Sunday 11 August 2019 - Another Visit to Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

 

After an overnight visit to Dot, Sue and I met Sue's mum and dad at Shelsley Walsh, where there were some pretty quick vehicles.

 

We were last here in June, when I took a few pictures with a proper camera. Today, I had that camera - but I'd forgotten to charge its battery, so this posting just relies on pictures taken with my S9 phone.

 

The announcers seemed a bit confused by the green and white van pictured above in the background. It was the only van racing, and competing alongside Aston Martins and Porsches it performed quite well!.

 

The start doesn't look all that steep, but it is quite a slope, with a sharp bend that kicks in just as the cars have reached a good speed.

 

 

Drivers await in the paddock to be called.

 

 

Marshalls seem to be everywhere, here at a fast corner.

 

 

The next two pictures were taken from about the same place as the last one, getting on for half way up the course, looking back down the hill.

 

 

 

After our picnic lunch, Sue and I went to the top of the course, where there's a holding paddock out of sight of spectators. After each batch of climbers the vehicles are released back down the hill, ready for the next batch - usually in a different class.

 

 

Before we left, after a picnic tea, I couldn't resist a snap of this old Buick. I think it's a Buick Special dating from around 1938.

 

Sunday 16 June 2019 - Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

This was our third visit to Shelsley. We previously visited in 2013 and in 2017.

 

Today the occasion was to celebrate Sue's dad's 82nd birthday. Happy Birthday, Richard.

 

Having stayed with Dot overnight, we didn't need to start too early to reach Shelsley for breakfast at 9am. Then we wandered around the pits, and past some classic cars, to viewpoints up the 1000 metre hill that climbs up 100 metres. It has some interesting corners on the way up. Practice runs take place in the morning, with competition in various classes taking place in the afternoon.

 

The elegant Facel Vega featured in my Observers book of Automobiles in the late 1950s, but I never saw one, so this was a treat...

 

 

The well turned out Railton is another rarely seen vehicle.

 

 

The last two pictures are of vehicles brought by visitors. Lots more polishing took place after a sharp shower that slowed all the cars on their practice runs.

 

 

After our picnic lunch - thanks for the spread, Diana - Sue and I wandered around at various points on the hill. Here's a small selection of my photos.

 

The Ford Escort's steering on a steep corner didn't do too well.

  

 

The marshal on the left is carrying the windscreen, but apart from that there were just a few dents, and the car could be free-wheeled back down the hill.

 

This Mini is very similar to the woodland green one that provided me with transport for most of the 1970s (BVN406B).

 

The six-wheeler seems to use go-kart wheels, but a much bigger engine.

 

The model below has an air of being home made, but I'm sure it's a great vintage rarity.

 

Sue took this picture of her mum and dad during our afternoon tea break.

 

An enjoyable day out, if a bit different from our usual activities.



Sunday 18 June 2017 – Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

We visited Shelsley Walsh back in 2013, and returned this year on a more than perfect day, albeit a little on the warm side. (Here’s the 2013 report, not much has changed.)

Sadly Robin is no longer with us, so it was Diana who accompanied Richard, Sue and me this time. Richard and Diana have a season’s pass and come quite regularly. Simon and Jacob would enjoy this day out.

Walking up the hill, I seemed to be constantly surrounded by bugs that weren’t bothering anyone else.

“It’s the hat!” Sue eventually diagnosed the problem.

There’s a paddock at the top of the hill where the cars congregate before returning in convoy to the bottom of the hill after each ‘batch’ of racers. The morning comprises practice runs, with the competition in the afternoon.

Everyone gets four or five runs at the hill, which is steep. Speeds in excess of 100mph are reached. Most racers finish in between 30 and 45 seconds, but the fastest few go under 30 seconds.

The spectators’ path comes to an end before you can see into the paddock, so at the top of the hill all you get to see is the helmets of the participants as they freewheel back down to the start, where onlookers can admire the machinery to their hearts’ content without the need to flounce up the hill.

We moved about quite a bit. Snaps were taken. A full slide show is here – 36 images. Refreshments are readily available.

This serious piece of machinery was possibly the quickest of the day.

The car below is not so fast, but obviously great fun, and with Stirling Moss’s signature on the steering wheel, what more could you want?

