Menzies and Mourant share Loton Park triumphs

A dramatic day for Wallace Menzies, when he topped the times in the first run off and then spun in the second, was followed by a Jason Mourant victory in the second showdown at Loton Park to keep the heat on at the head of the British Hillclimb Championship after the two rounds last weekend.

Only one point covered the two points leaders coming to the event, with Trevor Willis (OMS 28) heading Will Hall in his Force Wh-xtec. Those two were denied a chance to slug it out, though, because technical issues in qualifying left Hall unable to make the latter stages.

That gave Menzies impetus, and he took his Gould GR59 to a faultless fastest time in the opening run. He clocked a 44.15s, which was enough for him to edge out Willis with Mourant in third spot just a whisker behind.

In the second runs, in the much hotter temperatures of the afternoon, it was Willis who erred. He just caught the grass entering Keeper’s Corner and that put him off line entering that section. He spun and narrowly avoided the tyre wall, ending his day.

Mourant took advantage with the fastest time in the second runs, stopping the clocks with a 44.23s outing. He was ahead of Robert Kenrick in his GWR Raptor, while third place went to Dave Uren in his Gould GR55.

Willis now has a seven-point lead over Will Hall, while both Menzies and Mourant share third place with 83 points each. The series moves onto Doune in Stirling, Scotland, in 10 days’ time.