Prescott Hill Climb - Open Classic MAY 14th-15th

I am delighted to be able to pass on an invitation to any club members who wish to attend a Charity Open Classic car event being held on the weekend of the 14th & 15th May 2016, at the famous Prescott Hill, near Cheltenham.

The venue is owned and run by the Bugatti Motor Club of GB, who generously let the Rotary club use the hill each year.

Day 1 is a 60 mile drive around the Cotswolds, starting and ending at Prescott.
Day 2 is the main event involving 200 classics "running the hill".

Run by the Cheltenham Cleeve Vale Rotary Club, it is one of their main charity fund raisers each year and so far they have raised over £160,000 for good causes in the 13 or 14 years it has been run to date.

Usually reserved only for cars over 25 years old, the organisers have given me permission to extend the invitation to FCCUK club members who may like to join in, BUT entries will need to be made asap.

The costs are £20 for entering the Cotswold Tour run on Saturday and/or £50 per car for 2 Sunday hill runs.
Extra hill runs for a further donation are likely to be available during the day itself.

All passengers get in free and you get a souvenir programme with all the participating cars listed.
Last year there was a diverse range including classic Minis, MGs, Porsches, Jags, Astons, some Italian, etc, etc.

Participating cars must be fully road legal and insured.
Needless to say drivers need a full valid driving licence!

To avoid motor sport regulations the runs are NOT timed, but the event is fully marshalled by the Bugatti Motor Club GB.

An official photographer will be making action shot pictures available for further charitable donations.

If you are interested, please pm me and I can forward on the full details etc if you let me have your e-mail address.
Depending on interest, with say half a dozen cars we could have our own pitch in the paddock?
It would be great to see you....
I certainly thoroughly enjoyed it last year.
BTW I am not at all connected to the Rotary Club.

Cheers
Mark

If I wasn't already booked for Viva Italia I would of gone to this Mark.

I hope you guys have a great day

Thanks Joe - really sorry you cannot make it.
It was certainly great fun last year!!!

Unless you are a hill climb racer or part of a sports car club booking, getting to drive on the famous hill is near on impossible.

I'll see if I can post some photos from last year.

Great pictures Mark, lovely dry day from the look of it and blue bells in the back ground.

Was that you driving?

Yes it was, gingerly mind, as no synchro in 2nd!

Prescott Attendees

1/ Brilly1uk
2/ McMike

Hi Toby
Good to see you can make it.
Drop me a line with your e-mail address and I will forward the application form and itinery?
Should be a really good.

Hi Mark

I had been looking at the Netherlands Trip (the one CC is going on) but I'd not twigged that it was the same weekend.

I need to check, as I can't afford to do them all, and of course it clashed. Also hoping to go to Brooklands again in April.

Will be in touch

Toby

Hi Toby
Yes it is a pity they clash .
Let me know what you decide, but no worries either way .
Cheers
Mark

We like going to Coupe events, so I try and fit in as many as the bank balance allows !! I don't think the date for Netherlands trip had been set until recently.

Anyway, if you are ok to pencil me in that would be great. I assume we can do the hill climb in the Fiats?

To do the hill climb proper, individual entries need to book their run & attendance.
They have agreed we can drive the hill, despite the Coupe not being a 25 year old or more "classic".
As a participant last year in a Mini, I managed to argue the Coupe's "interesting future classic" status!
Typically, some 200+ "classics" will take part.

A midday cavalcade is open to "spectator" vehicles, as some people just come along to watch rather than sprint up the hill. In addition to the Paddock, the car park is full of lovely vehicles, both vintage and modern and the whole atmosphere is really friendly and relaxed.

Bring your picnic hampers!!!!

Very tempted by this

The more the merrier!

Well in beautiful sunshine, I did at last get to take the Coupe up Prescott Hill Climb! MCMike also took part, having come down with his girlfriend from near Birmingham, we both entered the Cotswold tour and the hill climb. Unfortunately the weekend clashed with the Assen trip, but otherwise it was a great event for anyone with petrol in their veins.

We certainly had great weather for the whole weekend!!!

On the Saturday, Mrs B and I enjoyed the Cleeve Rotary club's tour route around various parts of the Cotswolds. We covered around 70 miles (with a few directional deviations!) and saw some lovely spots including Broadway, Winchcombe, Stow on the Wold, Burton on the Water, The Slaughters, all of which were truly beautiful in the sunshine. We enjoyed a spot of lunch at a manor house arberitum half way around.
Coffee break


Things quickened up for the Sunday...

Prescott Paddock

A superb diverse collection of cars, from Turners, Rileys, Morgans, Minis, Astons, Jags, Triumphs et all, many of which were given their head on the famous hill. Pride of place went to some of the 911 who put on a great show!!! Not to mention the original Ford GT40s and 1950s Aston racers!!!!

