Hill climbs

The main events at Forrestburn are hill climbs, attracting drivers from all Scotland and the north of England. Hill climbing involves one car at a time running against the clock from a standing start. There are usually two or three practice runs in the morning starting at 9.30am and two competitive runs in the afternoon.

Cars are divided into class by engine size and by whether they are road legal or racing cars. Our own events are run to Scottish Hill Climb Championship regulations. The current track record at Forrestburn is 39.20 seconds set by Lee Adams in a GWR Raptor on Sunday 29 August 2010.

Getting Started

The first step is to join a club – and you can find out more about membership of MSCC here. You should join a club in your part of the country which takes an active interest in hill climbs. That club may organise its own events and also will receive invitations to events in the locality organised by other clubs. This will provide you with a wide selection of events in which you can take part without having to travel too far. Look at the events page for other organising clubs.

chatting in the paddock at Forrestburn
approaching the Forrestburn summit

You will also need a Competition Licence, issued by the Motor Sports Association (MSA), UK Motor Sport’s regulatory body, to enable you to take part in hill climbs. You can apply for the minimum licence required (Non Race National B) from the MSA. You can apply for this minimal Competition Licence at any time after your 16th birthday.

There are various grades of Competition Licence to which you can upgrade your licence in due course. When you are sent your Competition Licence you will also receive a copy of the MSA’s General Regulations, known colloquially as The Blue Book. This sets out the rules you will need to follow to ensure that both you and your car are prepared for events. The sections with which you should initially concern yourself are Section ‘E’ (which is a general section covering the whole of motor sport) and ‘L’ a section specifically aimed hill climbs and sprints.