July 2002

THE HILLCLIMBER

Newsletter of The National Hill Climb Association Ltd

Editor: Tony Quinn, 3 Chard Close, Nailsea, Bristol, BS48 4QA

Tel. 01275 854789  (7pm-10pm weekdays, any time weekends)

Email:  Tony.Quinn@charitycommission.gsi.gov.uk

Club Web Site:  www.nhca.co.uk

Results Web Site: www.sims703.freeserve.co.uk

July 2002

Editorial

Please note the change of email address above.  The old address is no longer any good. 

Everyone must be too busy riding to write, but I hear that there have been some well-supported events.  Having competed in non-NHCA events (cries of ‘shame!’)  at Loton, Oulton and Cadwell, we entered the July Shelsley, but with Cathy holding the steering wheel and me trying to hold my bottle. 

Shelsley is host annually to a select few invited to the August meeting, so it was very generous of the Midland Auto Club to offer us a second invitation this year.  The bike entry of 25 was well over-subscribed at this superb and well-run venue.  Spectator interest in the bikes was very apparent, both on the hill and in the paddock, as was the admiration of the two wheeler brigade expressed by a couple of car entrant/drivers we chatted to whilst observing at the start. 

Many thanks to Andy Briggs for doing all the organising and giving us a serious pep talk prior to the first, and very slippery, practice run to ensure that we all behaved ourselves.  Thankfully the weather improved very quickly and the sun shone on the righteous.  Jason Reeve smashed the 2-wd 3 wheeler record and it was wonderful to see Ewan Cameron piloting the ex-Cyril Hale Halec-JAP, on which Harry Voice occasionally rode shotgun – see David Childs’ appreciation of Harry.

It’s good to learn of other hill climbing events across the Channel.  As you’ll see from reading Doug Parnell’s article, he and Andrew Bennett had an unforgettable time in Italy when they competed (on Italian bikes of course) recently at Nalles in Northern Italy.  Many thanks for the article.

Finally, I think your Hillclimber should have a new editor.  I’ve been doing this for about four years and reckon I’m getting a bit stale.  The Hillclimber needs someone a bit younger and certainly more mainstream than someone with an old three-wheeler.  Please give it some thought before the AGM in late November.  If you’d like some idea of what’s involved, please give me a call or button-hole me at Wiscombe.

Tony

Odds and Sods

·         Tigger has received some information about the possibility of participating in a twisty sprint at Dunkeswell on the Somerset/Devon borders.  Maybe for 2003?

·         It would be appreciated if riders unable to complete their runs for any reason could inform the secretary of the meeting or some other official.  This is especially important where there is a paying public and a commentator, e.g. Prescott and Gurston.

·         Geoff Sims kindly provided this extract from ‘Shell Successes 1953 – The Hill Climb Season’ by Ken Wharton…. “Hill climbs offer one of the few chances of comparing the performance of a motorcycle with that of a car, since a special motorcycle class has become a feature of certain meetings.  How evenly they are matched is remarkable.  Yes, there is plenty to see both in action and in the paddock – so come along and watch us some time.”

Ken Wharton put up the fastest time at Prescott in May, at Shelsley Walsh in June and August, driving a Cooper.  He also did 2nd fastest time of the day at these meetings driving an ERA.  Unfortunately, there is no mention of the actual times.  Geoff Sims asks ‘Does anyone ever enter two cars these days?’  The above is interesting due to the fact that, at the Prescott Hill Climb on 8 June, Jason Reeve and Steve Hoole recorded the fastest time for cars and bikes, and on 9 June John Woods did likewise.

·         Some of you may remember Matt Isaac, Peter’s nephew, who ran a 600 Honda in road trim at some events a while ago.  Peter reports that Mat is currently working for the McLaren Formula 1 Team’s test team and enjoying it greatly.

