A beginner's guide to hillclimbing and sprints

You may be the proud owner of a classic motor with a sporty bent – an MGB GT, say, or an early Mazda MX-5, or a Mk2 Golf GTI. And perhaps you've wondered idly, from time to time, what it would be like to enter your classic into the odd motorsport event – to pit it against fellow cars from its era, to throw your hat in the ring and see how your driving skills compare with those of other classics enthusiasts. Or perhaps you simply fancy meeting some like-minded souls who enjoy tinkering with their classic cars and, occasionally, chucking them about at speed?

But where to start? Of the many tentacles of British motorsport – autocross, circuit racing, cross country, rallycross and so on – which category represents a good way in for the enthusiastic newcomer?

May we put forward, for your consideration, the fascinating and very accessible world of and sprints?

Just make sure you’ve got the right classic car insurance in place before you set off!

What is hillclimbing?

Hillclimbing and sprints are essentially the same thing: they are speed events, i.e. timed laps of a circuit or hillclimb.

Speed hillclimbing, to give its full name, involves racing a car from a standing start along a thin strip of tarmac to a finish point at a higher altitude. Sprinting is very similar, but its courses are flatter and, generally, longer. Many competitors tackle both disciplines.

The appeal of these two similar sports – which we're going to group under the same umbrella for this article – is not hard to find.

Entry into the world of hillclimbing and sprints gives you access to some of Britain's greatest motor racing venues – such as the iconic Shelsley Walsh in Worcestershire, whose Speed Hill Climb event, established in 1905, is one of the world's oldest motorsport events, and the oldest to have retained its original course throughout (with breaks for the two World Wars).

Other prime venues include Shropshire's Loton Park, unusual for its downhill strip early in the course; Doune in Perthshire, Scotland's only current venue for the British Hillclimb Championship; and Harewood, West Yorkshire, mainland Great Britain's longest permanent hillclimb at 1,584 yards (1,448 metres).

Another key advantage for a beginner is that you can take part in hillclimbing and sprints with virtually any car – including, with a few modifications, your everyday road-going car (or weekend classic runabout). We'll list some of the small changes you'll need to make a little later in this article. Remember, too, that you may well need to make some changes to your classic car insurance to reflect the new adventures you and your classic will be going on together.

UK hillclimbing: a short history

Hillclimbing is one of the oldest forms of motorsport – the first recorded climb took place at La Turbie, near Nice on the French Riviera, way back in 1897. Here in the UK, meanwhile, a new series of events known as 'hillclimbs' effectively kicked off the British motorsports scene, around the turn of the century.

One standout early event was a sprint along public roads and up a gentle slope, at Bexhill-on-Sea in 1902 – a neat combination of the two related sports of sprinting and hillclimbing. Shelsley Walsh got itself going just three years later, and has been a proud centre of British hillclimbing ever since – an ever-present venue for the annual British Hillclimb Championship, as well as the place where a young rookie by the name of Stirling Moss made his first public appearance behind the wheel in September 1948.

The Championship had made its debut the previous year, in 1947, with the very first event taking place at Bo'ness, near Linlithgow, Scotland in May. Dominant drivers over the Championship's history have included Scott Moran with six championships between 2008 and 2016, and Tony Marsh who managed a pair of 'hat-tricks' of victories, from 1955-57 and 1965-7. Something of a hillclimb legend, Marsh continued competing into his seventies, entering his last race in 2008.

Some of the best-performing cars, meanwhile, include the Cooper-JAP, which in its Mk4, Mk8 and Mk9 iterations took the Championship every year from 1952 to 1961. A little later, Lincolnshire's Pilbeam Racing Designs created many of the winning cars from 1977 to 1997; their place has been taken by Gould Racing from Berkshire, who supplied the winning car every year from 1998 to 2010.

At around 1,000 metres, Britain's hillclimbs are shorter than their European counterparts, generally taking the fastest drivers less than a minute from start to finish.

How does a hillclimb race work?

Unlike other motorsport disciplines such as rallycross, where cars line up against each other and compete to be first past the finish line, hillclimbing sees cars taking turns to do the sprint lap or climb, and competing to finish it in the fastest time.

Makes sense, when you think that a lot of the country roads or private drives that host hillclimbing events are narrow – it's often enough of a challenge for one car to stay on the road at high speed. So there are no fellow drivers to overtake – it's just down to you, your vehicle and the stopwatch. Sprint up the hill for all you are worth – just take those bends in the road carefully, and make sure your classic car insurance has you fully covered against any scrapes!

Competitors are allowed a practice run before the competition starts: you also get a minimum of two competitive runs during the event itself, with your fastest time counting towards the final results.

Two drivers can share a car for the same event – this obviously keeps your costs down, and also means you're racing someone with exactly the same machine. No "my car just wasn't on form today" or "you've got 200cc over me" excuses here…

The range of cars that can take part in hillclimbing events is striking. There is a huge range of categories, from road cars up to 1400cc, via modified cars through to bespoke single-seater racers. You can find the full list of permitted vehicles and their categories here.

