally calming down, and the course drying. This meant our final runs were our best, and the day ended with Simon and David taking the honours, followed by Roger, Nick and Simon.

I shall certainly be back next year for Shelsley Walsh and hope many more join us. If you would like to see what it is like to go up the hills with me, go to youtube and search for theNickTR6. You will find clips from all my events this year: I hope you enjoy them.

Pictures courtesy of TR Register member Mark Prior.

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