If you are a speed eventer then it's almost inevitable that at some time you will drive at Curborough. Many make their debut here, there's a meeting most weekends, plus it's readily available for private testing and track days. It looks easy, but is in fact fiendishly difficult, and very few come remotely close to getting it right. This could be why it's few people's favourite, but nonetheless I would argue that it's the most important speed event venue in the country because of its sheer accessibility. Long may it and (guardian) Shenstone and District Car Club prosper!

Where once we struggled to get into double figures here, this time 15 were accepted and nine originally had their entries turned down! The Goodwins were amongst them but turned up on spec.; Pauline got in, Jon didn't. Eventually the final tally was 17. Fortunately, all of the main contenders got in, including Geoff Dark, who was back in his trusty 308m. We were delighted to see locals Chris and (especially) Lorraine Hitchman out for the first time this year. Clan Chief Peter had had his entry turned down and to add insult to injury, son Chris had nicked his Mondial, leaving his own 355 warm and dry in the garage! Andrew Holman had been christened "Mad Dog", I think because of a flesh wound his 348 had incurred at a Track Day, though he loudly protested it was not his fault. Incidentally I believe his car to be unique in that it's the only one the world that is precisely the same colour as a standard roll of tank tape.

Practice was dry with things going pretty well to expectations with Chris Butler (355) on top of the pile with Nick Taylor (348GTC) second. RA was quickest over the finishing line, which he attributed to his 355 having a bog-standard "pea-shooter" exhaust, this being one in the eye for the "sports" exhaust brigade. The wives and I amused ourselves with trying to correlate entry speeds and corner times for the corner-at-the-end-of-the-straight (CAOS), though Ali Butler, a professional statistician, thought the whole enterprise was "unsound".

At lunchtime it rained and rained and rained. It rained so much that looked like the meeting would have to be abandoned. It was so bad that Wendy Marshall said she'd rather be at home doing the ironing. However there was the usual good natured banter with "Mad Dog" the butt of much of it, which was pretty ungrateful as we were huddled together under his gazebo, but as it turned out he was to have the last laugh. There was also some discussion about Club events reporting, with one soul even suggesting the website reports were 'unofficial'.

Conditions were (unofficially) diabolical for the first runs. I feared that there would only be one run and was determined to get some pictures, so I chucked my dictaphone at Gooders and this (unofficial) report is largely based on his observations. Chris Butler (355) was first away and was his normal smooth self. When he joined us after his run (as did most of the drivers) he said "I'm not saying it's wet out there, but a gondola passed me on the straight". I can (unofficially) verify that this was the case.

John Marshall (328m) was next away and completed his run, but got no time as the finish boards blew into the timing gear and knocked it over! After a pause to set things right we resumed with Nick Taylor (348GTC), he had the back end way out of line in the Molehill on the first lap and was slower that Beuttler. David Tomlin was next away, he'd been troubled with kangaroo petrol in practice which he thought was down to a dodgy temperature sensor. Anyway, running the car clap-cold seemed to sort it. He took the lead by over 2 seconds with a 75.59. RA overshot into CAOS. Tomlin's lead lasted until Richard Prior (348ts) did a beautifully controlled and quick run to record 75.42 which was comfortably the best and remained so. Tracey Haynes (328) spun at CAOS. "Mad Dog" nearly spun in the Molehill on his first lap and Ricardo Preece (GT4) did a complete 360° at CAOS, but continued.

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At this point all would rather have gone home, but personfully bore the conditions until it seemed that there were only the Ferraris left in the paddock. Then, miraculously, it stopped raining! Chris Butler led them away again and stopped the clock on a 69.29, some 8 seconds quicker than his first run, but still 3¾ seconds off his practice time and he soon confirmed that the track was very greasy. As it turned out, this run secured him the overall win. The fact that he went out first, not having any clue what the conditions were or what his rivals were doing made it a remarkable effort.

