Spring National Meeting Harewood

The British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), Yorkshire Centre held its first competitive event of the 2019 season with the Spring National Hillclimb meeting on Sunday 14^th April 2019…

The event had a number of competitors from the MG Car Club, HSA SBD Speed Championship and Nottingham Sports Car Club Speed Championship joining the regular Harewood hill competitors. Sunday morning was proved very chilly, thanks to overnight temperatures hovering just above freezing, however the weather forecast for the day was dry albeit with temperatures staying in single figures although the bitter wind was not welcome. However this did not stop a number of competitors from setting new class records and personal best’s on the famous hill.

The mornings practice runs had a number of stoppages resulting in a number of red flags delaying the timed runs till after the lunch break, even withe this slight delay the BARC Yorkshire Centre still managed to complete three timed runs in the afternoon, though unfortunately a number of competitors did have technical and mechanical issues, which meant retirement for some the day.

The 2018 Harewood Speed Hillclimb Champion Deryck Jones (Peugeot 205 Gti. Car no.73) took to the hill to defend his Championship and a solid performance ensured a second place after this first competitive weekend but it is of course it is very very early days with eight more rounds to go in the championship.

The 2019 Harewood FTD Champion Dave Banner was not on the entry list and 2018 FTD Champion John Chacksfield had withdrawn, so it was down to Richard Spedding (GWR Raptor2. Car no. 161) to set the fast time of the day and with it a new Class record for 5D of 50.76 seconds, Richard now leads the main Harewood Championship – Richard is a Harewood Driving Academy Instructor and British Championship Hillclimb regular.

What a difference a year makes, after a troubled 2018 season for Ben Tranter and Robert Spedding with the OMS 2000M (car no.854 and 154 respectively), which resulted in having to get the old fateful Formula Ford Vectra out to compete in a number of events last year. Both drivers managed to go off at Country corner during the day. Ben managed to set the fastest time in Class 5A with a time of 55.34 seconds. I overheard two spectators refer to these drivers as ‘Mr Cadbury’, he’s gone off at the same corner, possibly due to the colour of the car and it also having Cadbury on the side of the front nose cone!

Next Championship meeting is the Harewood Hillclimb Open on Saturday 11^th May followed by the first visit for the British Championship Hillclimb meeting on the Sunday.

A full list of all the events at Harewood Hillclimb can be found here.

Results from the Harewood Speed Hillclimb Spring National event, can be found here.

FTD Championship (Fastest time of the day) here.

Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire Centre at Harewood Hill and not forgetting all the marshals and rescue teams without which the event could not take part.

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