Report - Round 14 - 2004 Ferrari Hillclimb Championship - Club Racing Series'

As the 2004 FHCC reached its final round, Nick Taylor had alread sewn up the Championship and Richard Prior was once again the bridesmaid in a secure second place. Geoff Dark had a chance of nicking third from Jon Goodwin, though it looked unlikely, but there was still everything to fight for before the long winter lay-off.

Taylor would want to go out on a high as the new Champion, Prior would want revenge, Gooders would want to win – because he always does, outgoing Champion Nick Frost would want to remind everyone what’s what and so on down the field. The FHCC is a relaxed, friendly and sociable series, but this can mask just how close and competitive it is. Some of the guys really want to win and put a lot of effort into achieving it.

The twelve drivers who started at Curborough included the hard core of the FHCC - in addition to those named they were Longleat winner Chris Butler (355), Mike Spicer (328) and Richard Allen, giving his 355 a run. Sadly though, Marco Pullen was a non-starter, his Mondial having apparently made some nasty noises the week before the event. This was a shame as Marco has been a great supporter of the Series and has finished in the coveted “top ten” in his first season of competition. Also, the entire Scuderia Hitchman was there, as was Peter Rogerson (355), however there was a noticeable shortage of camp-followers, which is incomprehensible – who would want to miss Curborough on a cold, rainy, October day?

The weather was damp for the first practice run and then it got steadily worse, when it was time for the first runs it was positively Spa-like! Geoff Dark (308GTB) led away and set the scene by having a slide in the chicane, Peter Rogerson recorded the second best 64ft time, RA took it steady, Mike Spicer was smooth and Lorraine Hitchman (328GTS) careful, though she booted it up the straight and spun under braking over the line – a common newcomers’ mistake in the wet at Curborough; husband Chris, running later, spun too, but he didn’t make it as far as the finish line. Nick Taylor was trying, slithering about under braking for the chicane, but taking the top corner well to move into the lead with a 42.95 secs. Richard Prior was trying harder still, taking lots of kerb and the car snaking as he powered out of the chicane on his way to an excellent 42.08 and the lead.

Nick Frost (348GTC) was quick, but the back end flicked out as he applied the power in the last corner, his 42.76 beating Taylor, but a long way short of Prior. Peter Hitchman (getting Chris’s 355 wet again) was sensible and Chris Butler was feeling his way. In contrast, Jon Goodwin was right on the ragged edge, the car snaking and sliding its way round which only just paid off, taking the lead by just seven-hundredths from Prior, aided by a extra 5mph over the line compared with the older tipo.

The conditions were either slightly better for the second runs, or everyone had got used to them as nearly all improved their times, Geoff Dark by 0.8 secs, giving him 6th place and RA by 1.5 secs to 44.02, which moved him ahead of Mike Spicer by just six-hundredths of a second! On his second run Mike gave it a bit too much going out of the chicane and spun – handing RA 7th place. Lorraine Hitchman made a good improvement, unlike Chris, who spun in a repeat performance of his first run. Nick Taylor was noticeably quicker than on his first run, going fast, but with no slithering or sliding, using all the grip, but not exceeding it – he improved by 0.89 secs, behind Gooders, but pipping Prior’s first run time by two-hundredths. The latter nearly lost it in the difficult right-hander and was slower.

Peter Rogerson was another to improve and then it was Nick Frost’s turn. Like Taylor’s, his run was smooth, economical and quick, although he went into the chicane a little too fast and understeered past the apex; he slowed the car almost to a standstill in the last corner, which allowed him to take the shorter inside line and get the throttle open early to launch himself down the straight – the result 41.37 and the lead. Peter Hitchman improved to 44.84, which almost matched Chris Butler’s first run time, but Butler was much more determined this time, finding the fine line between too fast and too slow for these low-grip cars in the wet (they are road cars after all), he was fastest of all over the finish line with 93 mph on his way to 42.21.

Finally it was time for Jon Goodwin to take the last run at the last meeting of the 2004 FHCC, more aggressive than Taylor or Frost, generally pushing the car past the available grip and then catching it, I thought he had overdone it when he slid wide on the exit of the last corner, but the clock stopped on 41.36, giving him the outright win by just one-hundredth of a second, an exciting way for the Series to finish.

As I drove away from Curborough, I reflected on this year’s FHCC and was reminded of the words of author and hillclimb guru Allan Staniforth “No-one could ask for a happier set of circumstances in which to get mixed up in their spare time”. Long may it thrive!