·         As this is being written, negotiations are continuing for the Harewood event in August.  The organisers are being extremely helpful but as it is not a regular bike course there are one or two safety issues to be resolved with the ACU.  Let’s hope they get sorted and that our members enjoy a good day with no ‘nasties’ so that we get invited again in due course.

·         Doug Parnell advises that there was a good article about the NHCA in a recent issue of Performance Bike.  Let’s hope it acts as an incentive for newcomers to join in the fun.

·         It’s now possible to download some entry forms from the club web site – www.nhca.co.uk

·         More articles, snippets, needed always.  Nothing, well hardly anything, turned away.

·         Doug’s tailpiece to his article reminds one that the Italian car manufacturers have a knack for choosing unfortunate names for their models.  Does anyone remember the Lancia ‘Dedra’ or the unhappily titled Fiat ‘Argenta’ (introduced at about the time of the Falklands conflict)?

My Experience at Shelsley Walsh- Sunday 7 July 2002

The decision

Many of you may be surprised that I was allowed to drive at Shelsley Walsh but at the beginning of the year a deal was struck.  This stated that Dad (TQ) would compete in the Morgan Motor Company Challenge Series and I would mainly compete in NHCA (National Hill Climb Association) events, particularly Shelsley as it had instantly become a favourite two years ago when we raced there.  I agreed to this because Dad had a chance of going for the pump fuel trophy whilst the NHCA have a range of interesting and varied hills that provide a range of valuable experiences.  The meetings are also fairly relaxed with friendly people, great for first-timers wanting to have a little go.

The preparations

As the majority of you know Dad’s preparations tend to be fairly limited.  The main exception to this rule is ‘Gearing’.  This takes hours using ‘Excel’ to create various charts using lots of numbers which are then translated into the actual chains and sprockets, which apparently are the basis for my two gears.  The tickover was set higher in an attempt to stop me stalling the car in the paddock.  I feel this was actually psychological rather than practical.  The clutch was also changed for this event, as the other one was ‘not the best’.  I do know this was called a diaphragm clutch and was very springy but maybe even less effective at the end of the day.  The clutch is an ongoing problem so feel free to suggest any ideas (just not too expensive – remember this is TQ).   There were probably other alterations I’m not aware of as the driver rather than mechanic although still quick to criticise if I feel the car is at fault and if not then it is still best to try and blame the car!

Meanwhile I had my own preparations.  There was no time for extensive polishing because I had reading to do.  As it turned out it was a short article (the best kind) by Ken Wharton who was famous as hillclimbing champion in the 1950s.  This particular article was about his experiences at Shelsley in his Cooper.  It was interesting and gave an insight into the various corners and the speed in which to take them.  We also pulled a map of Shelsley off the Internet and discussed at what points the gear changes and braking should take place.  This is only my third hillclimb and I still have an enormous amount to learn and try to benefit for Dad’s and anyone else's experiences.  Mike Sythes, a friend of Dad’s advised me about my start at the Morgan club sprint about raising the revs gradually and releasing the clutch at the highest point to give a start that tends not to bog down.

The day

When we first arrived the weather was terrible consisting of fine rain, which made the surface of the hill very slippery.  It is always important when driving a hill for the first time to walk the course.  Due to the steepness of Shelsley and limited time we only walked up to the entrance of the esses.  This was extremely valuable because I could plan lines to take through the corners finalise gear change and braking points.  This is all good theory but actually I just tried to get up the hill and the majority of everything else was forgotten.  I describe it as learning to drive again.  You have to concentrate on one aspect at a time and gradually bring everything together to create the best possible time.

The waiting

Time in between runs at hill climbs can often be an extremely valuable opportunity to make minor and sometimes major adjustments.  Luckily the car was running well and there was no need for any of this.  The meant that the breaks between runs could be used to discuss the previous run and suggested improvements for the next run.  My aim was to improve one aspect on each run, which would hopefully lead to a slightly improved time.  I feel it is best to make small steady improvements rather than do anything drastic that could cause an accident.

