Article by Mike Horn

It was a foggy April Sunday that saw the contenders of round 4 of the 2008 tvr Speed Championship head out into the Wiltshire countryside for the Gurston Speed Hillclimb. The place names en route, such as Cow Piece, Nether Wallop and Odstock, hinted at a rural setting, as did the broad chalk streams winding their way through glorious downland.  And this impression was reinforced on arrival at Gurston farm, with the sight of several single seaters parked against the grain sheds. However, first impressions are so often misleading and this was indeed the case at Gurston.  No hick venue this one. Run by the British Automobile Racing Club, it is surely one of England’s premier hillclimb venues, with a forty-year history and impressive facilities for competitor and spectator alike.

The formalities of signing on were completed with scary efficiency, as was scrutineering, which was helpfully carried out in your paddock slot. This left plenty of time to walk the course which is always a help, although one of our number was heard to say, “With just 4 straights and 3 corners, how difficult can it be?” Famous last words!

This venue is new to the tvr championship and so the consensus was that it would be equally challenging for all, with no clear advantage to the seasoned campaigners. It comprises, unusually, a downhill starting straight with a slight jink right before “Hollow”, a narrow left hander, then a short straight with heavy braking into an uphill double bend complex “Karousel”, a steep straight to a tricky left “Ashes”, and a long, fast, climbing straight to the finish with a late kink just to keep you honest.

And so to first practice:  red light, green light, press loud pedal and …. nothing!   There was a whooshing noise a bit like a demented spin dryer but the scenery was very reluctant to start moving – boy it was slippery!  Still, everyone made it to the top without mishap and such was the lack of bravado that the main topic of interest was who would win the “cleanest Vixen” competition.

Then the sun broke through and the track was drying by the minute, so by second practice the drivers were able to explore the limits a little.  Sprint virgin Andrew Thorp (Griff 500) knocked over 8 seconds off his first run time to post a very competitive 42.19, whilst Adrian Duggleby’s 40.41 in his Griff 520 just edged out Alan Davies (Chimaera 500) to take the lead.

During the lunch break a few confessions emerged regarding past experience of Gurston, ranging from several hours watching You Tube videos, to several years competing in other championships with the odd Gurston training day thrown in for good measure – level playing field my foot!

First timed run after lunch saw times continue to fall with Paul Moakes cleaving 2.5 seconds off his morning’s best and Alan Davies leading a blindingly quick Peter Watson and Steve Cox into the sub-40 second level.  Unfortunately Steve’s V8S developed an expensively sounding noise from the diff and he prudently retired after this run.

Final timed runs – Tony Bradfield cut a further full second to finish with a 41.33 in his 350i, but Adrian Duggleby’s truculent T5 box refused to give him 3rd gear when requested and so was unable to give chase to ultimate winner Alan Davies, who posted a stunning 38.79.  Alan Bankhurst narrowly won the battle of the Vixens, ahead of Geoff Stallard, to take 2nd place overall, less than 0.01 of a handicap second ahead of Mike Horn’s 4.0 Chimp. With 4th and 5th places also only 0.01s further back, sprinting really doesn’t come any more thrilling than this!

Full and detailed results can be seen on our website
http://www.tvrspeedchampionship.co.uk/