“2014 Theme”

“Minis, Mods & Monsters” will be the overall theme for Cultra Hillclimb Event 2014 and will be held at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Holywood, Northern Ireland on Saturday June 14th 2014. The Thoroughbred Sports Car Club(NI) will again run the 109 year-old hillclimb to their Club Championship Regulations, with the addition of a Ladies Class.

The North Down Borough Council (Tourism) supported competition is open to all hillclimb eligible cars, with deals available for competitors wishing to visit from the UK mainland and overseas. Classic, Historic and Vintage cars are especially welcome.

Specific feature attractions will be announced as they are confirmed through www.tsccni.info and http://www.nmni.com/uftm Enquires contact, secretary@tsccni.info


EDITORIAL NOTES.
Cultra Hillclimb was first run on 6th May 1905 by the Royal North of Ireland Yacht Club during a 'motormeet' at the estate of Sir Robert Kennedy, now the site of the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum.

Excepting the 'Great War Years', the event ran until 1929 and then moved out of Cultra to become Croft Hillclimb, Holywood from 1930. This latter event still runs today as the opening round of the 'Millers Oils' ANICC Hillclimb Championship.

The TSCC first revived Cultra in April 2000, establishing its as the Worlds' Oldest Active Speed Hillclimb and ran a series of eight hillclimb competitions up until 2005. Following major infrastructure work in the Museum, they then revived it for a second time in 2010 for a planned series of 'Themed Events' in closer association with the Folk and Transport Museum, putting on more of a 'Show'.

The Entry List for the Cultra Hillclimb 2014, on the 14th June, reached its 100 capacity at the weekend and with two weeks still to go to the Official Closing Date the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club(NI) organisers have opened a Reserve List.


TSCC President and Cultra Event Co-ordinator William Heaney commented :-

“This is the second year that we've been over-subscribed for this non-championship competition within the Cultra Event at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. It's unprecedented for a Northern Ireland speed event to have this level of interest, so we must be doing something right! After all, Cultra is just a fun day out for competitors, display participants and Museum visitors and we are really flattered by this continuing level of support”.


The 2014 theme of 'Minis, Mods and Monsters' will reflect the spirit of the '60s and celebrate the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally win of local hero Paddy Hopkirk with an Autotest Demonstration, a Display of Minis and cars representative of his long career. With over half the field in Modified Saloons and Sports Cars and half a dozen single-seaters, the Mods and Monsters are well represented.


The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, TSCC's Cultra Event Partners, will host a Vintage Fair in the historic Cultra Manor. Also in the Manor, the local Crossle Racing Car Co.will have a preview event for the new book about its history, “Hidden Glory” written by Plum Tyndall, due for publication in the Autumn. In addition, a group of Crossle sporting trials cars will give a demonstration of their highly specialised skills, in the Glen behind the Manor.


For younger visitors to the Event, and their parents, their will be an Exhibition by the STEM Programme and Displays by 'Formula Student' UUJ Racing and 'F1 in Schools' Team Nero.


2014 PROMO VIDEO on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Lylf4gaWI&list=UU0NKjxt_W3bC4RfNcpfXa3Q

Jaguar XKC-030 will make its European competition debut in the North Down Tourism supported TSCC Speed Hillclimb Competition at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum's Cultra 2014 Event on Saturday 14th June, driven by experienced historic racer and preparation expert, David Brazell from Towcester.

The car was supplied to a Mr. David Hirsch in the USA in time for the 1953 Sebring 12-Hour Race where it finished fourth, driven by Bob Gegen and Harry Gray. Changing hands on a regular basis it would go on to establish one of the longest known continuous competition histories of any car and remain unrestored whilst being lovingly maintained and repaired. Because of this long history and lack of major restoration, it became recognised in America as the definitive example of a racing C-Type and earned the nickname 'Mother'.

Over sixty years in the USA it competed in a race or speed event every year, often 10 to 20 times a year, up in to the 'Teenies'. Two years ago it was purchased by a European classic/historic/vintage car collector and has been sympathetically re-furbished by Brazell Engineering Ltd. Its new owner has determined that the car will remain in its “well patinated”, to quote Brazell, original condition and be used as often as necessary to maintain that incredible continuous competition record. To that end the owner has charged David Brazell with giving the car a competitive 'shake-down' at Cultra, ahead of embarking on the next chapter of its Historic Sports Car Racing career.

TSCC President and Cultra Event Co-ordinator William Heaney commented :- “When WRC driver Kris Meeke attended Cultra Revival 2010 we envisaged the Event growing around star celebrities and guests, as last year with Louise Aitken-Walker and Rosemary Smith. Instead, really significant cars have become the stars, often late in the planning process. Following the Crossle Mk3/No.1, the Ferguson P99 & Jensen FF's in our first two themed event years, we had the 'Festival of Britain' Allard and McCandless sports car last year. Now we are to be honoured by the presence of a sports car icon, we're absolutely thrilled to have XKC 030 at our Event”.

Mark Kennedy, Curator of Road and Rail Transport at the Museum added, “The Museum is honoured to welcome such a famous and original C type Jaguar to Cultra. Seeing this car in action will bring back memories for anyone who recalls Stirling Moss winning in a C type at the Dundrod circuit in 1951.”