Rounds Four and Five of the Porsche Club Speed Championship

2025 Championship Round 4 and 5 at Loton Park with NINEMEISTER

Round 4, Loton Park 17th May
 
It wasn't supposed to be that cold! After all, we had experienced wall to wall warm weather for several weeks and as I left the house to go to our 4th round, a Hillclimb at Loton Park near Shrewsbury, I was expecting more of the same. I was wrong!
 
It was cold, very cold compared to recent times and a grey sky hung over the picturesque Loton hill as I readied myself for another close battle of man. machine and of course...a hill!
 
Loton Park is run by Hagley & District Light Car Club with several brilliant Hillclimb events there each year. The hill itself is a winding climb through a wood with water either side on the lower section, several tight turns and a long super-fast straight in the middle leading to a tricky steep uphill turn before the end timing lights.
 
It’s a challenge but I always found myself eager to get going on the next run as its nature demands just the right amounts of speed, concentration, courage and care to make getting a good time feel very rewarding.
 
We had some 17 drivers across four power classes taking part, some modified non road legal cars and around half the field in road legal cars driven to and from the event.


 
Saturday Practice
 
Two practice runs were to be held before scoring times after lunch.
In the P1 class we had two drivers (David Dyson and Phil James) in cars running the PDK system, and as a result their times would be recorded with 2% added.
 
David started quickly with a 60 second run but ended practice with a swift 58.48 time to go into lunch the quickest P1 car in his GT4 RS. Close on his heels was Wayne Eason who in the highly modified Boxster ended practice just a few tenths behind David.
 
Ian Wadsworth and his P2 911SC/RS are a combination that has driven the Loton Hill many times and that experience showed as he broke the 60 second barrier with his second and quickest P2 practice run. Nigel Watkins has been impressing with his speed thus far this year and Nigel was quick to get to grips with the hill recording a great 60.31 best practice.
 
Our P3 group was as competitive a set of cars you could imagine with a Boxster, a 911, a Supercharged 924s and a road going Boxster making up the entry.
 
Geraint Evans in the instantly recognisable Carrera 3.0 was second quickest in practice with a sub 63 second run, but it was to be what has become "normal service" from Jon Baldock and his Boxster as he took quickest practice in P3 with a 61.86 second time.
 
One thing we have all learned as the championship has evolved is that power does not necessarily determine results. Our P4 drivers have been making that point alongside the other classes for some time now.
 
As if to further prove the point Stephen Jory's best practice time of 60.34 in his 944 3.0 was 4th quickest of all the cars and put him ahead of the P4 field at the end of practice. Martin Leach in the 911E continued his quest to test Stephen at every round with a best practice of 61.40 seconds, not so far away that Stephen could feel able to relax as we all took our break for lunch. 
 
Saturday Timed Runs
 
Wayne Helme is a driver who reflects between his timed runs and looks for those changes he can make to improve in his 718 GT4. It’s an absolutely necessary tool in the toolbox of every committed speed driver and his improvements across his timed runs showed the benefit as his best scoring run, his second, was no less than 7.4 seconds quicker than his first run of the day, a great 61.23 second time to take 3rd in the P1 class.
 
Wayne Eason was very consistent throughout his timed runs all day and with a 58.49 second best he took 2nd in P1 and was looking forward to the second day hoping to further narrow the gap between himself and quickest in the class, David Dyson, who with two runs less than 0.5 apart won the class in a 58.27 second effort. These times are quick! While the GT4RS is clearly a hugely capable car, it's big and demands a firm hand to get such times.
 
Karl Lupton in his supercharged 944 was lying in 3rd place in the P2 class after the first scoring timed run. In his practice runs he had a slower first run and then made a major step improvement in the second outing. The story was the same in the afternoon and he went from 3rd to 2nd in P2 by virtue of a 60.27 second time, more than 6 seconds better than the first run of the afternoon.
 
Karl's big gain was Nigel Watkin's loss as he was bumped to 3rd in P2 at the end of the day. The margin was narrow with less than three tenths between them.
 
Ending the day just 0.09 seconds ahead of Karl was Ian Wadsworth who took the 911 to the P2 class win in a fine time of 60.18 seconds.
 
Our diverse P3 runners had their own battle across the two scoring runs. Chris Milne and his Boxster took 3rd in the class with an excellent best of 62.23 seconds. Chris was one of the road car drivers and the time stacks up really well for a car of that specification verses the more modified cars in the class. Talking of which Graham Rose piloted the supercharged 924s to a great 61.59 time to end the day runner up in P3. Graham, like several other front engined car drivers, has to overcome the traction difficulties that can sometimes raise their head on the tighter Hillclimb venues. It’s tricky but as we have seen it can be done!
 
Winning P3, as he has all season thus far, Jon Baldock and the Boxster completed a clean sweep with 4 times at the top of the class and a best of 60.61 seconds.
 
I must give a mention to Simon Cristol who took the road going Boxster he shares with his father Ian, to a very credible time of 63.32 seconds and 4th in P4. Simon was beaten to 3rd in P4 by Jake Cartwright in his modified Boxster who after having had a 'moment’ earlier in the day on one of his practice runs had followed that with three runs less than a second in difference, the best of which was his final scoring run of 62.60 seconds.
 
