Ryder scorches to the top of the Shelsley Walsh times
SHELSLEY WALSH BRITISH HILLCLIMB 13-14 AUGUST
Matthew Ryder was the sensation of Shelsley Walsh last Sunday as the Worcestershire hillclimb sweltered during the latest round of the British Hillclimb Championship.
On a day that ultimately only delivered one championship run-off, Ryder impressed with a 22.44s climb to score his second win of the season and become the second fastest man ever on the famous hill.
The season-long championship battle between Wallace Menzies and
Alex Summers moved on another step as Menzies took joint second with Scott Moran and Summers slipped to fourth to drop an important pair of points to his rival. It seems probable that their absorbing title contest will go down to the wire.
As rural England baked in scorching temperatures, the action of Shelsley was just as hot but was curtailed. After several time-consuming incidents and with concern for the welfare of marshals and even spectators, a decision was taken to stop the event after the first championship run-off. By then, it was 1630 and to complete the programme would likely have pushed the day well beyond 1900.
The pace at the head of the field was fierce from the start of practice on Saturday as drivers dipped into the 23s bracket. However, the high ambient temperatures and a dusty hill suggested that Sean
Gould’s 22.37s record would survive into 2023. Summers set the pace in the first and only class runs to qualify fastest for the top 12 run-off with a 22.81s in the DJ Firestorm. However, when it came to the all-important run, a new set of tyres failed to deliver the increase in grip that he had expected.
A few minutes earlier, Ryder had drawn a rapturous response from a large and enthusiastic Shelsley crowd, when he pulled his 22.44s out of the bag in the
Gould GR59 he is now sharing with its creator Sean Gould. On Saturday, Ryder had been thrilled to break into the 23s bracket for the first time and even he was surprised to then post a 22.44s in the heat of Sunday afternoon. Only Gould, in the same car 364 days earlier, has gone faster up the famous hill.
“We had a new set of tyres and it just came together,” said Ryder after a huge reception back in the paddock. “Just like Harewood last month, this is our second time at Shelsley this year so we had some data to work from.”
It was so close that a joint second place went to Menzies and Moran, who both posted 22.65s. Behind a frustrated Summers came the chasing pack of Dave Uren, Trevor Willis, Gould and then Richard Spedding – who was the best of the small-engined cars at a hill where power really counts.
Menzies was up on splits to Bottom Ess, but nearly threw it all away. “I probably got greedy on apex seed at Top Ess and smacked the bank,” he admitted. “Then it landed and took a while to grip up. I’m delighted for Matt, though. It was thoroughly deserved.”
Away from the BHC points action, a new concept of a top 10 run-off for the fastest tin-tops added to the spectacle.
Ian Rowlance in his mighty MG Metro 6R4 won the day in the face of stiff opposition from the Subaru Legacy of Steven Darley and Damien Bradley, and the potent
Audi S4 of Roger Banks.