The last round-up!  Curborough, on Sunday, 11th October, was the last round of the 2020 decimated programme of events in the Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship (although ‘Championship’ status had been withdrawn earlier in the year due to the threat of the wretched coronavirus issue).  Under normal circumstances this popular event would have attracted well over 15 Ferrari entries; last year it was the venue for the exciting culmination of the season’s hillclimb competition which resulted in that unique tie between Mike Spicer and Dave Snelson as the joint winners.

Not so this season.  The Ferrari entry was down to just two.  Echoing that classic film of Kramer versus Kramer, the contest was Goodwin versus Goodwin.  It was husband v wife, man v woman.  And for Ferrari enthusiasts, probably just as compelling.

Curborough had taken on a very unusual air.  Due to the dreaded Covid-19 restrictions, no spectators were allowed, there were no supporters permitted on site other than one mechanic per competitor, and masks were mandatory for the few who were allowed to be there other than the drivers.  Sadly, we missed the company of our new Club Steward, Paul Skinner.  One friendly face at the meeting was Mike Spicer’s son, James.  James was also competing, in a Honda type R in one of the other classes, and was parked in the paddock only five cars or so away from the Ferraris.  The three of them kept company throughout the day.

Happily, the weather conditions were one bright spot: it was warm and sunny all day.

Jon had unexpectedly switched his Ferrari from his entered 250 Lusso to his 250 Recreation, which faithfully mirrors the iconic 250GT SWB.  Pauline was at the wheel of her smart ex-Spicer yellow 328GTB, which had seen victory last year.

So, how did these two former Olympians get on in their battle for supremacy?  Jon went first, the sight and sound of his lovely Ferrari drawing admiring looks from the small crowd.  His time (74.20) was a bit off his best time here with the car, but hopefully there were better things to come.  Pauline, the very last car to run in P1, was immediately on the pace with 72.18.  It was quite a long wait to P2.  As predicted, Jon – always focused and competitive – improved to 73.18: only a second adrift.  Pauline, however, tried a bit too hard and almost overshot the entry to the Crossover.  The result: a disappointing 78.18 secs.

At the lunch break Pauline brought out her traditional home-baked End-of-Season fruit cake.  With no other Ferrari competitors she generously donated most of it to the marshals and James Spicer.  The official runs saw Jon almost replicating his P1 time, and Pauline a marginally quicker 73.68.  And then, as the meeting drew to a close, the Ferraris were wheeled out for their final blitz.  Jon tried hard but was a little slower (75.96) than all his previous runs.  So, scenting victory, Pauline scorched off the line to record 72.55.  It was a win that impressed a couple of medical officials: they came over to say that her “swift yellow 328 was their favourite car of the day” and how surprised they were “to see it was being driven by a girl.”  Pauline liked the “girl” bit!

So, Pauline went home with not only a scratch win but also a victory in the Club handicap.  Thinking about the detailed results afterwards, it seemed that if Jon had managed to get the V12 off the line with the same alacrity as the 328 (2.66 seconds 0-64ft) the result could well have been a draw!

We all hope that this nasty pandemic will have quietly disappeared by the time the 2021 season starts, and we can all enjoy motorsport again in the way it used to be.