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There can be few more enjoyable places to spend a day than competing or spectating at a sunny Prescott, a great venue nestling in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside. It was with a familiar thrill of excitement that your website team, grizzled ex-hillclimbers both, turned into the car park. This thrill quickly turned to disbelief and horror when we were relieved of £24 to get in. £12 each! At least Dick Turpin wore a mask....... Reeling with shock, we stumbled into the paddock where our spirits were quickly restored by the sight of 14 gleaming examples of Maranello’s finest. As usual, 308s and 328s, including that of veteran Keith Maddox, were the most numerous tipos, but there was ample variety with a 330 GTC, Nick Taylor’s Mondial and a couple of 348s. Peter Hayman’s mighty 512 TR was back, fresh from having its gearbox fettled, Geoffrey Rollason’s 360 Spider and Champion Jon Goodwin’s 355 GTS also made an appearance. Goodwin was back in this car after bashing his 360 at Bouley Bay in the previous round. Rollason was quickest in Saturday practice with Goodwin close behind and a good battle between these two seemed likely. In the first competition runs on Sunday morning Rollason took an early lead on 50.27secs, despite coming on and off the throttle in the first and very fast Orchard bend. Rollason displayed all of the aggression he used in his F1 Brabham BT37, some 25 years earlier. His Brabham was in full Grand Prix spec, impossible to imagine such a thing today. Nick Frost’s 348 GTC sounded beautiful, howling away with phenomenal revs to a 50.77 and second place. A subdued Goodwin stopped the clocks on 51.07 to take third. Tony Willis was as laid back as ever in his ex. Chris Rea 330 GTC, rumoured to be listening to “The Road to Hell” on his 8 Track. There were the usual close battles down the field with Christopher England (308 GTS), Nick Taylor and Peter Hayman separated by less than a quarter of a second. Andrew Duncan’s 328 GTS had a nasty roll-oversteer lurch, which may explain his 55.20. After the usual intense debrief, including Jane Willis’s birthday cake – Happy Birthday Jane - the field took to the hill for the second runs. Barry Wood (308 GTS) improved, as did Simon Burn (308 GTBi), Taylor, Duncan, Prior (348 ts), and Mike Spicer in the ex Robin Ward championship winning 308 GTB. Peter Hayman did too, despite the 512 TR being a tight squeeze on the narrow hill. Nick Frost was slower, but his first run time was still good enough for third place. Rollason improved marginally to 50.11, then all eyes were on Goodwin, the last runner. All of his former aggression was back and he took the win with a 49.95 second run. Aggression, power and weight seemingly the most important factors in Ferrari hillclimbing. Brian Jackson (355/Ch) had to run, as usual, in another class, posting
a 50.24. I know we’ve said this before, but we wonder when these
cars will be allowed into the FHCC? The competition cost of a 355/Ch is
modest these days compared with that of a road-going tipo. We suppose
that championship supremo Richard Allen might argue “If it ain’t
broken, why fix it?”
Click here to return to the Ferrari Hill Climb Championship page.
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