Near the end of an incident free (apart from a breakdown) day, one of the Lotus drivers failed to negotiate the first corner and took a trip into the meadow, leaving various parts of his car, and bits of barrier, strewn all over the road. He was perfectly ok, if a little red-faced, but the mess took a little while to clear up…

This was a lovely day out in perfect weather. Commended.

PS I wondered how much interest this posting would be to some of my usual readers. Motor sport attracts a wide audience, so someone may be interested, I thought. Correct. Conrad even came up with a picture of his antics in a Ford Anglia at Harewood Hill Climb in 1965!

A Bank Holiday Weekend ‘In Timperley’

Our Bank Holiday weekend started with a jog in the park for Sue, whilst I marshalled on the first corner. It’s ‘not a race’, but here are Matteo and Richard – regular ‘top ten’ finishers in around 20 minutes for the 5km run. They were clearly not racing (until Richard tripped Matteo on the finishing straight!).

(My dream is to complete just one kilometre in less than 4 minutes!).

Conditions were dry and fast, with Dan leading the pack around the first lap in decisive manner. Second time around, this 15-17 year old faltered slightly, but Gary needed to equal his PB to shade the youngster on the line. Both recorded 18.20, a time outside most of our reaches.

After Sue had regained her breath and I had trotted around one lap with tail runner Anthony, and we’d all sympathised with Paul, who had pulled out after one lap with a sore achilles tendon, coffee was taken in the cafe before Sue and I headed to the fleshpots of Leicester.

Above is a church that maybe used to be in a backwater, but thanks to Richard III is now on the tourist map.

Nearby, a plaque announces ‘Richard III King of England 1483-1485’.

There’s a very informative exhibition that offers everything you need to know about Richard, his life, and his discovery over 500 years later in the spot where a projected light imitates his bones through the glass floor of the exhibition hall. Can you spot the curved spine – he had scoliosis.

Our genial hosts were Sue’s brother and his wife, who put us up in grand style and took us on a short stroll around Bradgate Park on Sunday morning. Thanks Paddy and Kate.

The park is set in lovely countryside, and lots of folk were setting off on longer hikes than our 5km amble. We examined the remains of Bradgate House, famous for being the home of Lady Jane Grey in the early 1500s.

Then it was back to Manchester to pick up Jacob from his ‘Grandma Whoosh’. After an active day the four year old was asleep soon after 9pm, but awake from 2.20 to 3.40 and then from 5.27am, according to Sue.

Meanwhile I researched a route for parkrunner Richard. He has to plan a walk for some novices, from Coruisk to Glenbrittle, on Skye. Having looked at the map, and re-read Ralph Storer’s excellent route descriptions in his book – ‘Skye – Walking, Scrambling and Exploring’ – I have decided not to try to plot a route on the map below, for fear it might be held against me a some point in the future.

Would Richard be wiser to take his novices along the easier path from Coruisk to Sligachan, I wonder?

Anyway, we enjoyed a pleasant morning with Jacob, who is learning to slide down the pole in the park.

Leaving Sue to mow the lawns, I enjoyed the afternoon with Jacob and his dad, a couple of cousins, and another grandad, at the stock car racing at Belle Vue.

There were crashes.

The juniors race in well protected minis like this one. Girls seem to be better at it than boys.

Grown ups are sponsored mainly by scrap metal merchants (there’s a message there). Actually the cars are big brutes and very quick around the oval course that’s also used for speedway and for dog racing.

There are also races for saloon cars that have been rescued from scrapyards.

The ‘Formula 1’ (3 litre) and ‘Formula 2’ (1.6 litre) cars all have huge aerofoil wings. It would be interesting to see how they would perform in a clockwise direction around the circuit…

The afternoon was good value, with 18 races, culminating with a caravan race that was effectively a destruction derby. I took a video, but readers may be thankful to learn that I’ve been unable to transfer it from the SD card or wherever the Panasonic camera on which it was taken happens to have mysteriously stored it! (There are some more photos here, though.)

Then I did a Jacob impression of a full length dive on the pavement, rushing to collect his stuff from my car. Ouch. It was a quiet evening at home.

(I caught up with my blog reading, but apologise for not making any comments – there just wasn’t time, and I need to try to get organised for the next trip…)