Records Fall as Shelsley Walsh Heats Up

Shelsley Walsh hillclimb records fall in a remarkable weekend of British hillclimbing as the famous Worcestershire venue produced a succession of record-breaking performances. The biggest moment came on Sunday afternoon when Wallace Menzies lowered the outright hill record to an astonishing 22.20 seconds.

The August 8–9 Championship Challenge had already promised spectacular times following the resurfacing of Shelsley Walsh’s full 1,000-yard course earlier this year. Will Hall had set a new outright record of 22.33 seconds at the June British Hillclimb Championship meeting, but that benchmark lasted just two months.

Menzies found the extra pace when it mattered most. Driving his Gould GR59M, the Scottish driver stopped the clocks at 22.20 seconds, taking 0.13 seconds from Hall’s record and establishing a new outright benchmark at one of Britain’s most historic motorsport venues.

It provided the perfect finale to a weekend in which the resurfaced course once again demonstrated its potential, with class records falling before Menzies delivered the headline performance.

Shelsley Walsh Records Fall – David Warburton Breaks 1600cc Record

Away from the outright battle, David Warburton produced one of the weekend’s most significant performances when he established a new record for the 1600cc racing-car class. Driving his 1.6-litre Gould GR59, Warburton recorded a 23.97-second climb, beating the previous class record set by Jos Goodyear in 2012.

The fact that Goodyear’s benchmark had survived for approximately 14 years makes Warburton’s achievement particularly impressive.

The 1.6-litre machines give away considerable engine capacity to the four-litre cars used by some of the leading British Hillclimb Championship competitors. However, outright engine capacity does not tell the whole story at Shelsley Walsh.

Warburton’s lightweight Gould combines substantial power with low weight, aerodynamic efficiency and enormous mechanical grip. His experience of the hill also allows him to extract every available fraction of performance.

The new record therefore represents more than another number disappearing from the record books. It demonstrates the performance now available across the different classes following the resurfacing of the historic course.

Rodney Eyles Adds to the Record List

The Midland Hill Climb Championship competitors also contributed to the record-breaking weekend, with Rodney Eyles adding another class record to his 2026 campaign. Eyles has emerged as one of the standout performers in the Midland Championship this season.

His Porsche 911 Turbo has consistently challenged the established class benchmarks, and Shelsley Walsh provided another opportunity to push those limits. His latest record further underlined the competitiveness of the Midland Championship while adding another dimension to a weekend already dominated by record-breaking performances. For Midland Championship competitors, setting a class record carries significance beyond personal achievement.

Improving a record can also bring an additional championship point, making the pursuit of outright class performance an important part of the championship battle. Eyles therefore had plenty to gain from finding those final fractions of a second.

The Resurfaced Hill Has Changed the Game

For spectators, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the 2026 season has been watching Shelsley Walsh evolve as the new surface beds in.

The hill has always ranked among Britain’s most demanding speed venues. At around 1,000 yards in length, it climbs approximately 100 metres, with gradients approaching 16 percent. There is virtually no room for error. The resurfacing has not changed those fundamental characteristics, but it has transformed the amount of grip available to the cars.

Drivers can attack the hill with greater confidence, while teams have accumulated valuable data with every run. Tyre preparation, suspension settings, launch techniques and the optimum approach to each section of the course all contribute to the final time. The effect is becoming increasingly clear in the record books.

Will Hall set the new outright benchmark at 22.33 seconds in June. Just two months later, Menzies improved that time to 22.20 seconds. That progression suggests the current record may not represent the ultimate potential of the resurfaced course.

Menzies Saves the Best Until Last

Menzies had already shown the pace required to challenge for the outright record, but the benchmark remained out of reach until the final stages of Sunday’s competition.

Then came the run that mattered. The Gould GR59M charged up the hill and stopped the clocks at 22.20 seconds. The time removed 0.13 seconds from Hall’s June record and placed Menzies at the top of the Shelsley Walsh record books. The achievement becomes even more impressive when considering how little separates the leading drivers at this level.

At Shelsley Walsh, a tiny mistake away from the line, a fraction too much wheelspin or a slight loss of momentum through one of the critical corners can cost several tenths of a second. Menzies managed to put everything together on the run that mattered most. The result was a new outright record and one of the defining performances of the 2026 British hillclimb season.

An Eclectic Race Card

While outright speed grabbed the headlines, the variety of machinery remains one of the reasons Shelsley Walsh hillclimb holds such a special place in British motorsport.

Malcolm Thorne brought the beautiful Lotus 35 F2 to the hill, providing spectators with the sight and sound of classic single-seater racing machinery attacking the course. The Lotus offered a fascinating contrast to the modern hillclimb specials. Its presence demonstrated how the venue can bring together different generations of competition machinery on the same piece of tarmac.

There was also an international flavour to the weekend, with Australia’s Wayne Penrose tackling Shelsley Walsh in his unmistakable Volkswagen 1303 Superbug Sports Sedan.

With its heavily modified bodywork and distinctive appearance, the Volkswagen was impossible to miss. It also demonstrated that there is no single formula for success or entertainment at a British hillclimb.

Another welcome sight came from Graham Loakes in the Lola T492. The classic sports racer looked perfectly at home as it attacked Shelsley’s challenging bends, adding another chapter of motorsport history to an already varied entry.

From historic Formula cars and sports racers to the unconventional Volkswagen Superbug and the extraordinary pace of the modern Gould machinery, the Championship Challenge showcased the breadth of British hillclimbing.

A Weekend to Remember at Shelsley Walsh

The combination of record-breaking performances and an eclectic entry made the August meeting particularly memorable. Warburton’s 1600cc record demonstrated the pace of the smaller-engined machinery, while Eyles added another class benchmark for the Midland Championship.

But ultimately, the weekend belongs to Wallace Menzies. The 22.20-second climb not only erased Will Hall’s June record but demonstrated just how quickly the leading teams have adapted to the new surface.

The outright record progression at Shelsley Walsh hillclimb during 2026 now reads Will Hall – 22.33 seconds in June, followed by Wallace Menzies – 22.20 seconds in August. With the surface continuing to mature and teams gathering more information every time they run, the record could come under pressure again. For now, though, Menzies owns the number everyone will be chasing 22.20 seconds.

Sunday, 9 August 2026, will be remembered as the day Wallace Menzies and his Gould rewrote the Shelsley Walsh hillclimb record books. On one of the hottest days of the summer, the hill witnessed an equally scorching piece of motorsport history.

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Thanks to Jeff Silver Photography for the images and report for this Shelsley Walsh hillclimb report. Additional images are by David Harbey, you can find out more about these photographers by following the links below.