The British Hillclimb Championship and the Harewood Championship’s Round Five

Harewood Hillclimb 

3^rd & 4^th July 2021

Report and Images by Chris Bannister

The BARC Yorkshire centre organized two events over the weekend of 3^rd & 4^th July 2021. Saturday was round five of the Harewood Championship’s and for two more rounds of the British Championship Hillclimb.

As in all the events run at Harewood Hillclimb in 2021, both events would be run under the latest guidelines from both HM Government and Motorsport UK, therefore restrictions on the number of competitors that would be allowed to take part and the number of mechanics.

Again, no spectators would be allowed on the hillside, even though a number of circuits have been able to allow limited number of spectators but these events are able to keep the competitors and spectators separate and this is not possible at Harewood Hillclimb due to the layout.

A live stream of the action, from the British Championship Hillclimb would take place on the Sunday and some of Saturdays timed runs was used as a test for Sunday.

July Harewood Championship Hillclimb

With a damp track on Saturday morning round five got under way with 2 practice runs and one timed run before a late lunch break.

By mid-morning the forecasted rain had moved in and it wasn’t until the third timed run that most competitors were able to set there fastest time of the day when the rain had stopped and the track had dried out.

Adam Riley in his Honda S2000 car #61 still leads the championship now from Chris Berrisford driving his Subaru Impreza car #81 with Nick Mitchell driving a Peugeot 205, car #39, he moves up from fourth to third.

With mechanical issues for Mark Teale driving his Suzuki Swift GTi, he did not even finish his first practice run and took no further part in the event and drops down to seventh.

Jonathan Mounsey (Mitsubishi Evo VI) who was third was not at this event and he drops down to eight.

In the BARC Harewood FTD Championship Richard Spedding driving his GWR Raptor, car #4 still leads, with 36 points from Wallace Menzies.

Menzies was competing at Barbon Manor in the British Championship and would be at Harewood on the Sunday with the other surviving competitors. He is on twenty points.

John Prickett driving his Radical PR6, car #122 is in third on 18 points with Robbie Birrell driving his Force PT, car #133 in fourth on sixteen points.

British Championship Hillclimb 4th July 2021

Sundays event would be slightly different as the competitors would have two practice runs, followed by a timed run, then the fastest top twelve have a run off for British Hillclimb Championship points with the winner been awarded ten points down to tenth place with one point.

All competitors would then have another timed run and again the fastest top twelve have a timed run off for Championship points.

This weekend was a very busy weekend for the competitors as on Saturday round thirteen and fourteen took place at Barbon Manor near Kirby Lonsdale in Cumbria before packing everything up and moving down to the famous Yorkshire hill for rounds fifteen and sixteen. 

Also joining the British hillclimb regulars would be a number of competitors from the Harewood Championship and from the Porsche Club GB Speed & Hillclimb Championship.

With some overnight thundery rain, the track was a little damp in places and with a little sun the track just about dried out for the two practice runs before the lunch break.

However, during the first timed run we had a sharp heavy shower and thankfully the track seemed to just about dry out very quickly for the first top twelve run off.

The Fastest Top twelve for round fifteen of the British Hillclimb Championship included the Subaru Legacy of Damien Bradley, car #115 perhaps the four-wheel drive traction helping him in the tricky conditions.

Top three of Round 15 of the British Championship Hillclimb.

1^st Wallace Menzies driving a Gould GR59. Car #1

2^nd Alex Summers driving a DJ Firestorm. Car #2.

3^rd Richard Spedding driving a GWR Raptor. Car #4.

Top 12 Run off times can be found here: TOP 12 Run

The Porsche Club GB competitors got the second timed run underway at about three o’clock but during this run the heavens opened with real heavy thundery downpour. 

This carried on for nearly an hour before the organizers brought the competitors waiting at the start line, up the hill in a slow convoy.

An inspection of the track followed and the meeting was terminated on safety grounds at 16.10 due to the adverse weather conditions.

The first timed run & first top twelve run off both having been completed, the results of the meeting are declared on those runs.

The BARC Yorkshire Centre next events are due to take place over the weekend of the 7th & 8th August 2021 for the Yorkshire Speed and the Mountage Burton Hillclimb.

Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire centre at Harewood Hill and not forgetting all the Marshals, Medical and Rescue teams who also had to try and find what little cover is available trackside in the heavy rain, without which Motorsport could not take part.