MIDLAND AUTOMOBILE CLUB

SHELSLEY WALSH HILLCLIMB

CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE

10 & 11 AUGUST 2019

Report by Richard Durrant

This is one of the busiest hillclimb meetings of the season with many

championships approaching the season's finale.

The meeting was held over two days, Saturday being a one day meeting for

National 'B' license holders, including a round of our RevingtonTR/TR Register

Sprint and Hill Climb Championship, and both days hosting the British and

Midland Hillclimb and Leaders Championships.

The day started damp and with slight drizzle and, as we are a National 'B'

championship we weren't allocated garages in the paddock and had to park in

the hedge.....!!

Roger McEwen was last to arrive, so, as the other side of the roadway was full

of Porsches, he couldn't reverse into his pitch......!

Then the scrutineers started to arrive, so bonnets up.....

No problems identified and ready to proceed, although there were only three

Westfields to run after our class

Larry Jeram-Croft's TR7 V8

Your scribe's TR4A (The nearside headlight lens ISN'T broken, for those of you

who remember an incident at Curborough last year involving Kev Bryant's TR3A

rear bumper overrider....! )

Tom Purves' gorgeous TR3A, completely rebuilt after last year's total fire write

off.......which he understandably likes to keep in pristine condition…!

Martin Paine's TR6. Martin won the championship last year, and is in with a

good chance this year

Dale Strachan's TR6

Chris Roberts' TR8

So, we were called to line up in the paddock for our first practice run, and ...

The rain was torrential and we all aquaplaned to the top with no incidents and

managed to get back to our mudbath slots in one piece. Tom sensibly parked

among the Porsches again!

The rain eased off for our second practice runs, so times improved:

The National 'A' Championship contenders were then called up for practice

runs while we twiddled our thumbs, and, as there was time before lunch, we

were called for our first timed runs.

It didn't rain while we were waiting in line this time – but there was a local

power cut instead!!.....Eventually we got under way, but not all of the

intermediate timing points were working, although the time across the line did

register.

Then lunch with a bit of sunshine, so I had a wander round with the camera ...

Nigel Elliot's awesome twin turbo 4600cc TR7 V8

Business end of 3200cc Lola T492

1480cc Mini Sports Libre 1380cc Mini road car....

Another Mini...sort of!! 2800cc turbo MG Metro 6R4

Briony Serrell's rare Elva MK7 (Wife of Antiques Road Trip TV star and

auctioneer Philip Serrell, who doesn't compete!). Briony also campaigns a

gorgeous Lotus 51A.

Motoring journalist and author Simon Taylor's 5700cc HWM, affectionately and

widely known as "The Stovebolt Special"!

Fastest support van in the west..!!

I am reliably informed that this 4700cc Aston Martin Vantage GT4 was

developed solely as a hill climb car, and doesn't get used on the road ...

So, lunch over, the action starts again with the track drying out and everyone's

times improving …

… I was happy to eventually better my previous best time here by three

hundredths of a second.......and only nine hundredths slower than Dale

Strachan.

Hoping for a dry meeting 21/22 September.....!!

Richard Durrant