WILLIS UNBEATABLE AT MID SUMMER SPEED FEAST.
Fastest in practice, fastest in both the Avon/BMTR Top Ten challenge run-offs and winner of the big racing car class, Trevor Willis showed his British Championship form with an unbeaten day at Prescott on Sunday 29th June. At present third overall in the National series, the electronics engineer from Wendover in Buckinghamshire has been a Prescott regular for some ten years, and this first outright victory is long overdue. It was a first also for the Yorkshire-built OMS racing car that he drives and the Suzuki-based V8 engine that makes it go so quickly.
Willis held off a strong challenge from Chris Merrick (Stroud), Jos Goodyear (Southam) and Deryk Young (Hereford) - all four in the top eight of the British series after last weekend’s meeting at Doune in Scotland.
In a day of close competition three class records were broken. With his 1100cc Force racing car out of action, Darren Luke (Droitwich) borrowed a drive in Andrew Griffiths’ sports Caterham and broke Robert Kenrick’s record for the 1400cc Modified Production class.
Now one of the quickest single-seater drivers, Kenrick himself was not so lucky, grazing a barrier in his 1600cc Force on his first climb and damaging the nearside front and rear suspension.
In a strong motor cycle entry, Paul Jarrett (Shrewsbury) set a new 750cc class benchmark on his 550 Aprilia, and Pat Keates (Wellington) rewrote the record book for the sidecar class by taking two hundredths off his previous best.
The two run-offs carried points for the Avon BMTR Top Ten Challenge and Willis drew further ahead from the opposition with his two maximum scores. Chris Merrick. Deryk Young and jos Goodyear now occupy second third and fourth places.
The event was a turning point in the Bugatti Owners’ Club’s prestigious Prescott Gold Cup competition. It goes to the Club member who performs best against the target time for his class in three meetings during the season. This was the second event an Worcester’s Simon Bridge - who has won the Cup three times before, moved into the lead in his Lotus-Ford.
He’ll be one of the few people hoping for a wet day for the third and final event - the British Championship meeting at Prescott on September 7th.
But overall Sunday belonged to Trevor Willis. The long and determined climb up the rankings has been well worth it and he now stands in the top flight British of speed hill climbing. Other Prescott successes will doubtless follow.
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Pre-event Notice
Seldom has there been a stronger entry for Prescott’s Midsummer Speed Fest - a new name for the speed hill climb on June 28th and 29th. With plenty of action promised in car and motor cycle classes and run-offs, it’s got something for every motor sport enthusiast over the two days.
Expect a battle for fastest climb between last year’s winner Chris Merrick (Stroud), British Championship front-runner Trevor Willis (Aylesbury), Deryk Young (Hereford), and veteran Rob Turnbull (Sutton Coldfield). And a man to watch will be Jos Goodyear from Southam, Warwickshire who plans to bring his 4-litre turbocharged Pilbeam single-seater to Prescott for the first time. He’s very much on form as demonstrated by a second place at Loton Park earlier this month.
The weekend is packed with championships. Welsh wizard Robert Kenrick leads the UK Changes Midland Championship by one point and Trevor Willis tops the table in the Avon Racing Tyres/B.M.T.R. Top Ten Challenge, also by one point. Local man Richard Jones (Pitchcombe) has a five mark advantage in the Paul Matty Sports Cars Classic Challenge.
The target for Bugatti Owners’ Club members is the prestigious Prescott Gold Cup. It goes to the member who does best against a set target time during the season. There is also a visit from the Richard Egger/HSA Speed Challenge which brings the less experienced drivers to compete at established venues such as Prescott.
Local drivers include Richard Marshall (Bishops Cleeve) and Ian Moss (Stroud), both winners at Prescott last month. Terry and Trish Davis (Cheltenham) have their very quick V8 racer. Stroud’s Paul and Alison Eamer share their Yamaha single-seater and Steve Hemingway (Gotherington) has his recently acquired Pilbeam matched against Chris Pascoe (Winchcombe) in his Tiga-Ford.
Look to for Cheltenham’s Charles Boulton in his quick MGB and the Reliant Scimitar of Gloucester’s Garry Cox. Roger Morgan (Cheltenham) has one of the quickest Morgan sports cars and John Ryder (Cirencester) is in the 600cc racers with his jedi-Honda.
It’s the best Prescott of the year to see the top motor cycle hill climbers in action with three more championships in the National Hill Climb Association classes. There’s an entry of 38 solos and 6 sidecars/three-wheelers, and the big solos are seriously quick. Prescott is essentially a rider’s hill and with 30 of the riders on machines of 500cc or more, then records could be broken.
The format is three practice runs for each competitor on Saturday from 9.00 and the competition itself is on Sunday, starting at 9.15. Adult admission is £12.50 for both days, children under 14 are admitted free and car parking is free. Prescott is 5 miles north-east of Cheltenham off the main A435 Evesham road between the villages of Gotherington and Gretton and the route will be RAC signed.
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