On This Day: 1962 Dyrham Park Hillclimb

Yes, you’re reading that right.  We did indeed turn the National Trust’s Dyrham Park into a hillclimb.  What’s more, rounds of the British Hillclimb Championship ran there in the 60s.  It was a different time, you see.

There were classes for saloons, sports cars, GTs, racing cars and specials.  We’re pretty sure that Wally Cuff won on the day and it might have been a record too.  The course ran from the house up the driveway towards the exit.  We’re not sure why we were so keen to hurry away as it’s a lovely setting.  So lovely, in fact, that we held our centenary celebrations there, but that’s a story for another day.

Anyway, the fastest time up the hill was just 34.75 seconds, which is rather impressive in a teeny little 1.1 for an 800 yard uphill course.  That’s 700 and thirty something metres – Imperial units in easier this time shocker!  An average speed of about 47mph from a standing start isn’t too shabby for a chap who probably had no seat belts and may have been wearing a helmet with the protective qualities of an Amazon parcel.  At least he wasn’t being thrown around in the back of a beaten up Toyota Camry.

Impressive as the record time might be – SPOILER ALERT – the record didn’t last long as the programme from the 1963 event shows his record had been trumped by P Westbury, the rotter!