The season opener at Shelsley Walsh delivered one of the most unpredictable starts to a year in recent memory, with a wildly diverse grid ranging from 1.2-litre Vauxhall Corsas to 400bhp Mk4 Golf GTIs and methanol-fuelled single seaters.
In true British fashion, the weather dictated everything.
Heavy rain late on Friday and into Saturday morning left the freshly laid surface greasy and unforgiving, catching drivers out from the very first runs. Combined with the naturally tight and technical nature of Shelsley, it created conditions where commitment had to be balanced carefully against survival.
Friday saw an early setback for Alex Summers in his newly built AFS P8T. A suspension failure under braking over the finish line brought his weekend to an abrupt halt, an unfortunate but all-too-familiar part of developing a new car.
The tone for the weekend was set soon after. David Roberts, at the wheel of his McLaren M18 F5000, became one of the first major casualties. The raw power of the 5-litre V8 proved difficult to contain in the conditions, sending him off into the hedgerow and ending his weekend early.
From that point on, traction was at a premium. Wheelspin off the line was unavoidable, regardless of approach, and drivers were forced to rely heavily on throttle control and instinct throughout the run.
As the weekend progressed, conditions remained inconsistent. While strong winds and bursts of sunlight began to dry the lower section of the hill, the upper sector stayed damp and greasy, shielded by dense trees. This split in grip levels created a unique challenge, forcing competitors to make difficult tyre decisions before every run.
For some, it proved costly.
John McQuillan, sharing a Radical SR1, was caught out on slick tyres approaching Top S. A sudden loss of grip sent him into the grass bank, ending what had looked like a promising run just short of the finish.
Despite the chaos, performance still shone through. Turbocharged machinery consistently pushed into the 30-40 second range, while the methanol-powered single seaters once again demonstrated their outright pace, breaking into the sub-30-second bracket.
Summers, recovering from his earlier setback, returned to deliver one of the standout moments of the weekend. Switching to his mother’s naturally aspirated DJ Firehawk, he produced a run comfortably under 30 seconds, underlining both driver adaptability and the raw potential of the machinery.
In conditions that demanded precision, patience and no small amount of bravery, simply making it to the top was an achievement.
Shelsley Walsh welcomes all - from standard Renault Clios to fully built Subaru Imprezas - Ben Feetham
