I'm part of an excellent community of Honda S2000 owners in the North West of the UK. Over the years of ownership a core group of us have attended events, shows, BBQ's, trackdays etc. In the glory of 2015 summer as a group we hired Curborough sprint circuit. That was the day we decided this is exactly what I wanted to do. One day I spoke to Ray, ordered our license. Then the day they arrived, we looked at events and then we were booked it. After a few little nudges back and forth to get each other jeered up, we were booked into our first event at Curborough.
In late 2015 we undertook our first ever competitive event and loved it. In these sprints I managed to place well with a 3rd and 2nd place in my first ever events. We instantly fell in love with the sport and 2016 was our first ever outing in the Redline Championship at Curborough. I had an excellent first year competing taking the class, winning 2nd overall, two novice awards (Redline/Shenstone) and set a class record for the figure of 8. Cuffed with the performance and continually learning lessons, 2017 was set to broaden our events and take to the hills.
2017 was a wash out with only a handful of events run. Work/life commitments interfered with rounds and some issues at events left a sour taste in my mouth. It took some time to return to the sport, but when we did it was back to being fun and enjoyable. With the fantastic first year under our belts, the competition took over and the fun was being pushed out of it. This isn't something I was looking to do, as I enjoy the community of drivers who are there because they love it. Of course everyone wants to set fast times and be the quickest driver, but a lot of people just enjoy the track time and the social aspects of Sprinting/Hill Climbs.
Mid 2017 saw our first outing to Llys-y-fran dam, which was consequently our first ever time on a hill climb. We went with no expectations to be fast but to enjoy the event and tackle the climb. It was an absolute riot. With a wet morning to set the mood, spirits were certainly not dampened. An excellent array of great Welsh cars/drivers were welcoming and eager to chat. It was pleasant on the lead up to the event to read Facebook posts from competitors concerned about 4x S2000's attending the event. The banter was great and really brought about a positive tone to the day, knowing other drivers were there to have a laugh. We obviously scared a couple of the competitors as during the day we were 1st/2nd in class. This was until the final run where another competitor took 1st place after some suspension alterations, leaving Ray in 2nd place and myself in 3rd. We couldn't be happier with the results and what a cracking venue. It somewhere I want to attend every year, its worth the 10 hour round trip for 1 minute of fun.
Late into 2017 me and Ray competed at Harewood. This was a childhood dream come true for me, being a local boy and spectating events from a junior age. Rain threatened both events we attended, but that didn't spoil the fun at all. Scary braking, breathing on 9,000 rpm before slinging it into a bend and sideways action over the finish all made amazing days. Its truly spectacular and scenic event. It was great to spend time at an event and not worry about times too much and play with the setup. From both Llys-y-fran and Harewood I learnt the direction I took the car did not suit the climbs. A cheeky finale of the year at Curborough cemented the direction of change with a nice little trip off the circuit. Something I don't wish to repeat.
All that brings us to 2018. The cars changed. I've changed. Championship changed. This will be our first season of Hill Climbing. Its a pure mixture of nerves and excitement, but can't wait to get out there.
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