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report by Chris Leach & Chris Butler
photography by Richard Dredge
A new day with a proper weather forecast – sun and lots of it, today there was a sense of anticipation in the air – a new record would be set today.
As the track dried the times tumbled, with a battle for the top spot heating up as the day progressed. Not one, not two but three new class records would be set in a tit for tat battle between Dave Snelson in his 488 Spider and Rob Samuels with the 458 Speciale.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of records however it is important to remember the personal records that are also under threat of being improved upon. Special recognition goes to Iwan Attwood who despite a slight lack of confidence in setting a new record (or maybe playing it cool?) would go on to better a time previously set on a brand new track surface. It would seem some of the excitement from the battle at the pointy end of the paddock was rubbing off on Iwan.
Guest competitor Chris Butler would improve through the day and join the exclusive Club of Samuels, Snelson & Taylor to go sub-60 seconds. Given this was his first time competing on the hills in the 458 Italia this was quite the achievement and one that may have rekindled the ex-champions thirst for hillcilmb… only future years will tell.
The pending Euros final would see a number of competitors opt to leave early to get home in time for disappointment, maybe next time England?
Thank you to Chris Butler for sharing his thoughts on his long-overdue return to the championship:
As a special concession this year and to give further support and profile to our Hillclimb series the Club invited any existing registered Club racer to attend Loton Park and join in the fun. After I joined the Club way back in 2003 the first thing I did was enter my 355 into our Hillclimb series and I subsequently competed the car in nearly 100 rounds across 10 seasons before effectively hanging up my Hillclimb helmet at the end of 2012 to focus more on Club circuit racing. Getting an opportunity to easily return to the fold for a one-off event was too good to resist and so along with my racing buddy Nick Whittaker we were delighted to sign up for Loton. I say easily return because apart from needing to hold an admin based Motorsport UK licence all that is needed to compete is to turn up in a road going Ferrari, throw on some race overalls, put your helmet under your arm and fit a simple timing beam strut to your front towing eye – Hey Presto you are ready to go!
Loton is a one of the best hills in the country and for me well worth the three hour plus drive all the way from the North East in my 458 Italia. It was great to be met by a real diverse spread of cars entered by fellow competitors with everything ranging from an early 308GT4 to a current Roma tipo and everything in between including 328, 348, 355, 430, 458 Speciale and 488 variants. It just goes to show that any member in any car can easily have a go and with the increasing challenges of driving our cars quickly on the public roads I believe Hillclimbing like Track Days are an obvious way for members to get the most out of their cars and in a reasonably safe environment. As with all competition there can only be one winner on the day but what counts is every member enjoying the experience of the event on track and the camaraderie off track while at the same time developing your driving skills in cars that were designed to be driven fast and near the limit. Driving home from a Hillclimb weekend on a Sunday evening knowing you have given it your best and having enjoyed some genuine competition Ferrari fun is a feeling that you can really get used to.
Maybe next time I won’t leave it twelve years before having another go and I would urge all members to call the Club Office and see for yourself how easy it is to give it a go!
– Chris Butler
