Classic & Vintage and Jim Thomson Hillclimb
Harewood Speed Hillclimb
Report and Images by Chris Bannister
4th – 5th June 2022
Overview
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. The track is 1448 metres long.
The fastest cars can complete the course in under 50 seconds. With top speeds in excess of 130 mph.
Hillclimb record is 46.86 set by Wallace Menzies driving a Gould GR59 on 08/05/2022.
Ladies Hill record is 53.03 set by Nicola Menzies driving a Gould GR55B on 08/05/2022.
A normal Harewood Championship event will start at 9:00 with two practice runs and if time allows a timed run before the lunch break followed by at least another two-timed runs during the afternoon. It is the timed runs which are used for the Championship scores.
Website
Live timing
Harewood Speed Hillclimb Championship is run by the Yorkshire Centre of the BARC and for 2022 will be over ten rounds.
BARC Yorkshire Centre organised over the weekend of The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, 4th & 5th June 2022 at Harewood Hill.
These two very different events would include cars from the very start of motoring to the modern day.
The first on Saturday was the Classic & Vintage Hillclimb, organised for the Vintage and Sports Car Club (VSCC). The VSCC was formed in 1934 and has provided a platform for people to enjoy pre-war cars both competitively via a number of different motorsports events and socially.
With a large number of social and competitive events organised throughout the year, including race meetings, hillclimbs, sprints, road rallies, trials and driving tests all over the UK.
Saturday's hillclimb started under overcast conditions, thankfully the sun made an appearance late afternoon. With two Practice runs and a timed run completed before a late lunch break.
During the third timed run, an incident occurred which involved a number of rescue teams from across the hill including Ambulances from both the Extractor Rescue, Yorkshire Ambulance, Harewood Recovery Team and of course the Marshals from a number of different posts all working together to recover the car and driver.
Jim Thomson Hillclimb
Then on the Sunday the Jim Thomson Hillclimb (part of the Harewood Championship) took to the hill. Under grey clouds the practice runs got underway, by mid morning we had some light showers but both practices runs and a timed run was completed before the lunch break.
During the lunch break the heavens opened so on the second time run, competitors had to deal with a wet track but thankfully as the cars went up the hill a dry line started to form. Up to four timed runs were available, though not everyone took to the track.
Joining the Harewood regulars where competitors from the Paul Matty Championships for Road and Race cars, Morgan Sports Car Club, Austin Healey Cars, Aston Martin Owners Club Speed Series and Classic Marques Speed Challenge.
Of the top three in the Harewood Championship, after the Harewood Open Hillclimb which took place on 7thMay.
Adam Riley (2021 Harewood Champion) driving his Honda S2000, car #131. Adam was the only one to set a class record during this event and further increases his lead, this time over Rob Spedding driving his Formula Ford Vector TF93k, car #187.
Rob started the event in third place. Steven Darley driving a Subaru started in second place but was not competing this weekend and so drops well down the order to eighteenth.
Terry Deere driving his Talbot Lotus Sunbeam, car #125 is now third, with John Prickett driving his Radical PR6, car # 178 who moves into fourth. He also takes over the top of the Fastest Time of the Day Championship (FTD) more on that below.
In the Fastest Time of the Day Championship (FTD) David Tatham was leading on eighteen points, (after round two in May) but was not at the event along with Robin and Antony Wood.
Leaving John Prickett driving his Radical PR6, who was fourth to take over the lead of the Championship with David, Robin and Antony all dropping down a place.
Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire Centre for the opportunity to be track-side and not forgetting all the Marshals, Medical, Rescue teams including Extractor Rescue without which the event could not take part.
Next events at Harewood Hill will be the July Harewood Championship on 2nd July and the second visit of the 2022 season for the British Championship Hillclimb on Sunday 3rd July.
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