The ascent

Practice Run One: ~ this run is always the most nerve-wracking particularly at a new venue.  I definitely felt more confident having walked the majority of the course beforehand.  This run was in the wet so the tyre pressures were let down to give more grip.  Jason Reeve, a fellow triker had also warned me that the start line had been resurfaced for extra grip but the rest of the hill would be exactly like an ‘ice rink’ due to the rain.  This meant I needed to make a careful start and drive slowly to avoid losing control.  I managed to arrive at the start without stalling the Morgan, which is a major plus as it needs to be bump started!  I made a good start off the line but by this time I was unable to see hardly anything because my visor misted up apart from a very thin line where my eyes were.  This meant I had to keep moving my head to see the relevant part of the track.  As you may expect my loss of vision made me drive even slower to ensure safety.  I think it was best, Dad didn't know this at the time he just thought I was being extra careful!  I expect he thought the same of my extreme braking when arriving at the esses when in actual fact I hadn’t realised they were quite so steep and I have to say this was reaction to my slight panicking.  The time was 69 seconds.  However I couldn’t wait for my next run now because I had a better feel for the course.

Practice Run Two: ~ luckily by this time the course had dried out significantly although I was warned to be careful as patches of the track could still be wet and therefore slippery.  To avoid the mist problem with my helmet I made sure the leave a thumb sized gap at the bottom of my visor and I reapplied some anti mist stuff called Rain-X.  I had previously applied this to both Dad’s helmet and mine at home to help the mist problem, which had occurred previously.  It seemed to have worked at the time when we were both walking round the house in our helmets to see if they would mist up!  However, we came to the conclusion that the solution had to be applied on the day of use, which was the case because my helmet did not mist for the rest of the day.

This run was much improved on the last with a good start, a steady drive through Kennel and the Crossing, braking still way to early when approaching the esses and a faster sprint across the finishing line.  I could not wait to find out my new time as I knew it was much improved on the last, so at the top of the hill Dad ran over to the timing hut to look on the sophisticated computer system but the time had not yet been registered.  When we arrived back at the paddock we rushed to look at the other sophisticated computer equipment to find out they had a slight problem with the timekeeping apparatus.  Yes, you guessed, it was possible that this could have been the driest run of the day and had no idea of the time.  Could this mean I get another go?  Apparently not!  As you can imagine I was not impressed with this and therefore prayed all through lunch for it not to rain because I was going to have better dry run with a time!

Timed Run One: ~ luck was definitely on my side because it stayed dry and a lengthly lunchtime discussion gave me an idea of what aspects I would work on for this run. Kennel and the Crossing could be taken with more accelerator and a better line could be taken through the esses. I was able to use this theory and everything definitely seemed faster but the truth was in the time, which in this case was a 51.  Dad was really pleased and so was I.  I knew I had completed a good run and would be happy if this was my best.  There was a problem still with the clutch, it was slipping and burning at the start (not my fault!) which was definitely losing me time.

Timed Run Two: ~ this has to be labelled the scariest run for both of us with mixed blame.  First I managed to stall the Morgan before I arrived at the line which meant quickly finding willing volunteers to give a push.  We or should I say Dad managed to get it started again so I didn’t miss my run.  I made a good start but still the clutch was burning as I moved off the line so I did what I had been told which was to ease off the accelerator and then ease back on.  This improved the situation although I still lost a small amount of time as a result.  I was considerably faster and I think I had better line through Kennel and Crossing.  I decided I would try and leave my braking a little later coming into the esses because the steepness of the hill also acts as a brake.  However it was at this point that I could not get into first gear, which immediately resulted in lots of four letter words.  This was good, as there was no time for any longer ones!  By now I was in the corner of the first esse in neutral and heading straight for the sand bags so I pulled sharply on the steering wheel, revved the accelerator and jammed the lever into first.  I drove quickly through the rest of the esses getting into second on the exit and putting my foot to the floor until I was across the finishing line.  I was determined not to lose all too much time, as it had been such an excellent run.  Indeed it still was I had achieved a 49-second time and a terminal speed of 62mph.

