FERRARI HILL CLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP
REPORT : ROUND 11 : HAREWOOD : 14 SEPTEMBER 2002
By Graham Easter

Jon Goodwin won by over 4 seconds and broke the record. 'Nuff said.

Paddock Stories

• Richard Allen, Geoff Dark and Richard Prior had a titanic struggle for second place. Allen and Dark recorded identical times of 69.23 secs with Allen taking the place because of a better 2nd run time. Prior was only 0.04 secs behind the battling duo and it was very tight all the way down.
  
  
• The Harewood officials decided to check everyone’s passes at the gate. BARC Yorkshire Centre Chairman and one-time Ferrari hillclimber (and Brian May ex-look-alike) Simon Clark arrived without his. “Where's thy pass?” says apocryphal Yorkshire bloke Brian Kenyon. “Don’t be daft”, says Clark “You know who I am”. “I don’t care who you are” says Kenyon “You're not coming in with no bloody passes”.
  
  
• The Harewood weather lived up to its usual reputation. It was cold and windy whilst the rest of the country basked in warm sunshine. Pauline Goodwin arrived attired for balmy weather, fresh from thrashing a 19 year old in her club’s tennis final. She was soon huddled in a layer of anoraks, most notably a Maserati (eh?) one nicked from Tony Willis.
  
  
• We are sworn to secrecy as to the source of this one, but objective and truthful reporting forces us to reveal the reason for the ding in Geoff Dark's 308 front corner - he swiped a post in his hotel car park! Hasty on-the-spot repairs (with what looked like Ollies nail varnish) could not hide the blemish......
  

• Goodwin was noticeably more aggressive than any other competitor (he was the only one to warm his tyres up) as he was on a mission for maximum PEP points as well as the outright win. Throwing all caution to the winds on his final run he got into a tank-slapper out of “Chippy’s” which resulted in a gentle visit to the bank. Fortunately little damage was sustained and his second run time was good enough for the win.
  
  
• Maranello Concessionaires Tony Willis was again enjoying himself in a lovely 330GT. Diplomatic as ever, he refrained from embarrassing the customers. Interestingly, his speeds on the straight were much the same as Len Watson’s F40. Tony has perhaps the best chance of anyone of giving the “Enzo” its hillclimb debut.
  
  
• After practice there were the usual moans about how slippery it was. An ex-hillclimber, just spectating, was heard to offer the sympathetic advice “Well, try going a lot faster and the tyres might warm up and get some grip”. It’s always easy from that side of the fence, isn't it?.
  
  
• Neither Hitchman took their 3rd run, despite their cars being perfectly healthy. Strange when you consider the efforts the organisers have made to provide one.
  
  
• There was a large Porsche contingent. Despite mischief makers going over to them and saying “That Ferrari lot over there think you’re a load of wusses” no fight ensued. The Porkies were a bit quicker than our lot with Paul Howells winning on a 64.25 in a 911 RS, but their cars are a bit more tweaked up than ours.
  
  
• Talking of tweaked up cars. Brian Jackson was a bit of a “Billy-no-Mates” banished to the “ Modified Saloon & Sports ” class in his 355 Challenge, with which he won the class on a 68.09 secs. Congratulations to him. How much longer before we see more of these interesting cars on the hills as they become really cost-effective? And when will they finally be allowed into the FHCC?
  
  
• The event was covered by the PMFC website team who arrived in an F40. They crawled out of it, deafened and moaning, and dragged their aching backs to the chuck wagon. Who says we don’t suffer for our art?
  
  
• Mike Haigh was out for the first time this year in his quiet 328 GTB having given up on the PMFC because of the un-competitiveness of the older tipos.
  
  
• Someone came into Harewood late on Friday night and did a couple of practice runs. Officials attempted to stop them, but the miscreants escaped, nearly running them over. Police are said to be looking for a retired Ford dealer from Essex.

RESULTS :

POINTS STANDING AFTER ROUND 11:

Click here to return to the Ferrari Hill Climb Championship page.

Goodwin was in a class of his own

but Allen had to fight hard for second

Mike Haigh is an ex-PMFC man

Billy-no-mates: Jacksons 355/Ch is banished to the other side of the paddock

Mystery lady points to where Geoff bashed the hotel car park

Len Watson finally had his mighty F40 out

Technology continues to amaze some......

Chris Hitchman leans on his 308

The twiddly bits are unrewarding: this is Philip Whitehead

Anoraks vs shorts on a cold Harewood day

Simon tries to recover from the ticket incident

Tony Willis hustles the 330 through the tight bit

pics by CMdigicams