A RECORD holding speed lover from Tavistock beat a psychological barrier last weekend when he competed in the latest round of the Cornish Speed Hill Climbing Championships at Werrington near Launceston.
Simon Downes, who races his customised MG Midget at speeds topping 110mph, suffered a serious crash at the same venue two years ago. Last Sunday was the first time he had competed at Werrington since the crash.
Simon said: ?I nearly killed myself. Basically I?d put a wheel on the grass at about 80mph, which put me off into a pretty hefty fence. I walked away from it, but only because I had a roll cage.?
Simon?s time for Sunday?s race was four seconds slower than his best ? but he said he was grateful to finish in one piece.
?I got the record three or four years ago and it?s not been broken yet. Unfortunately I was way off pace and was last in my class, which I shouldn?t have been as I have by far the quickest car ? it was just a psychological thing ? I just slowed down when I got to that spot,? said Simon.
He said speed hill climbing was an exhilarating sport in which drivers race their cars as fast as they can uphill. The races are held on ?country road? type-tracks, often the driveways of country houses.
?It?s one of the oldest forms of motor sport there is, it was around before circuit racing,? said Simon.
?It has a big national following ? there were more than 2,000 at Werrington. You get anything from old Ford Anglias to ex-Formula 1 cars racing at speeds of up to 120mph ? when you?re on a six-foot strip of tarmac with high hedges on either side, it?s pretty exciting!?
Simon?s Midget, rebuilt after his nasty
experience at Werrington, has now been given a smart new livery, thanks to sponsorship from Simon?s employer, Abbey Garden Machinery of Tavistock.
The next round of the championships are due to take place at Predannack in West Cornwall on May 24.