The big steep: VSCC at Wiscombe Park Hillclimb

A three-hour drive gives plenty of time for reflection. I had to question whether the long trek down the M5 towards Wiscombe in Devon was all worth it. Silly question really… of course it was!

For anyone who hasn’t attended the Wiscombe Park Hillclimb before, the hill  is the driveway to a beautiful home owned by the Chichester family. The paddock sits just outside the house and is surrounded by beautiful Devon hills and Roman ruins, which are always decorated with bluebells at this time of year.

And there was an extra incentive to get younger people involved in 2023, thanks to the incredible generosity of Mrs Dee Bonham Christie, who sponsored the entries of any under-30 competitors as a tribute to the passion and love her late husband, Richard Bonham Christie, had for VSCC Wiscombe.

Arriving on the Saturday we managed to whip down to the coast at Beer Head for a swim and a drink (you have to, when the place is called that!) before heading for a very important evening walk of the hill. I’d only done Wiscombe once before, with Dad, and it was raining, but this time I was here alone, and the sun was shining. With a strict checklist from Dad, the morning was spent making sure Mord’s oil was checked, tyre pressures were perfected and just enough fuel was onboard.

“I had a bit of wheelspin but still managed to pull away cleanly”

My handicap was 56.5, which to me seemed harsh considering I’d only previously managed a 63, but those handicappers know what they’re doing. My first two practice runs brought a 57.54 and 57.91. After some practicing of different gear changes, it was decided they were unnecessary and slow, and my best run followed.

After some studying the first corner, I had decided to try a swift change to second under braking to allow better acceleration out of the corner. It worked a treat. I felt much faster heading to the gate and over Bunny’s Leap flat-out. The gate is a fierce corner, with a blind exit and the change from sunshine to shade. Then there’s the Esses and two hairpins where I had a little bit of wheelspin but still managed to pull away cleanly in second. So far so good. Then the final corner, Martini Hairpin, is a steep one but I whizzed across the line feeling confident… only to find the timer wasn’t working.

I thought I might have got up in 54sec, but realised that might be off the mark. When I returned to the paddock I was met by my boyfriend, Louis, with a huge smile on his face as he proudly told me I got a 53.77! I was over the moon. My last run was a bit slower… 54.05, but still not bad.

As always, there was a huge array of cars taking part – including a Frazer Nash TT replica driven by a friend of mine, Theo Hunt. He’d built the TT over the last two years and managed to smash the class record by a whole second to achieve a 49.89.

With the event over, we gathered to cheer the winners and ventured off on that long journey back home, this time reflecting on such a fabulous event made possible by the VSCC, its volunteers and marshals.

The results arrived on Monday, confirming I had achieved second in class and fastest vintage time in my class. Superb!

Next month: hitting the track for the Cadwell Park race meeting