British Hillclimb Championship - Shelsley Walsh - August 2024

 

Winner of both Top 12 Run Offs at Shelsley Walsh was Matthew Ryder in this Gould GR59J 4,000cc. Here he is at Bottom S.  He won Class L in a time of 22.61 for the 1,000 yards climb.

The August 2024 British Hillclimb Championship meeting at Shelsley Walsh was my first visit to this championship and this venue and I was very impressed with both of them.   I have followed the series since the sixties but never actually attended an event and am glad that I have finally made amends.

Unlike the European and French hillclimb series where sports cars tend to be dominant, in the BHC the single seater is the king.  Obviously, the narrow tight venues are one of the main reasons for this with the other being the powerful engines (eg Cosworth and Judd) allowed in these lightweight singles eaters.   Thus, all the cars in this post single seaters.   The single seater classes are as follows and all are very well supported:

Class I - Racing cars up to 1,100cc.

Class J2 - Racing cars over 1,100cc up to 1,600cc.

Class K1 - Racing cars over 1,600cc up to 2,000cc.

Class K2 - Racing cars with forced induction engines up to 2 litre equivalent.

Class L - Racing cars over 2,000cc.

Shelsley Walsh is a fast venue where the top cars cross the line at over 140mph.  It is 1,000 yards in length and has an average gradient of nearly 1 in 9 and a steepest gradient of nearly 1 in 6. The minimum width is 12 feet.   The course was first used in 1905 making it the oldest continuously used motorsport venue in the World.

All pictures were taken on Saturday during the practice runs.

Championship leader Alex Summers in his DJ Firestorm 2,650cc just after the start of one of his climbs. At Shelsley Walsh he finish second in both run offs, despite a moment when he lost his rear wing in practice.

Will Hall in his Gould GR59 about to enter Kennel Bend.  He finished third in both run offs.

Winner of the last four British Hillclimb Championships, Wallace Menzies in a Gould GR59M 3,300cc negotiating Kennel Bend.   

Trevor Willis in his OMS 28 3,200cc at Bottom S.  He is the only driver in the last 20 years to win a BHC title in anything other than a Gould, doing so in 2012, 2017 and 2018 in his OMS.

Sean Gould in the Gould GR59J 4,000cc finished seventh in both run offs at Shelsley Walsh. He is the course record holder.

Paul Haimes in this Gould GR59 1,300cc Turbo finished eighth and ninth in the two run offs. He finished second in class K2.

Zachary Zammit in his Empire Racing Cars Wraith 1,300cc Turbo finished ninth in the second run off .  He won class K2.  He he enters Bottom S.

Alex Coles in his Force Ta 1,340cc Turbo finished ninth in the first run off. He finished third in class K2.

David Warburton in his Gould GR59 1,600cc.  He won class J2 and finished tenth and eleventh in the two run offs.

Jonathan Varley in his GWR Predator 2,000cc won class K1 and finished eleventh and tenth in the two run offs.  Here he exits Bottom S.

Andy Greenem on his way up to Bottom S in his Empire Evo3 1,598cc.  He finished second in class J2 and finished 12th in the second run off.

Jack Cottrill in his Dallara XD 2,650cc heading towards Kennel Bend.   He finished twelfth in one of the run offs.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page.

The winner of Class I was Tom Weaver in this Empire Evo 2 998cc.

Fastest of the female drivers was Lindsay Summers in the DJ Firestorm 2,650cc.

Sliding in one of Shelsley's fast curves is Andrew Colbourne in a Van Diemen RF02FX 1,998cc. He finished second in class K1.

The Ralt F302-001 1,420cc Turbo of John Chalmers kicking up sparks.

Gary Hill in his OMS 2000M 1,595cc.

John Cottrill in his Pilbeam MP82 1,998cc exiting Bottom S.

Andy Bougourd in his Force PT 1,630cc exiting Bottom S.

Andrew Henson in his Gould Dallara F394 1,998cc entering Top S.

Steve Owen in his OMS 28 RPE 2,700cc.

.This is the Gould 84G designed and built by David Gould and used by Chris Cramer to win the 1985 British Hillclimb Championship.  Here it is giving a demo run in the hands of Sean Gould.  Gould have been the dominant marque since 1998 and are contenders again this year.

Pau Classic Grand Prix 2023 - Formula Ford

 

Saturday's race for the later FF1600 cars. Belgian driver John Svensson in his Ray GR17 leads Hugo Carini in Van Diemen RF90.   At the time it was the battle for second place but Hugo got through and won the race once Christophe Vernet retired.   This was taken from the grandstand at Virage de la Gare.

