Opening climb of season (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Opening climb of season

PRESCOTT stages the opening Speed Hill Climb of the new season this weekend but don't expect a gentle warm-up for the summer skirmishes.

Topping the bill at this Bugatti Owners' Club event is the British Championship Series with the top names in the sport featuring in two high-speed run-offs for points for the Nicholson McLaren backed series.

Champion Martin Groves from Bicester will face stiff opposition in the shape of father and son Roger and Scott Moran, who finished first and second at the Goth-erington track last September and headed the table when this year's contest started at Loton Park on Easter Monday.

The Gloucestershire venue follows the usual championship format with Sunday morning's class runs paving the way for the first run-off featuring the 12 fastest qualifiers.

The afternoon's class runs, meanwhile, decide the runners for the second shoot-out that takes place at the climax of the meeting.

Local drivers to look out for include Richard and Gill Marshall (Bishops Cleeve), Howard Savage-Jones (Woodmancote), Beckford's Simon Bloomfield, Steve Hemingway (Gotherington) and Andrew Tippett from Moreton-in-the Marsh.

Action gets under way on Saturday from 9.30am with the next day's events starting half-an-hour later.

Adult admission is £10 on Saturday and £14 on Sunday. Accompanied children aged under 14 are admitted and there's free car parking.