2024 Series Sponsor
The Bugatti Owners Club Classic Speed Championship is the UK's leading Speed series for the Owners / Drivers of Classic vehicles.
It originated from within the Midland Hillclimb Championship and the running of the series as a stand alone championship was taken on by the Bugatti Owners Club around 15 years ago. The Championship has been sponsored by Paul Matty Sportscars , Aldon Automotive, Henney's Cider and from 2022 by FASSI.
Three types of car are catered for: Saloons , Sportscars & Racing Cars (both single seaters and sports racing cars)
Currently Saloons and Sportscars are accepted pre 1977 & now also pre 1986, and Racing cars pre 1986. This has been revised to cater for cars of a slightly newer age in some additional classes.
Vehicles must remain largely as per period specification with original engines & no modern electronic control systems fitted. Treaded road legal tyres are specified for saloon & sportscars. Safety equipment can vary depending on the level of vehicle modifications (ie: Road-going or modified categories).
The main Championship is scored on a handicap basis , with drivers aiming to beat their previous best times. A subsidiary series sponsored by Classic Hillclimb.com aims to reward the drivers of the fastest cars with some additional awards.
Typically the Championship attracts around 70 to 80 registered contenders each season. A Prescott 'Home venue' meeting will often have around 20 runners in each of the three classes.
All the main UK Hillclimb and Sprint venues are utilised in a 'normal' season , Prescott / Shelsley Walsh / Loton Park / Gurston Down and Llandow for 2024 with others eg: Wiscombe Park / Curborough and Anglesey circuit having been used in recent years.
Created in 2011, the ClassicHillclimb.com website aims to promote the sport within the UK and document / record the winners of the various UK championships
The Classes
Three types of vehicle are catered for within the Championship:
Saloon Cars: These are typically represented by the iconic British models of the 1960's and 1970's , most common being the Mini and Ford Escort in Mk1 & 2 guise. Other participants include Alfa Romeo's , Lancia's , Reliant Scimitar GTE's , other Ford stalwarts including Cortinas and Anglias as well as the rarer Jaguar and American models.
Sportscars: One of the UK's major success stories from years past , the field is full of MG's , Triumph's and pretty much every popular marque has been represented over the years. Porsche 911's have been very competitive and in 2020 both Handicap & Scratch awards were taken by examples from the Stuttgart manufacturer.
Racing Cars: This class incorporates specialist single seaters and 2 seater sports racing cars. Once again the UK was a dominant force during the 1950's onwards with numerous small and medium scale manufacturers producing literally hundreds of different types of vehicle. Typical entrants include Brabham , Lotus , Lola , Mallock , Merlyn along with other rarer breeds including Nike , Palliser and Pringlett.
