Harewood Hillclimb

Classic and Vintage Hillclimb

5^th June 2021

Report and photos by Chris Bannister

The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), Yorkshire Centre organized two events over the weekend of the 5th and 6th June 2021. The Classic and Vintage Hillclimb meeting was held on the Saturday.

This event was part of the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC) Speed Championship which has provided a platform since 1934 for competitors and owners of pre-war cars to enjoy motoring and motorsport.

With various classes to cover cars from the extraordinary Edwardian era (1908- 1919), Vintage (pre 1931), selected post-vintage thoroughbreds from the 1931 to 1941, 1950s Sports Racing cars, Formula 500 racing cars, Formula Junior cars and Grand Prix single seater racing cars built before 1961.

With such a large number of classes available for drivers and manufactures clubs to find a suitable class to compete in.

With cars from Frazer Nash, Bentley, Jaguar Drivers Club, Morgan, Austin Healey, pre-war Austin 7’s both road and race cars would compete on the Saturday.

A hand full of Harewood regulars, who had suitable cars for the competing classes, also joined in on the action.

As with all other events run at Harewood Hill so far this year, the running of both events would, unfortunately be under the latest guidelines from both HM Government and Motorsport UK.

This would mean that the hill would only have the sound of screaming engines and tyres, as no spectators were allowed to cheer the drivers on up the Yorkshire hill.

Saturdays weather was dry and sunny, with very little cloud cover and little or no breeze to try and keep the temperatures down for the marshals and us photographers stood on the hill side.

Two practice runs and one timed run were completed before the lunch break with three timed runs for most competitors in the afternoon.

In class 39. Haydn Spedding driving his E type Jaguar, car #56. Improved the class record, on each of his first three timed runs, ending with a best time of 65.81secs.

Ian Standing driving in class V2, his Riley Brooklands, car #75 beat his own class record to set a new class record of 78.64secs.

Also setting a new class record for class V5, was Paul Wignall driving a Alvis Silver Eagle, car #89 with a time of 82.47secs.

The fastest time of the day (FTD) was set by James Baxter in his Classic C21 class, Cooper T90, car #160 with a time of 62.25secs.

Results from the Classic and Vintage Hillclimb can be found here:

Saturday 05 June 2021 — Classic and Vintage Hillclimb

FTD & Top 4 In Class

Also joining the Harewood regulars was competitors from the MG Car Club, Austin Healey Club, Morgan Sports Car Club, Aston Martin Owners Club and the Classic Marques.

Sundays weather was much cooler and cloudy than Saturday but at least it was dry.

In the Harewood Championship the top three places are unchanged after the Jim Thomson with both Adam Riley driving his Honda S2000, car #90 and second place Mark Teale driving his Suzuki Swift GTi, car #69 both setting new class records and Jonathan Mounsey driving his Mitsubishi Evo VI car #107 in third. 

The 2019 Champion Deryck Jones driving his Peugeot 205 GTi, car #89 returned to the hill for the first time since September 2019 and set a time of 64.66secs to finish second in class 1B.

Wallace Menzies, Richard Spedding and Sean Gould were missing from this event as they were competing in the British Hillclimb Championship at Shelsley Walsh for rounds seven and eight. 

However, they will be back on the Yorkshire hill for rounds fifteen and sixteen of the British Hillclimb Championship, which takes place at Harewood Hill on 4^th July.

With the top three places in the Harewood FTD Championship staying the same, John Prickett driving his Radical PR6 car #135 is fourth on 14 points.

 5^th Lee Griffiths (also not at the meeting) on 12 points, 6^th Robbie Birrell (Force PT #138), Bob Bellerby (Sylva Riot #128) and Trevor Willis (not at the meeting) are all on 10 points.

Jonathan Mounsey (Mitsubishi Evo VI, #107) and Rob Spedding (OMS 2000M #139) both on 9 points.

Fast Time of the Day

Robbie Birrell Force PT car #138

Rob Spedding OMS 200M car #139

John Prickett Radical PR6 car #135

Times from the Jim Thomson Trophy Hillclimb can be found here:

Sunday 06 June 2021 — Jim Thomson Hillclimb

FTD & Top 4 in each Class

Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship

FTD Championship