The decent

As with any hill what goes up must come down.  I really enjoyed coming back down Shelsley because it allows you to realise just how steep it actually is.  Also because you descend slowly it is another chance to look carefully at each corner for next time.  I was told by Dad to go slower because braking distances are longer but I think it was nearly as much fun as going up.

The awards

Currently our Morgan is the only one that races with the NHCA, and they only give a first place in the three wheeler class.  This includes lots of ‘trikey’ things, which go much faster than our Morgan ever will.  However I was definitely the fastest Morgan on the day!  During our lunch break I had admired the Shelsley Walsh mugs and Dad promised if both the car and myself were in one piece by the end of the day then he would buy me a mug.  Therefore I was not only had a fun day, achieved a good time but also got myself a cup!

Cathy Quinn

H A (Harry) Voice – An Appreciation

I had known Harry had been unwell for some time but it came as a shock to read, in Classic Racer, of his death at the age of 89 on (I believe) 6th March.  Universally known as Harry or Les, it was only after I had known him many years that one of his former workmates told me the initials stood for Hereward Albert.

Harry will be unknown to younger members but in the late 1950’s and 1960’s he was one of the ‘stars’ of the hillclimb and sprint world and in the early and mid 1950’s he was a well known road racer.

He was tall with a fairly large nose set in a longish, slightly weatherbeaten and craggy face which didn’t seem to change much over the 30 plus years I knew him.  On a bike he always looked very serious but off it he was a very down to earth, gentle, kind and modest man with a strong sense of humour and (when you knew him well) a strong Christian faith.

A life long motorcycle enthusiast he was fascinated by engines of all sorts (not just motorcycle) particularly racing and unusual types.  He treated everyone (from expert to newest novice) as equals, was interested in how other riders were doing and had the ability to talk to much younger riders as if there was no age difference.  He was always a pleasure to meet, always interesting to talk to and never lost his obvious enthusiasm.

Harry was born in the USA but grew up in Bodmin and considered himself a Cornishman.  On leaving school he got a job in the Midlands but was laid off (with millions of others) in the depression.  He then had a number of temporary jobs before obtaining a job building church organs for a Clevedon firm and stayed with them for most of the remainder of his working life.

The war years were spent in the Navy on fast motor boats.  During this period two events occurred which changed the course of his life.  Most importantly he met and married Vi but he also bought an elderly 350cc KTT Mk 4 Velocette racer with a view to ‘having a go’ when the war ended, having previously only owned road bikes.  Years later when talking to me about this machine and the late 40’s he said “I thought I was in heaven and I just was!”

After the war Harry and Vi set up home in Clevedon and the Velo was entered in a few grass track meetings without much success, also (it is believed) in one or two sprints and possibly a hillclimb or two.  Then in (I believe) 1949 Harry entered it for a road race meeting held on the sea front at Weston-Super-Mare and came 2nd in a 350cc heat and won the reserve race.

Following this success Harry started road racing at local meetings such as Blandford, Warminster, Thruxton, Castle Coombe etc and quickly acquired two more machines, a 350 KTT Mk 8 Velocette and a pre-war rigid framed 500 Excelsior-JAP.  In the late 40’s and early 50’s many race meetings allowed dope fuel but some were restricted to petrol.  The KTT Mk 4 and Excelsior ran on dope and the more modern Mk 8 KTT on petrol, giving competitive mounts for both.

The KTT Mk 8 was replaced after a few years by an AJS 7R and this, in turn, was followed, for a short period, by a 500 Manx Norton.  He also bought a new 350cc plunger framed BSA Gold Star for the 1952 Clubman’s TT, sold it after the race and bought a 350 swing arm Goldie the following year which was kept for a couple of years.