Some Italians where represented with a few Fiats, Ferraris, Alfas and Lancia, plus a white Countach.

However car problems meant personally I only got to do one run and a crash in the afternoon by a latter day MG/Rover saloon, meant the circuit had to sadly close early due to barrier damage.

Getting ready for our second run, embarrassingly my car would not turnover at all!

People kindly offered what help they could, with battery boosters and jump leading, but absolutely nothing? The dash lights, etc all worked, but nothing was happening with the starter motor???

After most people had left, the AA patrol man eventually arrived but as he could not get near the starter motor, we just bump started her on the paddock slope (which we never had the room to do earlier).
Thanks especially to MCMike and his girlfriend for kindly trying to help out and we trust you had a safe journey back and that we did not hold you up?

The rev counter on mine was all over the place on our run home (above 2000RPM), but the engine and throttle ran fine? However I thought the oil bar gauge was also lower than usual and on getting home she still won't turnover again???!!!!

So a bit of head scratching ahead. Either the starter motor is kaput or I guess I have some sort of electrical/fuse/esu gremlins???

Sorry I didn't make this. Some complications at my end unfortunately.

Looks like a great day. Hope you get your gremlins sorted out !

Cheers Toby
Hope all is well with you?

Mark

Looks and sounds like a great weekend, Mark.
It's difficult to know where to look first when there's so many interesting cars around. Glad you added to the variety with your Coupe - which looks good.
Bummer about missing your second run. Could the problem be caused by a bad earth? Battery terminal, terminal lead to chassis, engine earth strap (I suppose there is one).

Thanks HiraethHuw
Hopeful it will be something that relatively simple. The erratic rev counter is an odd one though?
My car looks somewhat better in photos than close up - classic lacquer peel on the roof and faded paint on the boot lid.
Unlike mine, McMike Red LE IS very nice to look at in the flesh.

A lovely weekend, thanks for arranging it Mark. There were some lovely cars both on show, and running up the hill - all shapes & sizes. The hill was surprisingly steep and definitely challenging. I hope your car is back to normal soon Mark.

Cheers Mike!
Really glad you could make it, especially as it was not exactly on your doorstep.
With a couple of practice goes, I think we could do the old coupe justice!
I struggled on my run to keep it over 3000rpm and thus on the turbo
Changing down to 1st at the second tight hairpin seemed to be called for....
Hopefully, I'll get to have another go in the future.

Mark - yes I think grabbing 1st out of the 2nd hairpin needs to be the order of the day as the Coupe has such high gearing. I'm definitely up for this event again in the future

I heard a rumour the local rotary club might be folding, but hopeful it won't. If it does, it is hoped another will step in as it is a cracking event having raised something like £180k for local charities over the past 13 years.

Aside from entering a hill climb race series, the only other way to get on the hill is via a driving course.
When I looked into these in the past, they get booked up at least 12 months in advance!

Thanks to some helpful descriptive info sent by Joe, it looks as though the starter motor is the problem.

Ran a wire from the battery onto the inside terminal of the relay connector, and no response at all from the starter motor.

Having previously feed my wire from the battery terminal onto the red/black wire before the connector, all I was then getting was the engine radiator blower coming on?

...... which shouldn't of run so it's left me scratching my head thinking there's something more going on then a failed starter motor.

Well see

Cheers Joe

Did you go to Prescott today, Mark?
Apparently it was Italian car day today.
I found out from a work colleague as I was starting and she was finishing and going straight there.
(What a sickener)

Sorry I missed it too - plus I still have not had my new starter motor anyway!!!
One to watch out for next year perhaps?

A series of professional pics taken at Prescott Open Classic on the first run, final bend at the top.
Notice I am staying well away from the outside edge, as it is a long way down on the other side!!!

Tidy

Great pictures.

Looks like you're on it there. Shows the Coupe off in a good light too.

Has your starter arrived yet?

Thanks HiraetheHuw and Joe.
The first run was to get a "feel" of the hill, before pushing it as bit harder next time.
Sadly with the starter motor issue curtailed the next run!

The new starter has arrived, so just waiting to get it fitted.

It took awhile, but I have finally been able to track down why my starter motor would not work and why the rev counter was going erratic.
The earthing battery strap attached to the car had broken away!
All fixed and running again now.

Anybody interested in a brand new Hella starter motor, drop me a pm?

Hooray! Back on the road!

Is there any damage to the engine wiring loom?

I ask because when the earth strap on a British Mini broke the choke and heater cables used to melt as they did the earthing.

Well hopefully not, but I'll watch out for any signs!