At the Forrestburn Speed Hill Climb Season Opener
By Shonah Gibbon
Sunday 13th April saw the Season Warm Up taking place at Forrestburn in less than spring-like conditions but we didn’t care, we were out to play. A few helmets had been dusted off after the winter break and all those modifications that had been carried out during those long cold winter nights were finally put to the test. Alastair Reynolds in particular was like a kid with a new toy as the Westfield rolled off the trailer and headed down to the start. The sound of Marko Vincenzo’s XJS, known as the Black Pearl is always a head turner and the way he throws it into corners and navigates the hairpin is real entertainment – he certainly shows the Pearl no mercy.
We had 18 cars, which on a cold, very windy day is a really good turn out. Drivers all took their turn at marshalling which is a good system as it means that everyone not only gets to drive but also has the opportunity so watch other drivers and the lines that they take through corners. Team House were there, with Dr House showing her usual determination which combined with her ability means that she is a ‘fast lady’, I had taken the pet Nissan Micra and Jamie suggested that I had a couple of runs to ‘chase the demons’ which initially surprised me as the last time I went up the hill in earnest a stone bank jumped out in front of me and I trashed the car! As I tootled down to the start there were about 10 cars in front of me. This was too much thinking time so I decided for some ‘psych me up’ tactics which meant listening to Bob Dylan full blast and singing like a woman possessed. No wonder the rain came on.
Well I got to the top in one piece and was so wound up that I couldn’t wait to have another go. As I passed through the paddock I was confronted with Jamie looking anything but happy, apparently I was speeding in the paddock and as he pointed out, I’m known for giving competitors hell for doing the very same thing. Well the demons were gone and I had a ball. Jamie took our recently acquired Jaguar S Type up a couple of times so the possibility of him using it for the hillclimb this year look possible.
We got a couple of new members and a couple of renewals so all in all it was a great way to spend a few hours on a grotty Sunday afternoon. I recommend that if you get the chance, come along to the next one on 21 May. See you then.
Thanks to Donald McDonald for the photos.