John Marshall was next away, recording a 76.44. Nick Taylor lost time going sideways into the Molehill and was dogged by understeer (always a 348GTC characteristic) coming out of the top corner and was disappointed with his 70.57. Dave Tomlin was going hard and taking lots of kerb, but would his engine keep going? It did, he clocked 70.04 and took second place. Geoff Dark was very smooth and the conditions should have helped his smaller-engined tipo but it was not to be and he could only manage 73.56.

It was dry enough for RA to generate tyre squeal in CAOS and as Gooders said it was "A bit ragged Richard", but he was still another in the 70's with a 70.87. Next up was Richard Prior who was really trying and despite understeering to touch the grass on the exit of CAOS, recorded 69.83. It looked like this would give him the 20 points and the 2007 title (unofficially). Jeff Cooper got his 360 F1 round in 75.20, the computer-controlled downshift into CAOS sounding great and it was fastest over the line. Charles Haynes did a 79.75, his 348GTC displaying another of the tipo's characteristics, reversing lights coming on at random! As Gooders said, must cause a bit of consternation if this happens and you are behind one at the traffic lights!

Tracey H (328) was understandably cautious after her first run whoopsie, but her lines were fine. Brian Jackson looked to be going well, his giallo 308 bringing a welcome touch of brightness to a drab day and indeed his ordinale car was quicker than Dark's modificato example, Jacko stopping the clock at 72.45. Whilst wood might be a fine surname and useful for making all sorts of things, Barrie of that ilk found out that this isn't true for tyres, his 355 being on ancient Goodyears. He suffered a zero mph spin in CAOS. Clearly time for a visit to the Series' sponsor.

The peace and tranquility of the Staffordshire countryside was shattered as "Mad Dog" Holman's 348tb left the line. He can be a bit wild but this run was a masterpiece of controlled aggression and Andrew stopped the clock on 69.67 - second overall and 20 points! This caused a massive outbreak of howling and scratching amongst the Ferrari crowd, which left the other massed rank of spectator looking bemused. Andrew soon bounced up, and on learning the situation was like a dog with two you-know-what's! Richard Prior was the first to congratulate him, even though it meant that the title fight goes on.

After that things on-track were inevitably an anti-climax, except of course those actually doing it. Preece got round this time, though his GT4 was misfiring - sounded like fuel surge to your reporters. Lorraine H, on her first appearance for ages, did well to finish with three behind her. Chris H was a very good seventh in Pa's Mondial t, but PG was disappointed that her 73.71 meant she was only tenth.

All went home cold and damp, but almost all happy, their fortitude having been rewarded by a cracking meeting. "Mad Dog" was a very popular (PEPs) winner, this being his second in a row. I suspect he'll find things a bit tougher at Harewood, especially if Nick Frost makes an appearance.



Footnote
Andrew Holman attributed his (PEPs) winning time to his start, stating that Prior would have won it if he'd matched it. On the other hand there is a school of though which believes that unless the run's perfect, any advantage gained over the first 64 ft vis à vis the competition soon disappears. Here (from Andrew) are the positions at various points on the second runs. One interpretation could be dementis canis no-one actually optimized their run, but far be it from a mere scribbler to suggest such a thing, especially an unofficial one to boot!

Click here to go (unofficially) in car with Ricardo Preece.

Click here for the (unofficial) results.

Click here for the (unofficial) Championship positions.

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

Tracey facing the wrong way

Barrie Wood got round the first time

Does mine do that? Yup.

Lorraine's CAOS theory worked

Ricardo was delighted to be second fastest over the first 64ft!

John Marshall had a re-run after the timing gear was demolished by this chequer board

Jeff Cooper's 360 was again fastest over the finish line

PG gets the perseverence prize for just getting in

Not a good day for Geoff Dark

Jacko had the quicker 308 again

Local lad Chris Hitchman made good

RA was quicker on his second lap. I fear he's becoming a circuit racer!

Not a good day for Nick Taylor either

Dave Tomlin did OK, once he'd fooled his engine into running properly

Richard Prior was so close...

"Mad Dog" surprised us all

Chris Butler scored another fine win

It wasn't much fun for the WAGS either!

pics by PriorArt & Graham Easter. Sorry about the unofficial quality of some of them!