Report - Round 4 - 2003 Ferrari Hillclimb Championship - Club Racing Series'

The main story of this meeting was the battle of the 348 twins - Richard Frost in his sorted GTC and Nick Prior in his less-tweaked TS. In the absence of current champion Jon Goodwin, Frost was the favourite to win on scratch but he needed to be 1.5% (PEP) clear of his archrival to take maximum points.

As they went in to the final third run Frost had the class lead, but was a few hundredths the wrong side of Prior's PEP factored time. Prior went slower as Frost shaved off another tenth to take the 20pts by just four hundredths of a second! Peter Hayman pulled his 512TR in to third on scratch and fourth was new boy Chris Butler (F355), very impressive in this, his first hillclimb.

Those not in the know might be asking, "What on earth is a PEP"? It stands for "Performance Equalising Percentage" a system of handicapping designed to equalize the performance of the various tipos competing in the FHCC. The 328 is the baseline on 0. Frost's 348 GTC carries a 1.5% penalty, so his actual time in seconds is increased by 1.5%. Generally speaking, the more modern, or modified the car, the bigger the PEP. 355s, for example carry a +2.75% PEP. For older tipos a negative PEP is applied, the 308 typically having a -1.5% PEP, this percentage being subtracted from the driver's time.

There are various refinements for individual cars and drivers, worked out by a formula known only to Richard Allen and one which Harry Potter would be proud of , but you get the gist. We hope to produce an analysis of the statistical significance of PEPs sometime - if we can find anyone bright enough to do it - any volunteers?

To return to the normal cliché-ridden style of motor racing reportage, the Yorkshire sun shone down on a magnificent entry of 20 Ferraris, the best since the tenth anniversary meeting. The series goes from strength-to-strength. It represents the most cost-effective, least risk way of actually competing in your pride and joy. Track days are one thing, but it takes a proper racer to submit to the rigours of the clock.

Such is the FHCC's success that John Swift was seen in the paddock, casting an envious eye over the field and trying to poach competitors for the new "Classic" circuit racing series.

After the first runs Frost lead the way, with Prior a second adrift. There were the usual close battles throughout the field with Spicer, Marshall, Dixon, Haigh, England and Dark covered by a fraction of a second. There was a similar battle further down between Dobson, Rogerson, Harrison and Grier.

Half the field improved on their second runs, but Hayman went straight off at the first bend in his "weapon of mass destruction". Fortunately the deformable Recticel barrier prevented serious damage and he was able to take his third run. Dixon spun at Orchard, but without contact.

Everyone was well fired up the on their third runs. Frost did the business; taking the outright and PEP corrected wins on a 67.29sec, his best of the day. His car was noticeably tauter round the difficult Esses and Chippy's complex, its tweaked suspension showing its worth. Marshal and Andy Grier improved too, the latter despite a big oversteer moment in Chippy's. Grier improved on each of his runs in Sally Maynard-Smith's 328 GTS, a good sign of talent for a newcomer in only his second ever event.

Some tried a bit too hard, with new boy Butler (355) holding onto a tank-slapper in the Esses - but more will be heard of this young man. Christopher England (308GTS) went straight off the road in the Esses and only a few drivers set better times, as often happens. One of them was Peter Rogerson, despite having other things on his mind. His racehorse was running and he had to get to the bookies by 4.50pm to watch the race on TV! The ever-obliging organizers let him run first, he set his fastest time and duly got there in time. We don't know whether he stopped at the top or not. Suitably inspired by its owner, the horse won.

The day done, a sizeable number of the competitors and supporters repaired to the local hostelry for post-event analysis and relaxation. Everyone enjoyed a delightful evening in convivial company, superbly organized, as ever, by Richard Allen and Sally Maynard-Smith MSc (congratulations Sally). If you are tempted by hillclimbing, give it a go, you don't know what you're missing!