Ray’s first title
Ray Dore of Longwarry has broken through for his first Australian Hillclimb championship at the age of 70.
Embarking on his fourth attempt at a national title, Dore took out the Australian title in the road registered class during held at Newborough’s Bryant Park circuit recently.
Held over three successive days, the Australian Hillclimb Championship event draws competitors from all over Australia.
Dore’s previous best was a third-place finish in South Australia last year, having managed fourth place the year prior in Queensland.
Dore, who has been racing his 1995 Chevrolet Camaro for the past 10 years, said he was delighted to break through for his first national title on a challenging track.
“It’s a 1.25km hot mix surface and very undulating with 13 turns,” he said. “It’s a tight track. “It’s more about handling rather than outright speed, but that’s what Hillclimb is all about.”
Hillclimbing is a branch of motorsport in which drivers compete against the clock to complete an uphill course.
It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, with the first known hillclimb taking place in France in January 1897. The hillclimb held at Shelsley Walsh, in Worcestershire, England is the world’s oldest continuously staged motorsport event still staged on its original course, having been first run in 1905.