Hollier tears up the record books

The first event of the new motorsport season was held last weekend at Wiscombe Park, the speed hillclimb venue near Honiton.

The drivers were faced with difficult conditions during the Saturday morning practice sessions. The hill had not been used for competition since last September – and with early morning rain, the slippery surface even caught out the current Wiscombe Champion, Ian Ingleheart. Fortunately, he suffered no damage to himself or his car.

By the afternoon, and the two, timed event runs, the hill had dried sufficiently for drivers to dispense with wet and intermediate tyres and push the limits - the times tumbled.

The event included the opening two rounds of the Wiscombe Tillicoultry Quarries Championship and the Fusion Fostering ASWMC Hillclimb Championship. For the championship contenders, a good showing at Wiscombe was very important to underline their title challenge at an early stage in the season.

By the end of Saturday, some of the leading drivers were celebrating Class wins. These included – Class A1 Julian Rinaldi; Class A3 Matt Vann; Class B3 Ian Ingleheart; Class C4 Paul Reynolds; Class E1 Tom Williams; Class E2 Andrew Forsyth; The Fastest Time of the Day – 37.30s - was claimed by the current ASWMC Hillclimb Champion, Ed Hollier in his Force H/C.

On Sunday, the sun shone, producing the perfect conditions for setting top times. The crowds of spectators lining the wooded slopes and meadow of this spectacular venue were treated to a great display of speed and skill.

Hillclimbing attracts a wide range of cars - there is a class for everything from standard road going cars up to very rapid single-seater racing cars.

One marque that has a long association with the venue is Gilbern. The first car from this Welsh manufacturer competed at Wiscombe in 1962 and the Gilbern Owners Club fielded a strong entry last weekend.

It was Brian Gent who ultimately won the Class with a time of 50.99s in his Gilbern 1800GT - the same car that first achieved a Class win at the venue in 1972.

And the man with the biggest smile in the paddock during Sunday afternoon’s prize giving was Ottery St Mary racer Ed Hollier. He had again set the Fastest Time of the Day – 35.16s - a new Class E1 Record!

This beat the existing record he set at last year’s MG Car Club event - 35.29s. This result put Ed into the lead of the Wiscombe Championship. The current 2024 Champion, Ian Ingleheart is second, followed closely by James Hudson, Matt Vann, Paul Reynolds and Julian Rinaldi.

Sundays Class winners:

A1 Julian Rinaldi; A2 James Hudson; A3 Matt Vann; A4 Jack Ellis; B2 Philip Pearn; B3 Ian Ingleheart; C1 Neil Tuckey; C2 Gordon Iles; C3 Jonathan Williamson; C4 Paul Reynolds; D1 Jan Yeo; D2 Mike Lee; D3 Stuart Haskins; E1 Tom Williams; E2 Andrew Forsyth; E3 Simon Ashley; Downton Motor Club - Derek Kessell; Gilbern OC – Brian Gent; Bristol MC MX5 Challenge – Oliver Jenkins; Classic Marques - Alan Davies.

There are many events at Wiscombe Park to look forward to:

May 10 - 500 Owners Association

May 11 - Vintage Sports-Car Club

May 17 - Torbay Motor Club

May 18 - Wildlife Autosport

For all the latest news and to purchase tickets at a discount please visit the Wiscombe website www.wiscombepark.co.uk