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Located in the rural Teme Valley, an hour south-west of Birmingham, Shelsley
Walsh is a 1000 yard tarmac hillclimb that celebrated its centenary in August
2005, with a representative entry of the cars ‘n stars that make this
location the world’s oldest motor sport venue in continuous use.
Hillclimbing remains a very popular branch of motorsport and it was surprising to learn that 31 hills from the "Cat and Fiddle” near Macclesfield to “Sunrising Hill” near Kineton have at one time or another staged this uphill pursuit. Three key Midlands' locations remain – Loton Park, Prescott and the steepest and most daunting of them all, Shelsley Walsh. With a 129 strong entry and 14 former British Champions, combined with a glorious summer day, it was no surprise to learn this was the venue’s biggest gate since pre-war days, where for a time it was the only permanent UK motorsports venue apart from Brooklands. These were the highlights:- Champions Five-times champions and sometime PMFC and Austin Healey racer David Grace bagged a drive in BAR F1 aerodynamicist Willem Toet’s Pilbeam MP88, whilst Chairman of the Shelsley Trust Martyn Griffiths made a welcome return in the Pilbeam MP53 with which he won his last title. Four-times champion, ex-cyclist and FOC member Roy Lane ( on the mend after recent surgery) was back in his championship winning Pilbeam MP58 of 1996 and sometime International Supersports competitor Martin Bolsover demonstrated his McLaren M6GT road car. Twice-winner in the ‘60s, Peter Westbury was reunited with the unique Ferguson P99 – raced in period by Sir Stirling Moss and recently rebuilt ; whilst ’78 victor and Shell Historic Challenge regular David Franklin was in the most unsuitable hillclimb car of the weekend, Dean Butler’s ex-Richard Petty IROC Camaro. 1995 winner, Guernseyman Andy Priaulx was at the wheel of the Bart Mampaey run BMW which he used to clinch the European Touring Car Championship in ’04 and has helped him achieve seat time and a testing programme with Williams in F1. Demonstrations Former British Touring Car Champion and Bathurst 1000 winner Jeff Allam was also making his first visit to Shelsley and his recently acquired, superbly prepared, Bastos liveried, ex-TWR Rover sounded crisp, reverberating against the tree lined track. Action Unfortunately Mac Hulbert wasn’t able to eclipse his class record (33.71secs) with ERA R4D - a car inextricably linked to Shelsley’s history with 5 outright records and 21 best times of the day. Of the class battles, the highlight was undoubtedly between ex-rally driver Julian Bronson in his gruff Lister Chevrolet and Classic and Sportscar magazine’s Simon Taylor in his Don Law prepared Stovebolt Chevrolet. Bronson achieved the win with a 34.94 climb but only after Taylor had modified his steering against the Kennel banking. Shelsley has always inspired engineers, with a century of innovation and home built "specials” bearing unfamiliar names but with a single aim - to get to the top fastest! Hornet, Gnat and .php were some of the earliest, often powered by JAP motorbike engines. They culminated in Spider 1 and 2 which were built by Macclesfield-based silk merchant Basil Davenport complete with his 1920’s version of racing overalls – a farmers coat secured with bailing twine! Fittingly both cars ran over the weekend against the latest of the breed, Nic Mann’s self-built Clubmans-based and gas turbine assisted Mannic – with which he lowered the Shelsley Special and Sports racing car record to 26.46. With a renewed operating lease until 2105, ongoing investment into facilities and infrastructure, the hill faces a certain future. The Midland Automobile Club is custodian of probably the world’s best known hillclimb venue - Pikes Peak included…. long may it continue. See Red
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