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Prescott Speed Hill Climb

28^th September 2003
by Esmond Tearle

If you are seriously into the classic car scene, and especially enjoy motor sport, then the chances are that you may well have heard of Prescott Speed Hill Climb.

I first discovered the place a few years ago when I was participating in the Norwich Union RAC Classic and Prescott was one of the checkpoints we visited. I fell hopelessly in love with the place when I drove my Daimler Dart up the hill and since then, it's a venue I always try to get to whenever I can.

Prescott is owned by the Bugatti Owners Club, and is situated on the edge of the small village of Gotherington, not far from Winchcombe in Gloucestershire. The area is quite simply beautiful, and the scenery is rather splendid.

Today, I set out together with a good friend allowing plenty as time, as the drive from where I live is a sheer pleasure, and I wanted to enjoy the autumn sunshine without having to hurry along too much. I love this time of the year, the leaves are beginning to change, and in a few weeks the autumn colours will be in their full glory before the trees take on their skeletal forms and the skies turn grey as winter approaches.

Our route took us through charming little villages such as Aynho, Deddington and out through Chipping Norton, and then on to the lovely little town of Stow-on-the-Wold before weaving it's way across country in the direction of Cheltenham.

The villages in this part of the country are mainly of mellow stone properties, some of them being thatched, and many with roses around low doorways. This is rural England at it's finest.

As we approached our destination, the hills seemed to rise up magnificently from nowhere, and the sunshine lit up the fields and the trees in the distance. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day.

In the distance, car windscreens glinted in the sunlight and we were ushered into a field opposite the main entrance to Prescott that was acting as a carpark for the day.

I bought our tickets and we walked across the road to the main gate. The place was packed with cars, both modern and old. Many people grasp the opportunity to combine a day's motor sport with a cruise in the country, especially as the rally season is now drawing to a close.

The first thing that strikes you about Prescott is how well kept the whole place is. The second thing to hit home is the atmosphere.

There were so many different types of cars parked in the paddock. Many were the single seat racing cars, but nestled in amongst them were classic saloon cars such as Hillman Imps, a Ford Anglia, Austin A35, Fiat-Abarth 500 and of course Minis. These fell into the "Classic Sports Cars exceeding 600 cc and built before 1971 group.

Another class featured such delights as Caterhams, Westfields and even a Peugeot 205 Gti.

We had a good look around and in a different competition class were sports cars such as Austin-Healeys, Triumphs, a Jaguar E-type, Lotus, MG's and TVR's. All of these were actually competing and many were in such superb condition that I wondered how their owners dared to race them.

Of course, Prescott wouldn't be Prescott without the Bugatti contingent. To see such mechanical masterpieces from the 1920's and 30's is in itself a joy.

The hill climb course itself starts with a long straight that passes under a footbridge before it sweeps around to the left at Orchard Corner, and the leads to a tight hairpin known as Ettore's Bend. From there it dips down slightly and then climbs up to the very tight left that catches many people out. This is Pardon Hairpin and is a great place to stand and watch the action. It's then foot to the floor and power on up the hill, through the "Esses" before a long left known as Semi-Circle and then a short straight to the finish line.

It sounds easy doesn't it? Believe me, it's not.

We made the fairly steep climb up the footpath before standing just along from Pardon Hairpin. From our vantage point we could obviously see Pardon to our left, but also look down on Ettore's Bend and back towards Orchard Bend.

There is nothing quite like the sound of a well tuned race engine at full bore, screaming up the track before crackling as the power is eased off, and then the squeal of tyres as the brakes lock up. Then it's full power out of the bends again and accelerating hard up the hill with the tail wagging as drivers saw away at their steering wheels.

Imagine that and the occasional waft of Castrol R. Sheer heaven!

I have always thought that if you could bottle the aroma of Castrol R and sell it as after shave, you would make a fortune.

The other smell in the air was food, and it seemed like a good idea to grab a cheeseburger for lunch. There is also a bar, which is very good for those not having to drive home, but we decided to avoid the bar and stick to soft drinks.

During the lunchtime break, marshals busied them selves placing bales of straw around the course. This was for something rather different from the usual motor sport. The direction of the course was reversed and the start was from the very top of the hill. Known as the "Soap Box Gravity Racers", these small single seat vehicles resembled very elaborate buggies, in principle, not unlike those we used to build as kids after finding a set of old bike or pram wheels.

The idea was that they free wheeled down the hill and obviously tried to out pace each other's timed run. It was something a bit different.

I am not going to bother to quote results, as quite honestly, they are a bit tedious and they can be found on the Prescott website. We were there to absorb the atmosphere and bask in the sunshine and the character of the place.

It was a fantastic day, and we only decided to leave as the crowd had thinned out considerably, and the sun was by now hiding behind the clouds. It started to feel rather chilly.

We left Prescott having had a very enjoyable day's motor sport and decided to stop on the way home for a swift half. Stow-on -the -Wold seemed a good place, as there are a number of pubs and hotels. We chose the Royalist, a lovely old stone building that is claimed to be the oldest the oldest inn in England, with low ceilings and flagstone floors. It dates back to 947AD.

The drive home was lovely, as the cumulus clouds appeared pink and blue in the rays of fading sunlight.

If you enjoy old cars, and share my love of the countryside, then pay Prescott a visit. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Check out the website: www.prescott-hillclimb.com.

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