Eight Action-Packed Runs up the Festival of Speed Hillclimb

Each year the Festival of Speed Hillclimb course sees a bounty of ferocious runs from all manner of motorsport machinery. Let’s take a look at eight of our favourites from 2015.

And let’s kick it off with the fastest run of the weekend!

There are moments during this run that give the impression that we’re about to make the jump to hyperspace. This is Olly Clark’s winning run in his Subaru Impreza Time Attack Car, aptly named Gobstopper II.

On the opposite end of the clock and demonstrating no less skill is Mad Mike Whiddett. He took the run sideways and threw in a few detours of his own, and we can get behind that!

Mark Walker kicks off this run HUGELY sideways. In a 107-year-old Darracq that’s basically a 25-litre V8 with some seats and a few thin strips of rubber it calls tyres.

Flat-out bravery in a mighty old motorcar.

This video may well be the most quiet and sedate in our selection, but it’s no less captivating. Terry Grant’s take on the hill involved only two of his Nismo Juke RS’s four wheels, and his gentle progress is oddly mesmerising.

In this video, he sets a new world record for the fastest two-wheeled mile, and breaks his own 2:55 run up the 1.16-mile long hill to do it in just 2:10.

This is one to turn up nice and loud – a 1969 Ferrari 312 P driven up the hill by David Franklin.

Not many of us will get the chance to drive a Grand Prix-winning Formula 1 car, so this video from Williams is the next best thing! It takes us on-board one of their 1990 FW13Bs with Alex Lynn for a first-person perspective run up and down the hill.

Skip to the last minute or so of this one if you want to jump straight to the run, but I’d stay for Dickie Meaden’s wonderful insight into driving this Porsche LMP1-98, as well as its history. I’d also stay for that engine note!

Finally, let’s wrap up with the fastest runs up the hill in the timed shootout, thanks to Goodwood Road & Racing.