DOUG’S DAY!

Date: 26/9/10 | Host Club: Wollongong Sporting Car Club

On September 26, after a couple of years of silence, Huntley Hill roared back into life.  The hard working folk at Wollongong Sporting Car Club have proudly revived around 700metres of arguably one of the steepest Hillclimb courses to be found in NSW.  It’s a track with over half a century of history and may it continue for many decades.

With current points leader Peter Gumley away pocketing the South Australian titles, defending champion Tim Edmondson (Force PC) confidently set the early pace from Steve Hooker (Jedi), Ron Hay (RH Honda), Francesco Mangano (Jedi Mk4) with an unusually subdued Doug Barry (Lola F300) a little way behind.

Hooker immediately went on the attack, being first into the 21 second bracket, Edmondson countered and Ron Hay began to suffer a mystery misfire.  Steve Moxon (lone pilot of the Axtell Suzuki), began to edge ahead of Mangano for the bragging rights in the small bore Formula Libre class.

The glorious conditions, a smaller than expected car count plus no accidents equaled lots of fun and lots of runs.  Doug’s Lola was looking quicker with each tour as he chipped away at the deficit.

At the front end of the field there was reason to smile – Doug Barry claimed his first outright win of the season with a well deserved FTD of 20.21s; Tim Edmondson lowered Peter Finlay’s long standing 1301-2000cc record down to 20.79s and Steve Hooker lowered his own 751-1300cc class record to 21.60s for took third outright.

Ron Hay, despite the niggles lowered his own Group R record for fourth outright, Steve Moxon squeezed in a class win just ahead of Malcolm Oastler (Ferrabusa) and Mangano.  Matt Halpin (Torana) claimed Top Tin Top and seventh outright closely followed by Scott Tutton in the EVO.

A new Prod Sports record also for Eden Jones, Fastest Lady was Joanne Bell and Fastest Junior Andrew Frost.

Alan Barlow – NSW Hillclimb Website Editor

EDITORS NOTES:

• WSCC arranged a top day, the weather was perfect and it all ran with hardly a hitch, the good crowd of spectators took advantage of the bus provided to gain a better vantage point.  Doug B was pretty happy too he was able to dial himself in to the top slot with a run to go!
• Commiserations to Francesco who had a slight off on the last run but fortunately it’s repairable and we hope to see him at KEP.  He was fast all day; maybe we need a special award for “the fastest car with the littlest engine”.
• Doug Barry, (Mudgee’s finest son) has a reputation of being one of the sport’s hardest chargers, however under interrogation he revealed that he hadn’t been to Huntley for many years and intended to adopt a more measured approach this time.  With this clever change of strategy he was able to confuse the opposition and grab FTD!
• The unique Photo/Trophy taken earlier in the day must have taken the organizers some doing but it was well received.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Courtesy ebarlowphotos.com