Harewood Open and British Championship Hillclimb 11 – 12 May 2024.
Report by Chris Bannister of JCB Photography
After a very, very long wet winter and spring JCB Photography was at Harewood Hill for a very late start to the 2024 Motor-sport season on the famous Yorkshire hill.
Practice Day event was original scheduled for 24th March, the organisers had to make a difficult decision to postpone the meeting, due to excessive rainfall over the weeks leading up to the event, which had left the ground waterlogged meaning large areas of the parking field and paddock unusable.
This event was rescheduled for Saturday 13th April but again due to the waterlogged ground that event was cancelled altogether and the Spring National Hillclimb event which was due to take place on Sunday 14th April was rescheduled for the 24th August.
All this meant that the first Hillclimb event taking place at Harewood Hill was over the weekend of 11th and 12th May for the Harewood Open Hillclimb, on the Saturday, as part of the Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship. While the first of what will be two visits by the British Hillclimb Championship competitors on the Sunday, which would not be part of the Harewood Championship.
Even so a number of competitors from the British Hillclimb Championship and Ferrari Owners Club would join the competitors from the Harewood Hillclimb Championship on the Saturday.
2023 Harewood Hillclimb Champion, Adam Riley, is now sharing a front wheel drive VW UP, car #22, with Doug Mitchell. Adam having switched from sharing the rear wheel drive, turbo engined Honda S2000 of Carl Jackson.
Adam came away from the meeting leading the 2024 Championship and came very close, just 0.24 seconds from setting a new 1A class record for Road Cars Series Production, up to and including 1400cc set by Mark Teale driving a Suzuki Swift on 06thJune 2021. So I will be very, very surprised if this class record does not go before the end of this season, based on Adams previous record setting.
In the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship run by the Ferrari Owners Club. David Snelson driving a Ferrari 488 Spider car# 220 set a new class record on Saturday. The record was set back in May 2019. Then he beat his own class record again on the Sunday.
Full timings and Results for Harewood Open Hillclimb can be found here: Saturday 11 May 2024 — Harewood Open Hillclimb
Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship Results: Harewood Championship 2024
In the Fastest Time of the Day Championship (FTD) 2023 Champion David Tatham driving his DJ Firehawk, car #152, is the highest place Harewood regular. All the other drivers above him are from the British Hillclimb Championship. David did both days and is eighth in the FTD Championship.
FTD Championship Results: BARC Harewood FTD Award Series
Sunday. British Hillclimb Championship.
Just like the Harewood Championship the British Hillclimb Championship has had events postponed at Prescott which has been rescheduled for 17th & 18th August. Craigantlet in Northern Ireland was abandoned on 4th May due to heavy rain causing the track to flood in places and neither of the run-offs having taken place.
However this was not before British Championship Hillclimb 2023 Champion Wallace Menzies driving a Gould GR59, car #1 went off and damaged his car, meaning that Wallace was not at Harewood this weekend. All this meant that Harewood Hill would also be the first Round of the 2024 British Hillclimb Championship.
The two Practices runs were completed before the lunch break, under variable cloud. The first timed run for the British Hillclimb Championship got underway with some nice warm sunshine.
The fastest twelve would have a run off for Championship points, though only the top ten would be awarded points from ten down to one point for tenth place. This would then be repeated for the next round of the Championship.
When the run-off for British Championship points takes place only one car is on the track at a time (unlike on the Saturday or any time during a normal Harewood Championship meeting, when three or four cars can be on the track at any one time), this is until post twenty, located after the finish, has reported on the radio that the car has cleared the finish and is in the paddock.
Scott Moran who has won the British Hillclimb Championship six times (2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2016) is taking time out of the Championship this year but was at Harewood sharing with his father, 1997 British Hillclimb Champion Roger Moran in a Skoda Fabia R5. So Scott had #2 plate on the door as he was runner up last year to Wallace Menzies. Roger was car# 702.
Top 3 in the First Run-Off.
1st Car #3, Matthew Ryder driving a Gould GR59J
2nd Car #6, Trevor Willis driving a OMS28
3rd Car #7 Sean Gould driving a Gould GR59BJ
Top 3 in the Second Run-Off.
1st Car #3, Matthew Ryder driving a Gould GR59J
2nd Car #6, Trevor Willis driving a OMS28
3rd Car #4 Alex Summers driving a DJ Firestorm
Full Results of the Top Twelve. First Run-Off. Sunday 12 May 2024 — May BHC Championship TOP 12 Run 1 Times
Matthew Ryder takes the lead in the British Hillclimb Championship after winning both rounds with 20 points. With Trevor Willis in second on 18 points. Though Trevor got closer in the time difference, during the second run-off from 0.39 to 0.17. Sean Gould and Alex Summers are joint third with 15 points.
The next round of the 2024 British Hillclimb Championship is due to take place at Gurston Down over the weekend of 25th and 26th May but will be back at Harewood Hill over the weekend of 6th and 7th July, after also competing at Shelsey Walsh and Doune. For all events click the BHC link.
Full Results of the Top Twelve. Second Run-Off. Sunday 12 May 2024 — May BHC Championship TOP 12 Run 2 Times
Full timings and Results for all cars. British Championship Hillclimb can be found here: May BHC Championship Event Results
The next action at Harewood Hill will be on Saturday 8th June when the Classic and Vintage Hillclimb takes place for Round three of the VSCC Speed Championship, with competitors from the Vintage Sports Car Club (VSCC). While Round two of the Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship takes place on Sunday 9th June with the Jim Thomson Hillclimb.
Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire centre for the opportunity to be track side. Also not forgetting all the Marshals, Medical and the Darlington and District Rescue team, along with all the back office staff without which the events at Harewood Hill could not take place.
Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship 2024.
Best 6 scores to count from the 8 Rounds of the Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship, dates in black. Others in blue are other events taking place on the Yorkshire hill including two visits from the British Hillclimb Championship.
Other Hillclimb Events at Harewood Hill 2024
8th June. Classic and Vintage Hillclimb. (Non Harewood Championship event)
9th June. Jim Thomson Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship
6th July. British Hillclimb Championship. (Non Harewood Championship event)
7th July. British Hillclimb Championship. (Non Harewood Championship event)
3rd August. Yorkshire Speed Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship
4th August. Montague Burton Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship
24th August. Rescheduled date for the Spring National Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship.
25th August. Summer Championship Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship
21st September. Greenwood Cup Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship
22nd September. Mike Wilson Hillclimb. Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship
Harewood Speed Hillclimb course track details.
Harewood Speed Hillclimb is located between the villages of Harewood and Collingham just off the A659. SatNav postcode LS17 9LA. What Three Words. admit.uncle.piston
Harewood Hillclimb is the longest speed hillclimb in mainland UK with a track length of 1448 metres. The all tarmac track is set against the beautiful backdrop of the Wharfedale valley in the Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire.
The fastest cars can complete the course in under 50 seconds with top speeds in excess of 130 mph.
Harewood Hillclimb record is 46.39 secs. set by Matthew Ryder driving a Gould GR59J on 03/07/2022.
Ladies Hill record is 50.74 secs. set by Nicola Menzies driving a Gould GR55B on 03/07/2022.
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