Do they do anything like this in the UK?

[Talksteer]

In the UK hill climbs tend to be done on private land on narrow and short tracks. On the continent they appear to have hill climbs/tarmac rallies on public A-roads, like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsGTBWmN41s&fea...

Are there any comparable UK events, or are there reasons (HSE/insurance/no tradition/red flag act) why we don't have road racing in the UK. (rallies excepted)

[onomatopoeia]

Main reason you don't get much competition on the public road is that in order to suspend the road traffic act on the mainland you need an Act of Parliament, which the Tour of Mull has to organise every year if they want to run (is it still going? I don't buy Motoring News any more), as did the Birmingham superprix during its lifetime.

[Semi hemi]

onomatopoeia said:

Main reason you don't get much competition on the public road is that in order to suspend the road traffic act on the mainland you need an Act of Parliament, which the Tour of Mull has to organise every year if they want to run (is it still going? I don't buy Motoring News any more), as did the Birmingham superprix during its lifetime.

Pretty sure the organisers of the Aberdeen Granite City Rally have done just that for this years event and plan on running a stage round the the Bay of Nigg, on the coast road south of the Harbour

[Ianeire]

Plenty of closed road rally and hill climbs all year round in NI/Ireland, grab a short ferry across!

[jonnylayze]

Porlock Hill Climb is a privately owned toll road and the course iteslf is pretty long by British hillclimb standards

http://www.woodward35.freeserve.co.uk/hill%20climb...

[german tony]

Guernsey & Jersey run events on public roads as does the Isle of Man.

& it's getting very hard to do the same in Germany since Max got caught (to the Germans anyway)speaking in a comedy German accent & hitting some women.

[Nic Jones]

jonnylayze said:

Porlock Hill Climb is a privately owned toll road and the course iteslf is pretty long by British hillclimb standards

http://www.woodward35.freeserve.co.uk/hill%20climb...

I went up it for the first time competitively on the Somerset Stages rally last year and it was fantastic, with the tight twisty stuff at the bottom and the fast open section at the top.

They also do a hillclimb up on Epynt army ranges swhich looks quite good.

[velocemitch]

Tour of Mull still runs and still regards itself as 'the best rally in the world'. Berwick and District Motor club run a closed road stage Rally too, 'The Jim Clarke'. It can be done but there is a lot of red tape.

[Porlock]

Ah Porlock Twas my Baby!!

Sadly the MSA decided the drops off the edge made it too much of an insurance risk, so wont grant me a Track Licence on the hill anymore.

When I first was asked by the Porlock Manor Estate to make a hillclimb there I decided where the finish would be then walked down the hill, decided the 2 hairpins needed to be in and then kept going until I found a suitable place to site a caravan for a startline. That was in 1991, ended up with a 2.25 km hill. That sorted the men from the boys!!

Might be something up my sleeve!!!!!!

[petergb]

On the 1965 RAC rally we did Porlock up as one stage and then later did Porlock down as another. Everyone was much quicker up than down.

[Nic Jones]

petergb said:

On the 1965 RAC rally we did Porlock up as one stage and then later did Porlock down as another. Everyone was much quicker up than down.

Down is scary enough in a standard road car, let alone one with an egomaniac lunatic rallydriver pedalling it!

[mat205125]

Bet there was no need for the Beemer driver in that video to change down quite as aggresively or quickly through the tunnel, but just "had to". That car sounds, and looks awesome.

[Porlock]

Yeah Nic!!

Remember I know your rally driver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still think downhill in the dark would be good!!!!

[interloper]

Porlock said:

Ah Porlock Twas my Baby!!

Sadly the MSA decided the drops off the edge made it too much of an insurance risk, so wont grant me a Track Licence on the hill anymore.

So is Porlock as a hill climb totally finished? Or are there any possible changes that could be implemented to make it insurable again? Seems a real shame if its gone for good as that part of Devon is really picturesque and clearly would benefit from the howl of a racing engine or two!

[Nic Jones]

Porlock said:

Yeah Nic!!

Remember I know your rally driver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still think downhill in the dark would be good!!!!

Yes and so do I, maybe egomaniac is a bit far, but lunatic is definately accurate!

You'd only do it once though wouldn't you?!

I wonder if we'll be using it on the Exmoor Endurance rally later in the year? Hopefully downhill as it'll be painful trying to get the 1400 shopping trolleys up the hill!

[Porlock]

I am still trying to get somthing up and running but work etc is not giving me time to sort at the moment. Still at least the Rally still makes good use of it. Yes it is a glorious area (even though its still in Somerset!! cant let them Devon lot own it!!)

[StevieBee]

onomatopoeia said:

Main reason you don't get much competition on the public road is that in order to suspend the road traffic act on the mainland you need an Act of Parliament........., as did the Birmingham superprix during its lifetime.

....which was sponsored by Halfords whose chairman at the time happened also to be the PM husband at the time.