Like most racers of the period Harry was attracted to the Isle of Man mountain circuit and competed in the following races:

1952 350 Clubman’s TT – BSA (plunger)

1953 350 Clubman’s TT – BSA (swing arm)

1953 350 & 500 Manx G.P. – 350 BSA & 500 Gilera

1954 350 & 500 Manx G.P. – 350 & 500 BSA’s

1955 350 & 500 Manx G.P. – AJS 7R

1957 350 & 500 Manx G.P. – AJS 7R

1958 500 TT – Manx Norton

The highlights of his I.O.M. racing were the 1953 Clubman’s TT when he finished 8th after stopping to fix a front brake cable adjuster which had slackened off.  Later that year he was sponsored by Geoff Duke in the Manx G.P. on a 350 Gold Star (almost certainly a ‘works’ bike) and a 500cc DOHC single cylinder ‘works’ Gilera.  Harry finished 7th on the BSA but the Gilera was delayed by oiling problems and then ran out of fuel on the last lap.  Harry told me one of the problems with the Gilera was that the Italian mechanics had very little English and he had no Italian!  The following year he finished 13th in the Senior MGP on his Goldie with a 500cc motor loaned by BSA.

1958 was Harry’s last year of modern road racing but old habits die hard and a few years later he took up vintage road racing using the Excelsior and continued until he was 71.

The first record I can find of Harry hillclimbing is in 1957 but the club’s records are incomplete and he probably started earlier.  He then hillclimbed fairly regularly until 1974 although he did fewer meetings in later years and (I believe) never did any northern meetings in those pre-motorway days.  Initially he used the KTT Mk 4 and the Excelsior but from 1962 an early AJS 7R fitted with a 350 JAP motor replaced the KTT which then seems to have been used mainly for vintage grass track races.  After 1967 only the Excelsior was used.

Harry had many class wins and places in both 350 and 500 classes plus a number of FTD’s.  The three I know of are the Tregwainton August meetings in 1957 and 58 and Dyrham Park in 1965, but there may be more.  He also took ‘second FTD’ (George Brown was quickest) at Shelsley in 1959.

Harry was an extremely quick rider in both wet and dry conditions and was one of the ‘iron men’ who could get the best out of rigid framed, girder forked machines on bumpy tracks with tyres which had little grip by modern standards and, in the case of the Excelsior, handling and brakes which left something to be desired.

Besides solos he passengered the Halec on a number of occasions.  This machine looked something like a single seat 500 Cooper with three wheels.  The passenger sat on top of the streamlined bodywork!  Harry said it was a bit hairy (understatement!) as there was not much to hang on to!

Most of the older riders will have their memories of Harry.  Mine are of him sitting very upright on the girder forked, rigid, Excelsior with pudding basin helmet, Mk 8 goggles and (sometimes) a dewdrop on the end of his nose.  On one occasion at Wiscombe I was watching him take Martini.  When he reached the apex of the corner he opened the throttle a bit too quickly and the front wheel came up a foot or so.  Harry was completely unfazed, easing the throttle just enough to allow the wheel to slowly descend while still accelerating hard toward the finish line.

Jack Difazio was one of the riders Harry raced against in the 1950’s and when recalling him recently Jack said “Harry was a real gentleman.”  I think that sums him up really well.

Our sympathies go out to Vi and his family and many friends.

David Childs

Vintage/PVT Championship

1         David Carter – 12pts

1         Reg Davis – 12pts

3         Roy Venard – 10pts

4         Ken Edwards – 8pts

5         Dave Massam – 6pts

Classic Championship

1         David Childs – 21pts

2         Nigel Glover – 11pts

3         Will Wells – 7pts

4         Doug Parnell – 6pts

5         Tony Madgwick – 5pts

Please note that the first Baitings was not a round of the Vintage/PVT and Classic championships, but the second Baitings on 8 September is a round of those championships.

