Cold as Ice

Was the cry from all competitors & spectators at the exposed Harewood Hill in Yorkshire today. Following a heavy frost overnight the day started with beautiful clear blue skies accompanied by a biting cold wind that never subsided all day long. Cloud moved in during the afternoon along with a brief hail shower & rain. As is always the case at Harewood, by the end of the meeting the sun was shining again as everyone was leaving to travel home.

Although the track was clean the low temperature delivered reduced levels of grip & the likes of Lee Griffiths & Steve Owen had their cars squirming around Orchard & Farmhouse corners during morning practice. Trevor Willis was trialing traction control for the first time & this seemed to deliver enhanced cornering capability.

For the first timed runs conditions were at their best and OMS drivers maximised the opportunity. Alex Summers was driving the family OMS CF for the second weekend in a row & although inexperienced at the venue, took no time to get to grips with the hill. His first timed run of 57.16 was quick enough to snatch the 1100cc class lead from fellow OMS driver Graham Smith in his OMS 2000M with a time of 57.35 seconds. These were their fastest runs of the day.

In the 1600cc class Lee Griffiths ran a 55.83 followed by Steve Owen with a 53.73 which placed Steve 3rd Fastest Time of Day.

The unlimited single seater class was won convincingly by Trevor Willis in 51.93 seconds. This time also secured FTD, a time that nobody else came close to challenging.

Hopefully when we return for the British Hillclimb Championship round in May temperatures will have improved.

Date: 15/04/2012 | Author: L.Owen