Watery Werrington

Just after this, it hammered down

It's already been a couple of weeks since the Hillclimb at Werrington Park but that's the summer months and long evenings for you - it's been a packed programme this year and no mistake. I took a little time out from my experiments in the garage/studio/laboratory to check out the sport on Sunday and also ask competitors how to get started.

When I arrived it was dry and almost sunny but by the end of the meeting the temperature plummeted and we had some heavy rain. A couple of cars on slicks had just started runs and proceeded very cautiously up the hill to derisive remarks from some youngsters near me but their dad explained it was better to pootle up the hill than go off and damage something expensive. A couple of spactators were in just jeans and tee shirts and by the middle of the afternoon they appeared to me to be suffering from hypothermia.

Still by the time I got home, it was dry and sunny with sign of rain south of Upton Cross.

I've always liked the Citroen AX GT and this is the 500 variety. Note the sock air cleaners poking out of the bonnet

I had a chat with the pilot of this Citroen AX GT 500. He'd just taken up hillclimbing after doing circuit racing for a few seasons and this was his first event. He reckoned the car was much quicker than the driver but I don't think it was much cop all by itself.

He said what great value for money it was and recommended getting  a car that was already sorted.

The rest of this Sierra XR4X4 was just as nice.

I also greatly admired the modified Cosworth engine of this Sierra. It wasn't road legal - so you couldn't drive it to the meeting like you could with the AX - but the powertrain was a good choice in the conditions.

This was not all it seemed - but more

Then there was this BMW M3. It conspicuously didn't have four wheel drive but did a glorious powerslide round the lower bend.

That's a 5-litre V8 in this M3.

I copped this Morris Marina estate, the Series 2 type with the foglights in the grilles. I've never seen one with a tailgate that seems to fit - they all stand proud round the edges.

Again, this is no ordinary Morris Marina. It's got the 2-litre Rover M16 engine in it which bolts - wait for it - onto an overdrive box from an MGB.

Something loud is taking off from the start line so heads are turned away from these Vintage Things

If this Marina estate is around, it means a very nice Davrian is usually around nearby. Both cars belong to my Imp friends the Cashmores who were visiting from the home counties. They'd been to Wiscombe the weekend before but that had been cancelled due to even worse weather. The course wasn't only wet but littered with debris from the trees. The Cashmores told me that not so many people are hillclimbing Imps these days. Unlike the guy with the AX, Imp hillclimbers are getting into circuit racing. The problem for Imps is that they run in the 1400cc class for hillclimbs and sprints so give away a lot of displacement and power. Graham's got a 1040cc engine in his Davrian and it don't half go well. It created a lot of interest in the paddock.

Car of the day? That'll be the next Vintage Thing. 

It's always good to see motorcars like this taking part in speed events

Werrington's more a competitor's hill than one for spectating. You can watch most of the bottom section of the course below the house but beyond that there's only a short section on the top straight where you can watch and that's usually pretty crowded. This very well presented video gives a peak of what the top bit is like - but doesn't have any footage of the Davrian going up. Surely shome mishtake?