David Childs

The Italian Job (the two-wheeled version)

Just imagine a Hill Climb with an entry of about two hundred & fifty bikes, where the paddock is one side of the village and the course starts from the centre about a mile away.  You ride your bike to the start on public roads watched by the local plod who turn up on their Moto Guzzi patrol bikes and head straight to the bar for a quick beer.  The local Fire Brigade are marshals and most of the village seem to come out to watch.  Not a NIMBY in sight.

The course is about four miles long with hairpin after hairpin, just like Baitings Dam just about fifty times longer, and to cap it all when you get to the top there’s another bar.

The Event is at Nalles, which is in Northern Italy in the foothills of the Dolomites.  It’s a Hill Climb but not as we know it.  To give it its full title it is the Nalles - Sirmian Consistency Race.  It takes place over three days with signing on and Scrutineering on the Friday afternoon, that is when you get the first indication of the way they do things there.  The event is sponsored by a local apple grower so you get a tray of apples and a bottle of red wine just for signing on.  In the paddock is a bar and stage.  In a barn on the Friday night there is a social occasion.  On  Saturday morning you get your first practice in the afternoon you have your first timed run.  Saturday there is a gala dinner attended by the World Champions at the event.  Then on Sunday morning you get your second timed run.  As the name implies you get prizes for consistency over the two timed runs, that is what attracts such a large entry but amongst that entry there were two distinct agendas –  the consistency people on pretty ordinary classic bikes and the speed freaks on well sorted Manx Nortons, G50 Matchless and trick Guzzi singles, all out to be the fastest and stuff the consistency.

Where were the Brits?  In the second group, where else?  There were just the two of us Andrew Bennett and myself.  Andrew was riding brother Ian’s superb four cylinder 250 Benelli which is an exact replica of the 1969 World Championship winning machine, open meggas included.  You can imagine the interest that created.  On the Friday evening Andrew was invited to bring the bike on stage and start it up.  The Italians loved it, so did the Germans Austrians and Swiss who were at the event.  We spent the rest of the evening on the VIP table with the likes of Tarquino Provini and Luigi Taveri, something to savour!  There were no airs and graces, they were there to enjoy themselves as well.

How did we do?  Pretty good but we’re not sure exactly what our placings are yet.  Having told you about the good aspects of Italian run meetings there is a down side which is that things happen when they happen, so we haven’t had copies of the results yet.  We did look at the print-outs before we left.  By our reckoning Andrew was third overall and the fastest 250 by a long way and I was about tenth and the fastest 350, definitely the fastest Ducati single which was a good feeling for a Brit in Italy, especially as I was nursing a multi coloured bruised leg at the time.

Would I do it again?  Yep, it was a great experience, thanks to Andrew and Ian Bennett for getting me involved and to their friend Graham who allowed his week old Golf Estate to be thrashed mercilessly across the continent with a box trailer on the back.  I did it the easy way and flew to Milan with Alyson we had a short holiday in the Italian Lakes before  going off to the Sued Tirol to meet up with the lads and bike.  Just one last thing which gives you an insight  to the way Italians are.  My hire car was a model you won’t see in the UK.  I wonder why, it was a Lancia Dodo complete with a little bird emblem on the door pillar, when the Italians get it wrong they really cock it up, but when they do it right it’s pretty good.

Doug Parnell

£25 Special Offer for first timers

Don’t forget to tell your friends that this offer is available for 2002 to any rider wishing to enjoy their first competitive meeting with the NHCA.  It includes entry to the event, ACU day licence, day membership to NHCA (if not already joined) and a free Hillclimber as a follow-up.  It is available for the following events –

¨       Curborough

¨       Withycombe

¨       Fairoak

¨       Manor Farm

¨       September Wiscombe

¨       End of Season Hartland

Any new competitor may take advantage only once.  When returning the entry form, mark it ‘£25 Offer’ and be prepared to complete the one-day licence form on the day.

Next ‘Hillclimber’

Copy by Copy by 10 October for publication by 20 October.