In Your Own Time on the Green Light
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In your own time on the Green Light Whilst 1972 saw a slight recession in the popularity of circuit r~ce meet ings and in particular club autocrosses, the complete reverse was true of what must be the most precise form of motor sport, hill climbing. Last saason saw the sport grow at a tremendous rate not only at the level of the national championship events, but also in the closed to club field, and there is every indication that this trend will be maintained in 1973 although sadly the major championship of the year, the R.A.C. Hill Climb Championship, will take place without the sponsor ship of Shell who in the past few seasons have done so much to put the sport well and truly on the map. However, although the R.A.C, Cham pionship at the time of writing is still seeking financial backing, there are no such problems for the excellent B.A.R.C. championship, for this series which due to its well thought out points scoring system will once again be backed by CastroL and once again it is thought that as in 1972 many of the qualifying rounds will be grossly oversubscribed. The Castrol/B.A.R.C, Rallysport's tip for the top in 1973, Mike MacDowefl with his Brabham BT 36X Repco. championship during 1972 can only be described as an and of course with more than one car running at the latter unqualified success, for on the majority of occasions the events there is always a chance of getting involved in some entry list was full to capacity with many more would-be one else's accident, whereas at a hill climb it is you and your competitors being turned away, but it was not just the car against the hill and the clock, and if you do come off and Castrol series which attracted the large following, for even bend it then there is no one to blame but yourself, at club level many events like the Truro and District Motor With the new season rapidly approaching let us take Club's Tregrehan Hill Climbs were often also oversubscribed, a quick look back at 1972 and place our life in our hands and the Sevenoaks and District Motor Club accepted a with an assessment of the season, firstly the Shell/RAC hundred entries for their non-championship climb at Valence title race. 1972 will be remembered as the year of David School which is a Saturday event, a day not always best and the Goliaths with Sir Nicholas Williamson playing suited to hill climbers many of whom can only get away from the part of David with his comparitively diminutive 2 litre their labours on a Sunday. But even with the acceptance of B DA engined March 712S, against the might of the the hundred drivers a similar number of competitors were big V8s of Ray Lane, Mike Mac Dowel, the reigning champ also turned away. ion David Hepworth, the only man to stay faithful to four Why has hill climbing suddenly burst into life? There wheel drive and possibly the most improved driver of the must be many reasons but perhaps the greatest challenge is season Richard Thwaites. The season opened at Loton the precise nature of the sport, for in 1000 yards a competitor Park where Hepworth won by an incredible margin, and has to cope with just about every type of bend known to the then followed a disastrous Prescott for the conditions at • motor sporting fraternity, from 90 mile an hour sweeps as the hill were atrocious following constant rain in the at Gurston Down, to 15 miles an hour hairpins, the latter preceding week, and with the track looking more like a being common on many of the venues. Add to this the fact rallycross than a hill climb the championship runs were that a perfect start is essential and that the whole run is postponed, quite rightly, and held later in the season at the timed to within one thousandth of a second (although the inter-club event. The next round in the title race took the announced time is usually corrected back to the nearest circus to Wiscombe Park and again the rains upset the form hundredth) and it can be seen that the slightest mistake can, book well and truly. In the class runs Hepworth was in and usually does, ruin any chance of an award. It might magnificent form with his Guyson Sandblaster Special very seem as though the timing is unnecessarily accurate but nearly cracking the elusive 40 second barrier for the first this is far from the case as Sir Nicholas Williamson the reign time ever on the Devonshire Hill and great things were hoped ing Shell/RAC, hill climb champion would be the first for in the championship run off, However with Peter Varley, to agree, for on two occasions within twelve months he the last of the qualifiers for the run off making the top in has won a championship event by just a meagre one hun the 45 second bracket. the rains came and the rest of the dredth of a second. This tightness also applies at club level contenders were faced with a track which would have with just 0.04 secs covering the first five cars in the up to one suited a powerboat, and so it was left to Varley to head the litre saloon car class at last Easter's Tregrehan event. So table with the second runs to come. With just Hepworth the element of competition is certainly extremely strong and to run Var!ey still led but the reigning champion was not whilst this can also apply to both circuit racing and autocross, to be easily defeated and turned in a truly magnificent it is not often that things are quite as close as on the hills, drive to take the lead and the vital ten points. It was not 11 .¥+ long after however that "Heppy" became involved with International racing with his Interseries BRM and his hill climb effort seemed to suffer, and it was the 1970 champion Sir Nicholas Williamson who took up the cudgel with his March 712S taking the round at Barbon Manor after a very quick time for Mike Mac Dowel and the Brabham BT36X Repco had been disallowed due to timing problems. Williamson then went on to win at Pontypool by a hundredth of a second from Tony Griffiths, Doune and also at Boutley Bay in Jersey but his chances suffered a major set back on the island for the second championship run in Jersey with the points well and truly in the bag, he rolled the March, and from then on his chances of the title which until then looked excellent were well and truly lowered. In the mean time Roy Lane as ever excelled at Prescott and again trounced the opposition into the ground with a great drive in the McLaren M14D, and Mike MacDowel had suddenly burst onto the scene as he sorted out his Brabham and took a great win at Shelsey and followed this up with a win at Gurston. The second Prescott qualifier followed and very nearly produced a turn up for the books as the King of the hill Roy Lane was unable in both the class runs and the first championship ascent to stay with much improved .. MacDowe!, and Williamson who was regaining his early season form with the rebuilt March. However Lane knows Preseott like no other man and his last effort of the day Home built cars featured well in 1972, one of the most impressive could not be described, suffice to say that it was probably being the Monoposto special of Jack Heaton-Rudd. the nearest thing ever seen to a 100% perfect run and it clinched him not only the run off but completely shattered his own hill record and the challenge of Mac Dowel and and it is rumoured that he will retain the McLaren M14D Williamson. However Williamson collected vital points too, and that there is a possibility that it will be propelled by a and by this time he seemed to be home and dry but not nitro burning Indy motor, but this is speculation, but what quite fot the mathematicians realised that Hepworth although ever Roy fields it will be prepared to the usual immaculate not winning frequently, although he took the first Shelsey standard and will be competitive. Towards the end of last Walsh qualifier, was still collecting the points and there was year David Hepworth stated that he would certainly continue still a slight chance of victory for the Yorkshire man, but in hill climbing in 1973 and there have been unconfitmed he needed wins at Harewood and Doune and it was not rumours of a very potent, possibly turbocharged unit for to be for MacDowel triumphed at Harewood and therefore next year, with the motor coming from Germany. Add this Williamson went to Doune, the last round of the year, as collection of motor cars to the Brabham BT36X of Mike the confirmed champion, and he drove like one to round Mac Dowel which he is retaining, and the rest of the exotic off a successful year with another outright win. So the machinery which fOllowed the championship last year and baronet took his second national title in three years demoting you have the makings of a tremendous season. And now the previous years champ. Hepworth to second place whilst for the prediction.