July British Hillclimb Championship – Saturday.

British Automobile Racing Club (BARC) Yorkshire Centre organised the July British Hillclimb Championship at Harewood. A weekend of track action for the second and final visit for the British Hillclimb Championship (BHC) in the 2026 season and the first visit for competitors from the BHC Tin Top Challenge for rounds three and four of this championship.

Saturday would be practice runs for both these championships, while Sunday’s event would have a practice run then a timed run followed by a top twelve run-off for Round 13 this would then be repeated for Round 14 of the BHC, it is the run-offs were the competitors would be awarded championship points.

A number of regular competitors from Harewood Speed Hillclimb would also join in for both days along with a number of competitors from the Porsche Club GB, taking part in the 2026 Porsche Club Speed Championship. Both of these sets of competitors would form the Inter-club classes.

Cloudy, windy and some very fine rain, which was on and off throughout the day greeted the 178 competitors on the entry list to the famous Yorkshire hill.

British Hillclimb Championship update since leaving Harewood Hill in May.

After Rounds five and six of the BHC, which took place at Harewood Hill back in May. Will Hall driving his Gould GR59 was leading the Championship from joint second place held by Matthew Ryder driving a Gould GR59J and Wallace Menzies driving his Gould GR59M.

Gurston Down

The BHC visited Gurston Down on 23^rd and 24^th May for Round Seven and Eight, after which Will Hall was still leading the Championship from Matthew Ryder, though Matthew won both of these rounds, with Will taking two second places and Wallace taking third place in both run-offs and now four points adrift of Matthew in the Championship.

Shelsley Walsh

Shelsley Walsh held Rounds Nine and Ten over the weekend of 6^th and 7^th June. Will Hall won Round nine and also set a new hill record in the first of the Championship Run-offs. With Matthew Ryder taking second and Wallace Menzies taking third place in Round nine of the BHC.

In the second of the Run-offs (Round 10 of the 2026 BHC) it was Will Hall again taking the top podium with David Uren taking second and Wallace Menzies third. Matthew Ryder was fourth.

Doune

So with a long drive up to Scotland for Rounds Eleven and Twelve at Doune on 20^th and 21^st June. Will Hall was leading the BHC with 96 points, from Matthew Ryder on 87 points and Wallace Menzies in third on 83 points.

Hall was the only one to get under 35 seconds in the first run-off, (Round 11) with a time of 34.85 seconds, with Matthew Ryder in second and Wallace Menzies 0.21 seconds behind in third place. However in the timed run for Round 12 Will Hall spun, so did not make it into the Championship run-off for this round of the championship. Matthew Ryder took his first win in Scotland from Wallace Menzies with David Warburton managing to get 1600cc Gould GR59 up in amongst the much bigger engined Gould’s.

Harewood Speed Hillclimb

So coming into this weekends event both Will Hall and Matthew Ryder are both on 106 points and Wallace Menzies is still in third on 100 points.  While Trevor Willis is in fourth on 71 points.

For competitors taking part in the BHC Tin Top Challenge this was the first and only visit in 2026 to Harewood Hill. Rounds one and two was at Doune on 20^th and 21^st June. It was Damien Bradley driving his Subaru Legacy who opened his account with first in both run-offs with Donald McCaskill taking two second places, driving his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V, though Donald was not at Harewood Hill this weekend and Stuart Reid driving his non turbo charged Peugeot 205 in third place.

Saturdays Results for the Inter-club Results Class 14

Saturdays Results for the Inter-club Results Class 42

Saturdays Results for the Inter-club Results Class 26

A number of ladies were also be competing on the hill on both days in single seaters against the clock and the men. 

British Hillclimb Championship – Sunday.

All competitors no matter what championship got one practice run, then the event was into the timed runs.

After all competitors completed the timed runs the Inter-club classes had another timed run before the fastest top ten competitors in the Tin Top Challenge had a run-off for championship points. Then it was the turn of the fastest twelve in the BHC that had a run-off for Championship points. The timed runs were then repeated before another run-offs for both the Tin Top Challenge and BHC competitors.

New Class Records.

Class A1 for Road Cars series production up to 2000cc

Michael Thomson driving a Lotus Exige set a time of 63.49 seconds.

Class A2 for Road Cars series production over 2000cc

Richard Snow driving a Porsche Cayman GT4 RS set a time of 61.89 to equal the Class record set by Richard Andrews in his Porsche GT4 RS.

Class E for Sports Libre Saloon cars

Damien Bradley driving his Subaru Legacy set a time of 56.55 seconds.

Wallace Menzies set FTD in the first run-off, round 13 but during his second timed run his car had technical issues and came to a stop coming into farmhouse so missed out on a chance to score any points in round 14. This was after he had gone off into the gravel trap at Farmhouse on Saturday afternoon, during one of his practice runs.

So after these two rounds at Harewood Hill, this weekend, Will Hall and Matthew Ryder are joint leaders of the championship with 124 points, with Wallace Menzies in third on 110 points and fourth is Trevor Willis on 83 points.

Another competitor who ended up been towed up the hill during the second run-off for the Tin Top Challenge, was Damian Bradley in his Subaru Legacy, which came to a halt at Orchard.

Though leaving Harewood, Damien is joint championship leader with Roger Moran driving his Ford Fiesta ST hillclimb special (both 4 wheel drive) and the very quick two wheel drive Peugeot 205 of Stuart Reid is in third place. Simon Bainbridge won both of the run-offs in the Tin Top Challenge to take him up to fourth place.

Fastest lady up the hill was Emma Rayson driving an Empire 00, Emma set a time of 53.68 seconds

It was Mark Hemingway driving his Force TA, who set the quickest time by any of the Harewood Hill regulars and set a time of 50.83 during round 14 of the BHC run-off to claim one championship point.

Harewood Hillclimb results

FTD and Top four in Class.

Sunday British Hillclimb Championship Full Results:

British Hillclimb Championship website

British Hillclimb Championship after Harewood

The BHC are next in action at Bouley Bay in Jersey on 14^th July, before hoping over to Guernsey’s Val Des Terres on 18^th July 2026. Then further rounds also to take place at Wiscombe Park, Shelsey Walsh, Loton Park before the final championship rounds at Prescott over the weekend of 19^th and 20^th September.

For full dates of the remaining BHC rounds

Many thanks to BARC Yorkshire centre for the opportunity to be track side. Also not forgetting all the volunteer Marshals, Medical and the Darlington & District Rescue Team, along with all the back office staff without which, the events at Harewood Hill could not take place.

Remaining Harewood Hill events for 2026.

• 1 August – Yorkshire Speed
• 2 August – Montague Burton
• 23 August – Classic & Vintage (VSCC)
• 26 September – Greenwood Cup
• 27 September – Mike Wilson

Harewood Speed Hillclimb.

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