There were four Formula Ford races at the Pau Classic Grand Prix.  Two were for the earlier Kent engined cars from 1967 to 1989, and two were for the later cars, either Kent or Zetec engined, from 1990 to 1999.  They provided the bulk of the single seater action at Pau this year and were mainly entrants from the various French based championships for Kent and Zetec engined cars.   As usual there was good racing amongst these cars.

First corner on the first lap of Saturday's FF1600 race and Christophe Vernet has taken the lead from pole position in his Van Diemen RF99.  The first four already have quite a lead.

One of the few French marques who made Formula Ford cars.  This is a Mygale SJ03 which was driven into fourth place in Saturdays race for newer FF1600 cars by Eric Heudicourt.

A couple of Van Diemen RF91s battle it out in Saturdays race for the newer FF1600 cars.  Patrick D'Aubreby leads Alain Simon. 

A gaggle of newer FF1600 cars exit the Hoch chicane during practice.  A Van Dieman RF92 leads a Ray GR19 and a Van Diemen RF99.

Arnaud Dousse in his Van Diemen RF91 lifts a wheel as he bounce over the low kerbs of the Hoch chicane.

The Swift SC92 of Francois Mazingant heads downhill by the chicane.

The first corner of the first lap for Saturday's race for the earlier FF1600 cars.

The Van Diemen RF89 of Matthieu Boissière that won both races for the older FF1600 cars.  Here he leads Sunday's race.

The Royale RP23 of Stéphane Malaisé in Sunday's race just starting to turn into Virage Pont Oscar.

The Van Diemen RF73 of Frédéric Boudat.

The Royale RP84 of Francois Bugat.

The Van Diemen RF77 of Christophe Contre.

The Lola T540 of Swiss driver Jean Dionisotti.

Van Diemen RF99 being challenged by a Mygale SJ03

Swift SC92 leads out of Poeymirau.

Christophe Vernet in the chicane in his Van Diemen RF99.

Van Diemen RF73 rear end as it follows an RF80 out of the chicane.

Van Diemen RF80 during its descent out of Poeymirau.

Claude Tetiot in his Reynard FF85. He finished fourth on Saturday.

Loïc Bouquet in his Swift SC88.  He finished fourth on Sunday.

Van Diemen RF81 leads a Lotus 59F.

Merlyn Mk20 leads a Swift.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page

A view from up the hill to the first corner as the eighties FF cars go by.  This is the lead group.

Monoplaces Série A - Nogaro - Coupe de France des Circuits 2023

 

A 1963 Formula Junior Repco Brabham BT6 leads a number of later spec Formula Renault and Formula Ford cars.

The Monoplace races are for open wheel single seaters up to 1,605 cc plus Formula Ford, Formula Three, Formula Master, Formula Renault, Formula Premium and Formula BMW.  As there are so many single seaters entered in the Coupe de France des Circuits this year they have been split between the faster Formula Renault and Formula Master cars and the rest.  The rest were mainly Formula Ford cars, some old Formula Renault cars, and joy of joys, a 1963 Brabham Formula Junior car.

The leaders race through the second corner of their second race of the day.  A Van Diemen RF99Z leading a Swift, a Van Diemen FR90, a Van Diemen RF80 and a Martini Mk54/2.

The early history of Nogaro was associated with Formula Junior cars and both John Love and Jo Schlesser won races in this category at this circuit.  This 1963 Brabham BT6 was driven very well by Patrick d'Aubreby and in the first race of the day he finished eighth beating 14 of the later cars.

Another car I really enjoyed seeing was this 1969 Lotus 59 Formula Ford car driven by André Parisy.

Another car from this era was this Merlyn Mk20A driven by Michel Ghio.  Here he is on his way to seventh place in race 1.

A car and helmet livery inspired by Chris Amon or just the colours of the French flag?  This is Patrick Vernet in his Van Diemen RF00Z.

Remy d'Aubreby finished fourth in race 1 in this Formula Ford Swift SC92.

A Formula Ford Van Diemen Zetec 93.

For the record, both races were won by Christophe Vernet in his Van Diemen RF99Z.  Following is a Royale RP24.

John Etherton asserts his copyright to all of the photos on this blogpost.  However, you may post the photos elsewhere on the web as long as you credit the photographer, John Etherton, and this blog post, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com and provide a link to this page.

John Etherton affirme son droit d'auteur à l'ensemble des photos sur ce billet de blog. Cependant, vous pouvez poster des photos ailleurs sur le web à condition de créditer le photographe, John Etherton, et ce blog, Rouenlesafx@blogspot.com, et de fournir un lien vers cette page.

Work being done on the Brabham in the paddock.

Lotus 59 in the paddock.