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Alex Summers shines amongst the rain at Gurston Down


Alex Summers pushes his DJ Firestorm into Ashes at Gurston Down - photo credit Stuart Wing @captureyourcarphotography

Alex Summers and Matthew Ryder were the winners as the British Hillclimb Championship arrived at Gurston Down for what was intended to be a quadruple-header.

 

Summers, in a striking return to absolute top form with the DJ Firestorm, won twice, Ryder won once and the British weather won once as the weekend’s final run off at the Wiltshire hill was lost to the rain.

 

Ryder opened proceedings with his third win in three rounds but then had to play second fiddle to Summers as the former champion drove superbly to win rounds four and five. Both times, Ryder chased hard and retained his early championship lead in his Gould GR59. On a hill that has not always been kind to him, Will Hall was consistently strong to bag three third places.

 

However, the rain arrived on Sunday afternoon and with standing water on the very fast run to Hollow, time was called before the planned fourth run-off.

 

Others to shine included Jack Cottrill with a career best sixth in his DJ Dallara, the ever rapid Paul Haimes and young Alex Coles who bagged points with a spectacular charge.

 

Defending champion Wallace Menzies arrived at Gurston with a heavily rebuilt car after his accident at Craigantlet and bravely qualified fourth for the first run-off, only to be slowed by a fuel issue that left him out of the points. Menzies bounced back for two fifth place finishes but now has significant ground to make up in the championship contest.

 

Written by Paul Lawrence and published in partnership with Autosport



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