You'll be pleased to know that classic and vintage cars are very popular in hillclimbing. A browse of the 'cars for sale' page of the Hillclimb and Sprint Association (HSA) website renders up vehicles including a Renault 5, Porsche 997, a 1968 Lancia Impreza, a Mk1 Fiesta and that boy-racer favourite, the Subaru Impreza.

How do I get involved?

The UK's hillclimbing and sprint scene is a friendly place, and if you fancy getting into the world of speed events your best bet is to go along to a few meetings.

You can find details of upcoming meets on the Motorsport UK website – from the drop-down menus, select 'Speed' followed by 'Speed-Hill-Climb-National'). There, you'll be able to get a taste of the action, as well as chatting with the competitors about how they went about entering, what cars they drive, what mods they have added and so forth.

A great way to get close to the action, meanwhile, is to volunteer as a marshal. You'll get to stand right by the track and watch the cars go by (there can be as many as 400 sprints at any given meet).

Once you're convinced this is the route for you, you can join your local hillclimb club. The Hillclimb & Sprint Association website is also a treasure trove of news, advice, forthcoming events and more.

Plenty of the events are stand-alone, meaning that you can enter them without having to commit to anything longer-term such as an annual championship. If you do want to get more involved, though, there are various regional championships, culminating in UK hillclimbing's blue-riband event, the British Hillclimb Championship.

Again, as we noted, there are certain classes within hillclimbing and sprints, and your car will have to meet the criteria for a given class before it can take part in races. You'll find an exhaustive guide to classes, rules and regulations in the annual Motor Sports Association (MSA) Yearbook (or 'Blue Book' as it's known by many in the motorsport world). You will get a copy of the Blue Book when you get your competition licence: it's also available online.

Will my normal road car be allowed to enter?

The short answer is: yes – with a few modifications. Your road-going car will simply need a few additions, some very easy, including a sticker on the ignition key showing which way to switch it off; your race number, displayed on the sides of the vehicle; well-secured seats; and timing splitter (a rectangular plate attached to the front of your car, which breaks a light beam at the start and finish to ensure drop-dead accuracy).

If you are entering a road-going class the car must, unsurprisingly, have a valid tax disc, MOT and car insurance (or more specifically, for many of our readers, classic car insurance).

What else do I need?

Some personal safety equipment is essential. The bare minimum here is a helmet, plus fireproof overalls and gloves. There are certain specifications for all of these, which you'll find in the hallowed Blue Book. You can also buy fireproof underwear, balaclavas and racing boots. None of these are compulsory, but all will boost your safety.

Then you'll need a licence. The MSA issues all UK race licences. When starting out, you'll need a Non-Race National B licence: you can find the relevant form here. In most instances you won't require a medical – just your doctor’s name and address, a declaration that you are fit to compete and a passport photo of yourself. The licence lasts for a calendar year, and will get you into almost all national sprint or hillclimb events.

And, of course, you'll need some classic car insurance, complete with the relevant rally or track day cover.

OK, the paperwork's all done. How do I compete?

Entry into events is by invitation. Effectively, events are open to members of hillclimb clubs. If you join the HSA, you will gain access to a great many events across the year. The HSA has a list of all invited events and an interactive map showing where some of the most popular courses are.

So: you've joined a club and, through them, have secured entry to a speed event. You've got your licence, safety gear and an eligible vehicle – and you're safely kitted out with the relevant classic car insurance. What next?

You'll just need to get hold of an entry form – usually downloadable from the organising club’s website. Watch out for any opening / closing dates for entries – otherwise, send off the forms as soon as possible as events are popular and generally first-come-first-served.

Before the race event itself, you'll be sent some essential information, such as how to get to the venue; times for gates opening, scrutineering (inspection of your vehicle and safety kit), and signing on; and your fellow competitors.

When you get to the event venue, head to the signing-on office with your licence and any club ID cards you may have. As well as the scrutineering, there may also be a drivers’ briefing, at which the Clerk of the Course will explain the structure of the day and what's expected of participants. These are essential to attend, especially for new drivers. It's also a good idea to walk the course: find out when this is permitted.

All the formalities completed, you're good to go. When your race number is called, head to the start line, where your timing splitter will be aligned with the starting equipment. Wait for the green light – and off you go. Note that the green light isn’t the start of your timed lap: it just says that the course is clear. You can take your time and (within reason) go when you are ready.

We wish you all the very best of luck on your hillclimb journey. Don't forget to make sure that your classic car insurance is fully compliant for your new adventures.

Classic car insurance from Lancaster

As one of the UK's oldest motorsport disciplines, hillclimbing definitely has the 'classic' aura about it – just like so many of the venerable vehicles for which we're delighted to provide classic car insurance.

If you choose to get involved with this exciting sport, we wish you all the luck in the world. We can also bring all our wealth of experience to insuring your classic car against everything you'll be putting it through.

Contact us today to see how we can help you protect your classic, however steep the road ahead.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.