Stonehenge
Chris Cannell. Photo by Simon McBeath.
With capacity 135+car entries on both days plus over 30 motorbike entries on Sunday it certainly is a spectacular programme to start the Gurston Down Speed Hillclimb season of motorsport action against the clock on April 20th and 21st! And as well as the usual eclectic mix of road-going and modified production cars, sports racing cars and single seater racing cars there are various invited classes to be enjoyed over the weekend featuring some superb machinery. Add in the motorbikes on Sunday and there’s something for everyone!
Salisbury drivers
As always the local area is well represented in the entries. Adrian Lewis goes in his 919cc Westfield Megablade on both days and is up against tough opposition in the roadgoing specialist production car class. Steve Holley runs in his familiar growling 5.2 litre TVR Griffith on both days in the over 2000cc modified limited production marque sports car class and will be looking for a good result here. Chris Cannell and partner Sue Hayes once again team up on both days in the amazing twin-engined 2.6 litre Force SR8 in the over 2000cc sports libre class, and this is sure to be one of the fastest cars of the weekend! And on Sunday Nick Smith runs his 2.6 Triumph TR6 in the TR cars class, and having finished second last year he will be looking to go one better this year! And class record holder Stephen Moore from Stapleford runs his potent 2.0t Mitsubishi Evo 6 on Sunday in the over 2000cc roadgoing series production car lass and will be aiming to lower the record mark again.
Warminster drivers
Warminster is certainly one of the better represented towns in the weekend’s competition, and in the ACSMC Road Legal Cars class Warminsterians Stuart Morgan-Nash and Anthony Ballard share their 1.8 MG ZR. Meanwhile ‘neighbour’ Paul Moakes goes in his 4.0 TVR V8S in the TVR Cars class but is also pitted against some very swift opponents.
On Sunday the TR Cars kick off the meeting followed by the Austin Healey ‘Big Healey and Warwick Cars’ division, both of which have attracted drivers from all over the country. In the Austin Healey Cars ‘Sprites’ division, it’s Warminster to the fore again as Murray Wakeham goes in his 1.4 Austin Healey Sprite, and Murray has a good chance of doing well here.
On Saturday the runners in the up to 2000cc and over 2000cc racing car classes are amalgamated, with Mark Walker from Warminster debuting his new 2.0 Dallara F399.
Melksham drivers
The ‘Classic Marques’ class runs for the first time on Sunday, and Trevor McMaster from Melksham goes here in his 3.6 TVR Tamora.
Location: 1 mile west of Broad Chalke, 9 miles SW of Salisbury, Wiltshire. Turn off the A354 at Coombe Bissett on the unclassified road to Broad Chalke, follow RAC signs.
Starts: Competition runs from approx..1:00pm (practice from 8:30am) both days
Admission: £10.00, accompanied under 14s free. Free parking.
