Set in picturesque, rural Worcestershire, Shelsley Walsh is the UK’s oldest active motorsport venue still in use. First used in 1901, the Midland Automobile Club run “hill” has changed little in the intervening period and is the best known of the three Midlands hills which form the backbone of the British Hillclimb Championship. With practice on Friday and a separate Championship round on the Saturday, Sunday was all about fun - and a galaxy of former champions were joined by some equally exciting cars!

Sponsored by Ferrari UK Classic Parts, a specially invited class of historic Ferraris and Maseratis was won by David Franklin in Carlos Monteverde’s unique 212 Montagna (the 1969 European Hillclimb championship winning car in Peter Schetty’s hands).The music of the “flat 12” 2 litre motor reverberated against the trees on the 1000yard course, as David took his second class win of the weekend with the additional pleasure of a new “Classic” record time of 29.50 secs on the Saturday. The other class members were:

• Alan Minshaw - Maserati Birdcage - long-time circuit racer and Demon Tweeks Motorsport boss had a "quiet" weekend in his '03 Pau Historique winning, superbly prepared car.
• Bryn Williams - Ferrari 250GT - Bryn's 330GT-based replica of the immortal '64 GTO, last seen at the Club's "Formula Classic" race at Donington Park in June and which may well be raced by David Piper and Arturo Merzario at September's Goodwood Revival.
• Sally Mason-Styrron's immaculate Daytona Competition - an ex Maranello Concessionaires' car which has seen considerable usage throughout Europe in the TourAuto, Shell Historic Challenge and Modena Centro d'Oro Classic.
• John May - Maserati A6GCM - a proven competitor in the Shell Historic Challenge.
• Dudley Mason-Styrron - Ferrari Tasman - a regular classic hillclimb competitor in the UK and overseas.
• Tony Merrick - Ferrari Dino - ace preparer and restorer of historic cars, who's taking life a little easier these days; but still having fun with a car originally built by the late David Clarke's Graypaul Motors for Sir Anthony Bamford.
• Chris Drake - Maserati 250F - achieved a first, recording the first "climb" of Shelsley by Maseratis' most successful post-war single seater.
• Dean Butler - Maserati 8CTF - the l'Or Schell Special, an Indianapolis front runner and the sole supercharged version of the three cars built and timed on the main straight at Mugello in 2001 at 176 mph (I know, I did it!).
• Sean Danaher - Maserati 8CM - world-renowned restorer and preparer of pre-war racing cars having a "weekend off".
  

Sadly missing from the entry was Peter Hardman in Harry Leventis’s 206SP, Jeremy Cottingham’s 365GTB/C and Tony Willis in Martin McGlone's Ferrari 275GTB/C which was severely shunted at the Nurburgring race a couple of weeks ago.

Special dispensation had been granted by the RAC MSA for all cars to run unsilenced on the Sunday which produced large scale applause from the record attendance, when Chris Williams (Bentley Napier) and Robin Baker(Hispano Delage) left the startline in their tyre smoking, pre-war aero engined specials- a mere 24 and 27 litres respectively!!

Sunday’s highlights included ;

• 4 cars from arch Amercian enthusiast E. Dean Butler’s stable.Mercer Raceabout, Scirocco F1, Maserati 8CTF and his latest acquisition the Jim Robbins Special (which ran at Indianapolis from 1951 through 1956 and is powered by the Offenhauser engine from the winning car of 1948).
• Ford Motor Co provided a GT40, March 701 and a London – Sydney Ford Escort that were demonstrated by ex Grand Prix driver Jackie Oliver, current hillclimb champion Graham Wight Jnr and respected motoring journalist Steve Cropley.
• Ex Grand Prix driver Dickie Attwood drove Mike Oustromoff’s BRM P261.
• MG Rover had current rally driver Gwyndaf Evans and touring car racer Warren Hughes on hand to share duties behind the wheel of the prototype MG TF 1800.
• Renowned historic racer and former rally man Julian Bronson won the award for “smokiest burn out” of the weekend in his ex Alan Minshaw Lister Chevrolet.
• The presence of several cars who’s history is indelibly linked to Shelsley –Raymond Mays mount in the 1920’s; Vauxhall Villiers TT, GN Spider I and II constructed by Basil Davenport in the 20’s and 30’s which regularly humbled more powerful machinery, and ERA R4D which was still winning rounds of the Hillclimb Championship in Ken Wharton’s hands in 1949…despite being 15 yrs old!
• It wasn’t just the cars…the champions of British Hillcimbing were also competing –6 time winner and still “climbing” aged 72 -Tony Marsh, Roy Lane, Martyn Griffiths, Martin Bolsover, David Grace and Graham Wight Jnr.

On a weekend when Shelsley Walsh enjoyed its largest crowd of the modern era, concerns over its future abound. The Midland Automobile Club’s 99 year lease runs out on the site in March ’04, by which time the Club must raise £1.5 million to preserve its future. ALL donations are greatfully received and you can find out more about their plans on www.shelsley-walsh.co.uk.

Congratulations to the Midland Automobile Club on organising a superb event which had entries spanning 90 years of hillclimbing, culminating in FOC member Roy Lane’s new for 2003, Gould Judd EV – my “hamstrings” have had just enough time to recover from Shelsley’s 1 in 6 gradients and are looking forward to attending an equally significant event - Oulton Park’s Historic Gold Cup and 50th Anniversary.

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