Swiss role

Sir,

I greatly enjoyed your Klausenpass track test in the April issue of the ever improving Motor Sport, the stunning photography and enthusiastic writing capturing exactly both the rich heritage of continental mountain climbing and the fascination of racing over closed public roads.

However, you were a little harsh with the Swiss, for whilst it is true that they are rather challenged in the fun department when it comes to everyday motoring, the Automobile Club de Suisse continues to co-ordinate the Championat d’Europe de la Montague, a round of which is the famous St Ursanne-Les Rangiers hillclimb near Basel.

The European Hillclimb Championship is in fact still alive and well, with 12 rounds across the continent ranging from the Czech Republic and Slovakia to Spain and Portugal. The courses may be a little shorter than those run in the ’30s, but they remain many times longer than British climbs.

As probably the only British entrant in this year’s series, I too have chosen a BMW in which to do battle with Johnny Foreigner, a Group N M3. Finally, pity your track tests were not accompanied by circuit diagrams for that added dimension. But what the hell, thanks for a fine magazine.

I AM, YOURS, ETC,

Peter G Herbert, Richmond, North Yorkshire