2009 Bo'ness Revival Hill Climb

On Saturday & Sunday (12th & 13th September) the Second Hill Climb Revival at Bo'ness will take place.

There is a wide selection of cars on view with David Leigh once again giving the ex-Basil Davenport GN Spider its head whilst GN Spider II will be driven by Martin Spencer. Also featured on the list is David Fyfe with the ex-David Good Cooper-Jap which won the 1961 Hillclimb Championship. Stewart Robb will be having an outing in his trusty MG Midget – the car both he and son Stewart Junior started their Hillclimb careers. Chris Merrick will also be taking part and will be having a run out in Vern Williamson’s F3 Dastle. Finally there will be a bevy of Scotland’s finest which will include Alex Graham, Malcolm Wishart, Harry Simpson, Brian Beverley, Olly Ross and the Dounemeister Kenny Allen. There is also a three car 500cc F3 class and a class for Formula Juniors which has drawn in four entries.
On Saturday the track will be opened by David Good who will be re-united with his 1961 championship winning Cooper for a spin up the hill. Bill Drysdale, chairman of the Bo’ness Hill Climb Revival club, said “The Revival Meeting is a chance for families and racing enthusiasts to soak up the unique atmosphere of a truly historic race venue and to watch period racing and sports cars tackle the famous hill climb track.” The BHCR have also managed to get the track extended for the 2009 event. It is now grown to 620 yards and features a new start followed by a tricky left-hand hairpin. There are also new roads and additional drainage in the Paddock which was susceptible to flooding in the past.
Admission to each day of the two day meeting is just £5.00 for Adults with Accompanied Children Under 16 getting in Free. There are also large car parks adjacent to the Hillclimb course and these are also free. With so many wonderful cars on track this event is rapidly becoming a must for the historic car fans.

Further details are available on the website: www.bonesshillclimb.org.uk

If it is as good as last year it is worth a visit.

sadly I'll miss it as I'm on Holiday from tomorrow, but I've 3 mates driving - one in a Mini, one in a 2 stroke Saab (which sounds like a grid full of Formula Juniors, and one in... some sort of racy orange opel coupe???

I'll be there (along with the Mrs, and maybe my old dad), on Saturday and Sunday (I hope anyway).

Looking foreward to it greatly, great entry of machines in prospect.

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed for the weather.

Well, we must've sacrificed the right Policeman, because the weather today in Boness was utterly, utterly gorgeous. Not a cloud in the sky and pleasantly warm. We even got a wonderful flypast from the Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight which was a huge and evocative crowd pleaser.

The whole day really was a superb triumph (and there were alot of those about) with a fantastic entry of machinery giving it the full boot up the hill. We managed to find ourselves a great sport in the Courtyard where the cars flick left, then right again on their way towards the finish line, which afforded us some wonderful views of some lovely machines.

I'd thought I'd post a few photos so you could get a flavour of the day . . .

I was going to steal this . . . until I realised I was too fat to fit in it. Snug is not the word . . .



This gorgeous Elan +2 is local to Boness and was been driven with great gusto. Plus it matched my jacket.



The incredible Stutz Speedster being given the beans by its owner Branislav Sudic. An alarming spectacle, though the two ladies in their front garden don't seem to be overly worried by it . . .



The utterly, utterly terrifying G. N. Spider. Sounds like a machine gun in an echo chamber and goes like hell on a rollercoaster. Only the terminally brave need apply.



The achingly beautiful Nyke Mk 7 (looks like a Lotus 23 to me, but I'm ignorant) was stunning on the hill. Unfortunately it was deprived inter-class competition becase Peter Speakman shunted his exemplary Fisher Spyder in a big way (thankfully we heard he was alright).



Ex James Hunt Hesketh Dastle, driven (in perhaps too lively a fashion) by current MSA Hillclimb ace Chris Merrick. Looked really fast everywhere but Mr Merrick was unable to string it all together on his timed run.



Brian Beverly's Mk 1 Escort. Fast and classy.



One of my favourites in an exceptional field. Fraser Ewart's Bentley Mk 6 Special. Gorgeous machine driven with style and grit.



Fastest time of the day went to this Morgan +8 driven with real flair by Andy Smith. He got up the hill in a shade over 28 seconds.



Malcolm Wishart's T65 Cooper was utterly gorgeous, but its engine was misbehaving badly which limited his speed. Hopefully he might have it fettled up for tomorrow, because it's a lovely machine and it would be great to see it on song.



All in all it was a lovely day out with the only drawback being the fact that the field was limited to one timed run due to the delay caused by the Fisher Spyder crash. However hopefully the weather will hold for tomorrow and we'll be treated to another great day.

Great day!

more pics http://pbpb.fotopic.net/c1754071.html

couldn't get near the courtyard , it was six deep with blokes with cameras!!

Cheers Ian

Sadly I missed day two due to farming commitments.

Would anyone who was there mind telling me who set FTD?

Edited by BorderReiver, 13 September 2009 - 18:26.

Sadly I missed day two due to farming commitments.

Would anyone who was there mind telling me who set FTD?

Andy Smith in his Morgan +8 at 27.94 seconds.

PS The Nike actually has Lotus 23 bodywork hence the similarity.

sadly I'll miss it as I'm on Holiday from tomorrow, but I've 3 mates driving - one in a Mini, one in a 2 stroke Saab (which sounds like a grid full of Formula Juniors, and one in... some sort of racy orange opel coupe???

There were two Opel Coupes - an early Opel Manta and MantaJock in his rallyesque more modern version.

Sadly I missed day two due to farming commitments.

Mind you you were 'spotted' crossing the track on Saturday .....

Mind you you were 'spotted' crossing the track on Saturday .....

God I've got dreadful posture .

Next year I'll have to come and say hello .

God I've got dreadful posture .

Next year I'll have to come and say hello .

Why not pop along to Doune on either the 26th or 27th? Not as many old cars as at Bo'ness but it is a round of the British Hill Climb Championship!

Oddly enough we were thinking about coming along to Doune. What time does it start off at? I've had a quick look at the website, but haven't yet spotted what time practice/timed runs start at.


Thanks,

Beth

Oddly enough we were thinking about coming along to Doune. What time does it start off at? I've had a quick look at the website, but haven't yet spotted what time practice/timed runs start at.

Thanks,

Beth

Saturday is practice day and kicks off around 09:00. On Sunday there will be a practice run for everyone who survives Saturday; this usually starts at 09:00 with the class runs following straight after practice finishes.

There will be two Top 12 Run-offs (one after each set of class runs).

Hope you can make it; I'll be at Garden Gate on Sunday doing the commentating.