This coming weekend see’s the Connaught Competition Engines Hillclimb and Sprint championship returning to the picturesque village of Ballyvaughan Co Clare. Galway Motor club have been working very hard to ensure that the weekend will run smoothly.
With the first round of the championship done and dusted, the championship is moving along in earnest. What better test for drivers and machines than another weekend hillclimbing in Co Clare!
The Saturday hill is Ballyryan again. For those of you that have not driven it, it is situated on the coast road about 5 km south of the village of Fanore. This hill has proven quite popular and features some twisty sections at the start, a long straight and a tricky finish. The record is held by Sylvie Mullins in the Gould Judd at 43.99 seconds and will take some effort to be beaten.
Sunday’s hill is the big one, the famous and fearsome Ballyallaban hill. 2.2 miles of fast bumpy straights, jumps and corners meandering through the unforgiving Burren Landscape. There are plenty of rocks lying in wait for the unsuspecting driver. The record here is a staggering 96.17 seconds set by local ace Sylvie Mullins in his Gould Judd. This will be quite difficult to better but the leading drivers this year are going to do their best to break it.
3 time champion Paul O'Connell says of Ballyallaban " its the most challenging hill of the year, the last real balls-out hill left. You've got to commit to every single corner and be aware that it is so tough on a car that every run might be your last of the day." When asked what are the chances of beating the record set by Mullins in his 4.0 litre Gould Judd he says "given the disparity of horsepower between sylvie's 600+ and my 360hp hart you'd imagine i've no chance. But i've never given up yet, and if i can get it all right on the day who knows what can happen!"
Regs for the Galway Hillclimb Weekend – April 24th & 25th are now available on
www.irishhillclimb.com