The battle for the P4 class win followed the form book with Stephen Jory winning the class with his first scoring run, a really quick 59.65 second time, 3rd fastest of all the times recorded!  Martin Leach was ever so close to recording that sub 60 second time. He didn't quite make it but wasn't far away and rolled the car into the paddock at the end of final run with a best of 60.37 seconds taking 2nd in P4 once again.
 
All in all, after a chilly and testing start the hill did in the end provide some smashing competition among our Speed Championship drivers. As the evening set in thoughts turned to what might be possible on the Sunday.
 
Myself I was off to a family gathering on the outskirts of Ludlow, a village hall, hot dogs, a few drinks and a great band, its hard work this motorsport stuff eh!!
 
 
Loton Park Round 5 Sunday 18th May
 
A new dawn, a new day, and all things are possible!
 
As I set off on my Motorcycle the sun was already out, and warmth was evident on my back as I headed to the Loton Park hill for the second day of our championship weekend at the stunning venue.
 
Sunday Practice
 
Having been busy on the hill the day before the drivers went into practice with high hopes and new targets firmly in mind.
 
The P4 runners came out fighting!  Simon Cristol was again quick in practice but Jake Cartwright, who now had lightened the car a little by removing a second seat, managed a best practice time of 62.42 seconds to sit third quickest in the class at that point.
 
I keep mentioning when times are close but with a gap of just 0.1 seconds at the end of practice Stephen Jory and Martin Leach were virtually inseparable. As it was Stephen just had the class lead by that tiny margin going into lunch.
 
Eoin Card joined us on the Sunday. Eoin is new to the hill and so a best practice time of under 65 seconds was a great start!
 
The other P3 class runners were all quickly on the pace. Graham Rose bettered his best from the day before by 0.2 seconds to sit in 2nd place in the class at close of practice. However, Jon Baldock was again in commanding form and lead P3 with a 60.80 second run at the end of the morning.
 
I have mentioned close results. Just a few times, yes? Well, given that Ian Wadsworth and Nigel Watkins recorded exactly the same times in the second practice run I feel the point has truly been reinforced! They both managed a very useful 59.77 second run time. The next quickest was Karl Lupton who ended practice well in touch with a best of 60.87 seconds. Russell Lloyd, driving his Boxster was also new to the hill and his P2 time of 63 seconds was a sign that he was finding his feet at one of the more technical venues we use.
 
Motorsport has its risks, we all know that. We are comfortable with balancing the risks with the enjoyment we get from taking part. Speed events are different in that the car is not on track with anyone else and hence anything that might transpire is for the most part influenced by either the drive, the car or track conditions.
 
Wayne Eason started the morning trying hard as usual. He recorded a quick first practice in P1 of 59.13 seconds and was pushing hard in the modified Boxster when he appeared to step off the edge of the tarmac on the fast-climbing section of the hill. He appeared to do just enough to limit too much damage to the car. Sadly, that was the end of his day.
 
Phil James in the GT4 had been nibbling away at his times all weekend and achieved a practice best of 61.81 seconds over a second better than the Saturday best. Wayne Helme was also improving steadily and ended practice second in P1 with a 60.32 second time. David Dyson was again quickest in P1 practice with a best of 58.14 seconds.
 
Sunday Scoring Timed Runs
 
David Dyson was confident that after his first scoring run, a 58.19 second time, he would be able to find that bit more speed somewhere on the run up the hill. This he did with a fine time of 57.50 seconds to take the P1 class win for the day. Wayne Helme continued his impressive progress and with a best of 59.40 took 2nd in P1 rom Phil James who was just a couple of seconds slower in 3rd place in the P1 class.
 
Ian Wadsworth had remained in the same second all day, but his best of 59.93 seconds was beaten, only just, by Nigel Watkins in his 996 with a super time of 59.25 seconds to take the P2 class win. Karl Lupton was actually just 0.79 seconds behind the class winning time, but so close were the times that his effort put him in third place on the day.
 
In P3 Graham Rose found something after lunch and with a best of 60.19 seconds was second in the class behind Jon Baldock who took off nearly a second from his Saturday event time to win the P3 class with a super 59.84 second run. Geraint Evans was third in class with a 61.34 second time ahead of Chris Milne who was again running strongly in 4th place on the day. 5th went to Eoin Card with a best of a little over 65 seconds, not bad at all for a first time at Loton.
 
Martin Leach delivered a great 59.77 best run and that would have secured the win had Stephen Jory not somehow found nearly 0.4 seconds to pinch the P4 class win again, meaning Martin was in 2nd place and Jake Cartwright driving the now slightly lighter Boxster to a 62.07 best time took 3rd in P4.
 
A good day marred slightly by an off for Wayne Eason but knowing Wayne as we do it’s not likely to be long before the car is ready for action again, repaired, perhaps even improved!  We saw great times, many below 60 seconds and close results as ever!
 
Our next events are a two weekend at Gurston Down on 14th & 15th June, see you there?
 
Loton Park Saturday Results Here

Loton Park Sunday Results Here

Championship Points Here

Our Next Rounds are:

14th & 15th June, Gurston Down Hillclimbs

28th June Prescott Hillclimb 

July 5th Harewood Hillclimb

July 26th Castle Combe Sprint

August 2nd Goodwood Sprint

August 23rd & 24th Snetterton Sprints

September 13th Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb

More great venues set in rolling countryside and fast circuits, why not come along and see the cars in action?

 
Simon Wilson
Championship Coordinator
Porsche Club GB
simonwilson@porscheclubgb.com