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report by Steve Burns
photography by FHC Competitors
The opening rounds of the 2025 CSA Service Group Ferrari Hillclimb Championship saw the competitors venture across the Irish Sea to the Isle of Man for the Manx Classic. This event is different in many ways, firstly it consists of three separate courses held over three consecutive days, secondly it is held mid-week and thirdly it takes place on closed public roads, two of which utilise sections of the iconic Manx TT road course.
It had been over 20 years since the Ferrari Hillclimb Championship last took part in the Manx event, so our return was well overdue. Amazingly despite this long absence there were a few returning drivers and cars aboard the ferry. Brian Jackson had entered the same beautifully prepared bright yellow 308 GTB, nicknamed ‘Bob’ in recognition of its registration number, that he had campaigned on previous championship visits and John Goodwin accompanied wife Pauline with her familiar red 328 GTB.
Reigning champion Dave Snelson had brought not one, but three cars over to the Island, two examples of the latest 488 tipo (presumably a spare car in case he broke one) plus his rapid Mini Cooper S which was also entered into the general class of the event. Also flying the multi-car flag was John Kennedy who had supplemented his California T with his ‘daily driver’ Ford Focus RS. Dave and John (or “Johnny Boy” as Dave affectionally refers to him) enjoyed trading times in their none Ferraris, at one point recording identical times measured to the hundredth of the second.
Providing close competition in the Ferrari class was championship regular Rob Samuels in his 458 Speciale, closely followed by the experienced Nick Taylor in his F430. Also in an F430 was Steve Nunney, who had recently purchased the car from Richard Preece, and was benefitting from the additional performance compared with his previous 348. Hot on the heels of Brian Jackson and Pauline Goodwin in the 308/328 runners was Stuart McCabe in the ex-Tim Mogridge 328 GTB, and the personable Martin Jones entered his especially vocal 360 Modena. Last but by no means least it was great to see Simon Jefferies returning in his Roma, the big Grand Tourer not being the first choice of hillclimb car but a fantastic addition to the field which proved popular with the spectators who were present around the paddock.
Anticipation is always high for the start of a new season after the long winter break, but especially so for this event. A few drivers had travelled out early to familarise themselves with the roads (some of which have unrestricted speed limits on the Island) and photos and videos were being shared in the build up to the event which only heightened the excitement.
Scrutineering took place under the famous TT Grandstand in the Island’s capital Douglas followed by a Drivers’ Briefing on Wednesday afternoon. With all 10 Ferrari drivers staying in the same hotel, communal dinners and breakfasts became commonplace and it was informally decided that all cars would drive in convoy to each venue in numerical order, which delighted the event organisers and this spared them much reshuffling in the often confined paddock spaces.
Day 1 – The Sloc
Day 1 of competitive action took place in the south of the Island on Thursday at ‘The Sloc’ on the A36 out of Port Erin, a 1.06 mile, 1 in 14, 128 metre climb with stunning views.
Dave Snelson got off to an early lead, topping the timesheets during each of the four runs and taking both overall ‘scratch’ and PEP adjusted victories (the Championship applies a percentage time adjustment to the official results to balance the performance disparities between the different tipos). Rob Samuels was second on scratch with John Kennedy just behind in third. However with the PEP applied the final two podium positions were switched around. Pauline Goodwin was the highest placed of the ‘classic’ runners in 6th position with Brian Jackson taking the ‘Best Improver’ award (improvement of best time run vs. best practice).
That evening the Club had arranged a dinner at the hotel to coincide with the Pirelli Tour of the Isle of Man on which 30 Club members were participating, together with a number of Island based members, and this provided a great opportunity to meet new faces and share stories of their respective itineraries.
You can see more from the Pirelli Tour of the Isle of Man HERE.
Day 2 – Creg Willey’s Hill
Day 2 was the Creg Willey’s Hill on the Glen Helen section of the TT course in the West of the Island. A morning re-group in the Car Park of the Tynwald Mills shopping outlet centre preceded a briefing by the Deputy Clerk of the Course regarding some emergency repairs that had been made to the road surface overnight, before the 70+ competing hillclimb cars were led the mile or so along the open roads to The Black Dub where the startline was located.
Overnight rain had left the road damp and greasy so the first practice runs were understandably tentative. Rob Samuels’ practice run was interrupted when he unfortunately caught up with the Roma of Simon Jefferies towards the top of the hill, so no time was recorded.
Again Dave Snelson led the standings by a comfortable margin after both the practice and first timed runs. Thankfully by lunchtime the clouds had cleared and the sun soon dried out the road, which resulted in times plummeting. Rob Samuels found the best of the grip pipping Dave Snelson to the top spot by 1.12 seconds and securing both the scratch and PEP adjusted victory. John Kennedy was third just ahead of Nick Taylor’s F430. Brian Jackson was again the ‘Best Improver’.
Day 3 – Lhergy Frissell
For day 3, the cars left the hotel early for the longer drive north to Ramsey which would be the start location for the ‘Lhergy Frissell’ hillclimb, and would take the cars up the steep hill out of Ramsey on the famous Mountain Road section of the TT course which had been closed for our enjoyment. At 1.48 miles this final day was the longest competitive section of the event, and like the previous day the morning clouds were heavy with a dampness in both the air and on the road.
Unlike the previous day though the clouds took a little longer to clear which slowed down running. Also unlike the previous day the Ramsey ‘paddock’ was spectator friendly, and being a Saturday there were lots of tourists and locals around to admire the cars which were parked along a couple of residential streets close to the bottom of the hill and only a few minutes’ walk from the town centre. The itinerary for the Club’s Pirelli Tour of Isle of Man had been designed to incorporate a visit to Ramsey during the Saturday afternoon and a good number of the tour guests took the opportunity to visit the paddock and start line area to watch the cars blast away up the hill.
The 458 Speciale piloted by Rob Samuels was the quickest of the Ferrari runners with a time of 75.37 seconds, almost 2 seconds faster than the 488 of Dave Snelson, who had lost time off the start line with an uncharacteristic poor getaway. However it was John Kennedy’s performance in the California T that was most impressive, and initially almost unnoticed as he posted the third fastest time, but once the tipo performance balancing PEP was applied it became clear just what a stunning drive it was, elevating him to first position and maximum championship points. This was despite a scary moment after the finish line on his previous timed run when John was caught out by the still slippery conditions and the front engined California tried to swap ends. Clearly this didn’t affect his confidence going into the final timed run.
What was clear is that all drivers enjoyed this venue and the drive up the TT Mountain Road through the Ramsey Hairpin, Water Works and Gooseneck sequence of turns, as it was smiles all round and exclamations of joy. With three days of competition Steve Nunney was getting to grips with his newly acquired F430 so it was fitting that he secured the ‘Best Improver Award’ on the final day.
The event Scrutineers had been tasked with deciding the ‘Best Prepared Car’ and on Saturday they informed us that their unanimous choice was Brian Jackson’s lovely 308 GTB.
Following a return to the hotel to freshen up, a coach had been arranged to transfer us all to Douglas for the prize giving where the awards were determined based on the accumulation of times across all three hills. Rob Samuels took first place ahead of Dave Snelson with John Kennedy in third and Nick Taylor fourth. Pauline Goodwin was also the surprise winner of the Manx Classic Best Lady trophy.
Overall the Manx Classic provided a fantastic start to the 2025 season, a very enjoyable week on a beautiful island where everyone you spoke with were welcoming and passionate about motorsport. Great memories were made and new acquaintances found. Hopefully it won’t be another 20 years until we return.
