OV9

I stumbled across food and fuel on insta a couple of weeks ago and decided to put an entry in for the hill climb they were running at shelsley walsh.

Never been up there before, or any other hill climb for that matter. I’d been meaning to get booked on one of the school days this year where they show you the ropes and teach you the hill, but I never got round to that, so my first time up a hill was to be in front of a huge crowd, no pressure then.

I’ve been to shelsley as a spectator many times and have watched the crazy f1 style single seaters doing 22 second runs up there, but having driven it myself now I have a whole new appreciation for them. It’s a mental place to drive a car up, so narrow with absolutely no run off at all, just armco and grass banks to crash into.

I gave it as much as I dared on my first run but didn’t find out what the time was as there were issues in the morning that meant we didn’t get any times until the third and final run, which I did with a random woman that came and asked if she could be a passenger, I said she was brave getting in a strangers car! She tried to film the run from inside but after I launched from the line she dropped her phone to grab the sides of her seat

Here’s my second run which I reckon is around a 33 second effort, I’m braking so early for bottom S I’m leaving a couple of seconds on the table there at least. My 3rd run with passenger was a 33.37, I think if I’d had a 4th run I’d have got in the 31’s which would have put me 2nd quickest car of the day. As it was I was 4th quickest, not too shabby for my first ever hill climb.

That's immense!

Hill climb? Completed it mate /Dan

Nice run

Very cool , I was right into Hillclimbing my MR2 years ago and it was a lot of fun, but frustratingly little track time for an entire day. Similar to the UK, lots of Aus hillclimbs are still run on unsanitised old tracks that will bite very hard.

Yeah well I went down Shelley Walsh the first day it opened right, and I did a couple of runs, I pulled over, the bloke that runs the thing comes over and said - Oi no professionals. I took my (carbon) helmet off, I said I'm not a professional. He said - you're not a profesional? I said - No, he said - well you should be, if I was you I'd take up Formula One, and if you drive like that you'd probably be the best in the country! I said - I'm not interested I'm making sh*t loads out of making Hondalises.

And with a dab of oppo, he was gone.

mik wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 12:43 am I said - I'm not interested I'm making sh*t loads out of making Hondalises.

If only that were true!

That looked impressively fast and controlled

Good work mate, I've only ran there the one day too and my fastest time was 33.43 in the SLR... with no passenger. Of course, the tyre technology was inferior then though

speedingfine wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 10:26 am Good work mate, I've only ran there the one day too and my fastest time was 33.43 in the SLR... with no passenger. Of course, the tyre technology was inferior then though

Thats quick! You must have been trying much harder than me

PS. according to the on board data I did 0 - 60 in 3.7 seconds off the line, its fucking steep so i'm now intrigued to know what it'd do on the flat.

That was the first time i've ever launched the car, i've been too scared to break something before now so i've never tried.

Big smoke in the cabin at the end, assume that's just brake dust or something equally 'expected' in a car that light and with that little NVH on it, seeing as you've not mentioned it at all.

Also, holy shit even with a wide angle lens that looks terrifyingly narrow at those speeds

Locked a brake over the line, its a tricky braking zone as the front end goes light over a crest but you're trying to shed as much speed as you can as there's barely enough room to get the car slowed down - evidenced by the s13 sylvia that ploughed straight on into the gravel at the top of the hill.

Ah, listening again I think I can just about hear it over the drivetrain!

dan wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 11:24 am PS. according to the on board data I did 0 - 60 in 3.7 seconds off the line, its fucking steep so i'm now intrigued to know what it'd do on the flat.

That was the first time i've ever launched the car, i've been too scared to break something before now so i've never tried.

None too shabby! Did Evo time it at Goodwood? Also, do you know when they'll publish the story?

speedingfine wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 11:44 am

dan wrote: Sun Aug 23, 2026 11:24 am PS. according to the on board data I did 0 - 60 in 3.7 seconds off the line, its fucking steep so i'm now intrigued to know what it'd do on the flat.

That was the first time i've ever launched the car, i've been too scared to break something before now so i've never tried.

None too shabby! Did Evo time it at Goodwood? Also, do you know when they'll publish the story?

No timing at goodwood as far as I know, not sure when it’ll be out, soon I hope!

Hill climbs scare me! everything is so close!

There is also needing to get your brain in gear in an instant I bet, no warming up to get in the groove.

Dave!