Speed Hillclimbing “The Very Essence of the Ferrari Owners’ Club”

Club members of long standing will recall the beginnings of our club started by Ferrari owners who were members of the Bugatti Owners Club. Understandanbly, they were familiar with the Prescott hillclimb, the home of the BOC, and in the seventies there were many Ferrari V12s to be seen in action there. Inevitably the new Ferrari Owners’ Club had members who were keen on speed hillclimbing, and by then BOC were running a Ferrari class at meetings at Prescott – a tradition continued to this day.

In the eighties the 308 series cars were proving very popular for motorsport, and soon there was a club championship evolving. This has been run and developed over nearly thirty years, seeing firstly BF Goodrich as title sponsor, followed by Castrol, then Ferrari UK and for the last decade Pirelli – the present official series title being “The Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship” (PFHC).

Over the years there has been always been a rich panoply of tipos taking part. Ignoring the many 246s, 308s and 355s, and so on, we have seen a 212 Barchetta, 275GTB, Daytonas, Boxers, Testarossas, and many others through to the latest 458 Italia. In order to cope with the potential differences in performance of these tipos, a Performance Equaliser Percentage (PEP) is applied to the competitors’ times, and this really does make for a level playing field. The F355 is the zero reference for the PEP and if you drive a 308GTB you are on minus 4.5% and in a F430 you have your time plussed by 3.0%. In a 308 you are unlikely to win the Ferrari class outright, but you could gain maximum championship points thanks to the PEP. At the hillclimbs we also run a club handicap competition, so regardless of your cars potential your driving skills can show through.

The Pirelli Ferrari Hillclimb Championship is usually run over fourteen rounds with the best nine scores counting, though as a competitor it is up to you whether you enter just one or all fourteen rounds. One of the many pleasures to be had from taking part is the appeal of the venues, most of which are in beautiful parts of the country. It can mean a day or two away at the weekendbut there is a lot of fun to be had even when not competing.

The ambience at the big National Meet at Shelsley Walsh in June is unique and not to be missed – the excellent facilities make for a great couple of days of motorsport. Most of the hills are really exciting to drive, and although speeds are much slower than on circuits it all seems much faster subjectively. Although titled a hillclimb championship there have always been included in the series a number of sprints at places such as Curborough, MIRA, Millbrook and Hethel – the latter three being car manufacturers proving grounds.

There is more detailed information to follow and it is necessary to register for the Championship if you wish to join the PFHC in 2015. The Championship Co-Ordinator Anne Swift will help you do this. Anne can easily be contacted at annemswift@btinternet.com or tel 01757 702053. If you have any queries regarding your cars suitability please contact the Championship organiser Richard Prior – rprior348@yahoo.com.

“Speed Hillclimbing – the very essence of The Ferrari Owners’ Club” are the words used by our Chairman Elect Nigel Chiltern-Hunt when he spoke at the recent PFHC Prizegiving Dinner on October 5th 2014.