We are delighted to inform you that we will be resuming track days here at Forrestburn Hillclimb. While this year has seen our hill climbs cancelled we have not been idle. The team has been working very hard behind the scenes to accommodate the members and of course the strict COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Our first event will be on Sunday 2nd of August and will run from 1100 to 1500 with a strict gate opening and closing window.
We have had to do a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure the members and staff alike have a safe visit to Forrestburn. It is absolutely essential that you read the regulations fully as they contain important information regarding the running of the day.
Following on from the successful Gymkhana event held last November at Forrestburn Speed Hill Climb Track in collaboration with Gillian Sefton from Scottish Motor Sports (SMS) we ran another Gymkhana event on 23 October 2019. The event was primarily for college students in a similar format to last year but with fewer tests. A free lunch was provided and as much tea and coffee as was needed. This event is part of the Club’s efforts to encouraging youngsters to our sport.
John Crae was there to record the event – here is his photo-gallery
At the forthcoming hill climb events at Forrestburn on 24-25 August, competitors will see that the Club has installed floppy bollards at some corners to limit excursions into the landscape from the track, to prevent damage to track edges and to limit soil and debris being carried onto the track by tyres.
As a previous Clerk of the Course said frequently:
The black bits are yours, the rest is mine, keep off it!
Also, in case anyone asks, no we are not re-setting hill records:
There is no need to review the records as nothing about the track has changed in any way, only the enforcement mechanisms for any who choose to leave it
All competitors are asked to walk the track prior to the event so that they are familiar with the position of the new bollards. They are also reminded that they are not skittles. Here are some images of the work party installing the bollards and the bollards themselves.
Eunos Ecosse, one of the most active and popular clubs in Scotland, hired Forrestburn for the day on Saturday 8 June in order to give their members an opportunity to get used to the track in advance of the hill climb events on 22-23 June 2019. This was really useful for new drivers. Lynn Glenn put together a first-class lunch for their members giving them a boost for more runs in the afternoon. All in all everyone seemed to enjoy their day and have asked to rebook.
While the MX-5s had fun on the track, Alastair Reynolds and Jamie Gibbon sorted out the final plumbing of the new toilet block – a treat in store!
As a direct result of our collaboration over the last year with Gillian Sefton from Scottish Motor Sports (SMS) we put together a “Grassroots Motorsport Event” held at Forrestburn Speed Hill Climb Track. More than sixty people attended from a range of organisations, either participating or observing, including West College Scotland, Borders College, West Lothian College, Ayshire College, Glenrothes Motor Club, Scottish Association of Motorsports Clubs (SAMSC) and Brite Technology.
The event was in the format of a Gymkhana and the young adults thoroughly enjoyed the event as the video will testify. However, because the drivers were very inexperienced the event took much longer than we anticipated so special thanks must go to the Marshals as the temperatures were very low.
The University of Glasgow put on a demonstration of their 2018 car that brought them great success this year. We visited UGracing a couple of months ago and this visit was a direct result of our offer at that time.
We hope that this is the start of a collaborative project (jointly with SMS) which links the Club to other symbiotic organisations and we would welcome the support of the MSCC membership in sustaining this effort.
Monklands Sporting Car Club together with Scottish Motor Sport is running a “taster” event for engineering students from a number of further education colleges on Monday 26 November 2018 at Forrestburn. This will take the form of a Gymkhana with simple tests around the track and the colleges will be bringing their own cars.
We hope this it will encourage some of the students to take part in future events not only at Forrestburn but at other Scottish venues.
West College Scotland, Borders College, Fife College and Dundee and Angus College will all take part. The Glasgow University racing team will be bringing the car they built and raced in the 2018 Formula Student Challenge for a demonstration run. The event will run from 10 am to 3 pm. We need marshals to supervise and keep scores on the tests so if anyone is available between 10 am and 3 pm on the 26 November please contact Jamie Gibbon on jgjagspares1@gmail.com . Lunch will be provided.
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