Shelsley Walsh Speed Hillclimb
Shelsley Walsh Speed Hillclimb 

Shelsley Walsh – Photographer’s Guide.


Shelsley Walsh Speed Hillclimb nestles in the rolling hills twelve miles north west of Worcester and is the oldest motorsport venue in the world still using its original course.


The first event was in 1905 when simply reaching the top of the hill with the required passengers was an achievement and took over 77 seconds. The record for the deceptively simple, 1000 yard, 1 in 6 gradient course currently stands at under 23 seconds.


The main competitive events are the headline British Championship and Classic Nostalgia meetings – the latter focusing on pre-1980 cars including, as you will see below, rally cars and a rather special car “returning” to the hill.


For the photographer, Shelsley has a number of locations none of which are likely to require anything longer than a 200mm lens. Hence, the first lens in my bag is the 70-200mm for the action – although in a couple of places, the 24-120mm is probably better. The paddock is open and spectators can stand behind the start line and watch the cars head up the hill (but not too close !).

With accompanying photos, I will cover the various areas of the hill. All spectator access is on the right hand of the hill.
Area A

Just as the cars exit Kennel Bend there is a terrace with a view back towards the start. Here it is possible to see just who is trying hard – as in how many millimetres they are from the inside of the corner. When the winning margin is measured in tenths or hundredths of a second, it’s important.
Area B

After a short steep walk up from Kennel to Crossing there is an terraced area where it is possible to get front and rear shots of the cars with, if you are lucky, sparks !
Area C

After walking further up the hill, there is a long shot of the cars coming up through Crossing. There is also a rear shot of the cars going into Bottom S from which the steepness of the hill can be seen between Bottom and Top S.
Area D

A popular viewing and photographers area with terracing with the potential for shots of the cars coming into, through and out of Bottom S. If it is going to go wrong, it is often here after a long, quick run up the hill. Lifting an inside wheel or rally style kerb hopping can also feature here.
Area E

One of my favourite spots – there is a dramatic shot of the cars exiting Top S with a “dab of oppo” for the quicker cars or on a damp day. There is also a rear shot of the cars heading up the hill to the finish
The cars return down the hill on a same road, so go up in batches typically based on the class the car is competing in and then return together.
In 2016, Hans Stuck Junior drove a toolroom replica of the car his father drove up the hill in 1936. For his final run in the twin rear wheeled Auto Union, he was allowed to use his father’s helmet, goggles and gloves. A memorable sight and sound ! 
As part of this event, Toby Moody, who has long been a part of Shelsley, interviewed Stuck in the courtyard outside the restaurant.
In 2018, the Jaguar Formula E car driven by Mitch Evans did a couple of runs up the hill and set the fastest time for an electric vehicle. Sounding like a Scalextric car on steroids it certainly split the audience more used to the glories of internal combustion engines at speed.
Final thoughts.

The fastest cars are the British Hill Climb Championship – my favourite – and they do run in damp and wet conditions unless it is really, really wet so well worth checking out when they are running. 

More information can be found at the Shelsley’s website www.shelsleywalsh.com

The Classic Nostalgia meeting focuses on older machinery and in recent years has featured rally drivers including Dai Llewellyn and Russell Brookes.

Timing and results for Shelsley Walsh Speed Hillclimb can generally be found at www.resultsman.co.uk

Motorsport can be fun but dangerous, no-one was seriously injured in the accidents illustrated. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this article and a big thank you to David Harbey Photography for the images and words. If you have enjoyed this article please hit the like and share buttons below, I thank you.
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