Celebration and Summer Championship Hillclimb

Report by Chris Bannister of JCB Photography

27 – 28^th August 2022

This year the British Automobile Racing Clubs, Yorkshire Centre is celebrating 100 years and 60 years of Hillclimbing on the famous Yorkshire hill at Harewood Hillclimb. As part of the celebrations the club organised an extra meeting on Saturday 27^th August 2022, which was only open to Yorkshire members of the club, was limited to 100 competitors and was not a round of the Harewood Championship.

This event would have a different format to the normal Championship events with two practice runs followed by a timed run and a small Parade of selected drivers and cars including last year’s Harewood champion. Then after the lunch break three more timed runs with a repeat of the parade.

A quick recap of the History of the BARC and the Yorkshire Centre.

The British Automobile Racing Club was originally formed in 1912 as The Cyclecar Club organising events at Brooklands along with rallies and touring trails. In 1919 following the end of the first world war and the decline of cyclers, which led to a change in name, of the club, to Junior Car Club.

After the second world war Brooklands as a venue was no more and the club joined forces with the Brooklands Automobile Racing Club before finally changing its name to the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) in 1949 with a new home at Goodwood Circuit before finally moving to its current home in Thruxton in 1974.

The BARC Yorkshire Centre was formed in 1922 at the Metropole Hotel in Leeds. The first speed hillclimb to be held by the centre was July 1922 but on open public roads. Between 1922 and 1962 the club organised all manner of events such as Off Road Speed Events, Autocross, Tarmac Sprints, a number of Rally’s as well as the first Harewood Hillclimb in 1962.

The Yorkshire Centre now concentrates all its efforts into the Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship.

Meanwhile on Sunday 28^th August, it was back to the Harewood Championship for the Summer Championship Hillclimb event. Joining the Harewood regulars was a large number of competitors from the Classic Marques Sports Car Club, the TR Register Car Club and riders on both two and three wheels with motorbike and sidecars to complete a packed entry list.

After some very early morning mist, which was burnt off by the sun nicely before the event got underway at 9:00 with two practice runs followed by a timed run before the lunch break.

Another three timed runs were completed during the afternoon, when the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped, along with a very cool breeze. It is the timed runs which are used for the Championship scores.

Adam Riley driving his Honda S2000, car#88 still leads the Championship and is unlikely to be at the final two rounds of the Championship having announced that his car is up for sale and will be taking a break from hillclimbing.

Rob Spedding driving his Formula Ford Vector TF93K, car #153 still lies in second place nine points behind Adam.

John Prickett was not at the event, John normally drives his Radical PR6 and at the moment is in third place just 0.35 points in front of David Tatham driving his OMS Hornet, car#147.

Terry Deere driving his Talbot Sunbeam Lotus, car #80 is in fifth just 1.02 points behind David.

There is only 7.02 points separating Rob from Terry Deere in fifth place, before dropped scores are taken into account so it is very tight going into the final two rounds of the 2022 season in September.

In the Fastest Time of the Day Championship (FTD) David Tatham driving his OMS Hornet, car #147, who was only third fastest on Sunday. Now has a sixteen point lead over John Prickett, who only has a four points lead, separating him and Robin Wood, in third place.

Robin was another competitor along with his brother Antony who were not at competing at this event. Steve Owen driving his OMS 28RPE, car#160 moves up to fourth just 3 points behind Robin.

Tom Weaver driving the family Empire Evo, single seater, car#145 set FTD for both days and has said that he hopes to be out next year.

The final events of the 2022 Harewood Championship season takes place over the weekend of 17^th and 18^th September, with the Greenwood Cup and Mike Wilson meetings.

Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire centre for the opportunity to be trackside and not forgetting all the Marshals, Medical and Rescue teams without which the event could not take part.