18-01-2019, 09:53 AM
As we are interested in old motor cars and sometimes compete in them, it can be interesting to explore old hillclimb sites and venues. The vital aid to this is the seminal volume "Motorsport Explorer" published by Haynes, ISBN 987 1 84425 634. A couple of weeks ago, leaving our location in Monmouthshire to visit family in Shropshire, and then attend a staff Christmas party at a station on the Severn Valley, almost in Worcestershire, slight diversions managed to include five locations for hillclimbs, a reference book highly recommended.
The Bard of Bearsden has already commented, but failed to raise the flag for Scottish hillclimbs. Bo'ness has returned for a festival, Doune is still exciting and Fintray generally hosts two events per year. There is of course the magnificent Forrestburn, young and vigorous at barely a quarter of a century old, designed by a creative team and staffed by eager volunteers. A significant proportion of the instigators used vintage and classic cars of which a fair number still participate.
On a personal level, if I could only go to one a year it would have to be Shelsley. Having read father's copy of Bolster's Specials when other kids were scanning Beano or Dan Dare, the ability to go back to the oldest active motor sport site, and watch and hear, and indeed smell the Castrol R from cars that have been going up for so many years is utterly wonderful.
If you weren't bought up on Bolster or haven't seen any before, Chateau Impney can be a very good place to begin to watch hillclimbing. It has very visible screens, high quality well informed commentating and is laid out with thought for spectators as well as competitors. Unconstrained by eligibility conditions, some remarkable machinery being accurate but shameless replicas can be seen and heard, and standing close to the start when the Beast of Turin sets off up the hill, certainly felt as the earth undoubtedly moves.
The Bard of Bearsden has already commented, but failed to raise the flag for Scottish hillclimbs. Bo'ness has returned for a festival, Doune is still exciting and Fintray generally hosts two events per year. There is of course the magnificent Forrestburn, young and vigorous at barely a quarter of a century old, designed by a creative team and staffed by eager volunteers. A significant proportion of the instigators used vintage and classic cars of which a fair number still participate.
On a personal level, if I could only go to one a year it would have to be Shelsley. Having read father's copy of Bolster's Specials when other kids were scanning Beano or Dan Dare, the ability to go back to the oldest active motor sport site, and watch and hear, and indeed smell the Castrol R from cars that have been going up for so many years is utterly wonderful.
If you weren't bought up on Bolster or haven't seen any before, Chateau Impney can be a very good place to begin to watch hillclimbing. It has very visible screens, high quality well informed commentating and is laid out with thought for spectators as well as competitors. Unconstrained by eligibility conditions, some remarkable machinery being accurate but shameless replicas can be seen and heard, and standing close to the start when the Beast of Turin sets off up the hill, certainly felt as the earth undoubtedly moves.