DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

Not too sure if this will be of any interest, but maybe a few might find this thread a bit interesting.

This has all come about with the entry of my 911 to Shelsley Walsh on 19/20 June and the DDK meeting there on the Sunday.

It's not a l o n g thread at least!

I bought my 73T in '88 to rebuild and compete in local hillclimbs for something new and different to the Hot rod world i was used to for around 20 years before.
In 1990 I did my first hill, Batings Dam up north and a sprint at Curburough, neither particularly exciting me, but confirmed that I don't like short hills, one-day meetings or sprints!

To cut out lots of boring stuff I quickly joined the Midland Hillclimb Championship and regularly ran at Shelsley Walsh, Loton Park and Prescott in the 911 which made the car more modified, a bit faster and always too slow ( in my hands).

After about 13/14 years the car was retired and a hot Subaru Impreza took it's place and then my beloved Lola-Porsche.
I kept the 911 thankfully and it was slightly softened for road driving to a few events and local runs, no competition. It's last event was at Loton Park, #23.

For this June's event the car needed to be sorted out for hillclimb rules generally, so the search was on for the old hillclimb bits I'd stashed away, and mainly forgotten about.

I wanted to avoid littering the car with 'permanent' stickers, so I'll take you through this preparation:

A hillclimb car must have certain details which are all really safety details

First is to isolate the car if it gets off track so to speak.

You need a clear marking which was to turn the ignition off in side. You can buy a sheet of stickers for this, affectionately known as 'Scrutineer's Stickers'.
Along side this you need to have a yellow band on the battery negative lead, two in the case of an early 911.
In the case of the 911 you have to remove the spare wheel and any covering over the batteries. (ie carpet).

Some years ago I competed in the PCGB speed series which demanded that the car have an exterior isolation switch at the base of the windscreen driver's side. This is still there and it too needs a diagram at the which way to turn the red switch 'handle'. This sticker was placed on a magnetic base so to aide removal at any time without taking paint off!

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While inside the car I replaced the roll cage's diagonal, removed for road driving as it hinders the rear view. I fitted this cage after a hard thump in the car at Shelsley Top Esse in the early 90's.

With this the Willans 4 point race harness went back in using the eye bolts left in place when I retired the car. Nice belts and being 50mm wide perfect for the modern Hanns head restraint system I use today in my Lola.

The seat in the car is my old hillclimb FIA seat, superbly comfortable with big cut-outs to pass the Willans belt through so I can use the ordinary retracting belt on the road and the 4 point on the hill.





Inside done, now how to get the car off the track if the marshals need to tow it.

Rules have changed over the years, so I fabricated some time ago a front tow loop attaching to the factory position on one of the front suspension front mounting points, and another to the rear attached to the engine cross bar used to jack the car up and also to have a loop.

Both loops must have a yellow band to guide the marshals to the right towing point. Rather doubt a marshal needs such guidance!





If you are still reading this you will notice on the last picture a large black 'blade' , known as the timing strut that must be attached firmly to the front of the car. This strut is used to set the car onto the start line very accurately, but you should not drive on the road with it fitted or a Police Man may give you grief. It is held on using a simple number plate fixing plastic screw. The bracket is screwed to the battery box just behind the grill.

Nearly there!

The cars are all allocated a number for the event. This number must be a certain size, about 9" and be of contrast to the car panel it is attached to.

I used two magnetic sheets with numbers and sponsor's details which can be taken inside the car to the track and snapped into place on the two doors.
It is technically very frowned upon to drive a competition car with numbers still exposed and legible on the road.
I know of one competitor who had is race license marked for breaking this rule.

The car number also has to be visible from the front of the car to aid marshals identifying the car in the paddock, so these go on the head lanp lens.

Phwe!
That is the car sorted.
The Driver also needs a few things, but that is simply a correct helmet to the current standard, correct overalls to correct standard and clean(!), gloves to the correct standard and if you are wise a hanns device.
In a 911 coupe you will have to race with all windows closed.

I'm looking forwards to the Shelsley Walsh event to run this car after about 20 years.

A magic place to be, but not my favourite hill!

Hope this will have been of some interest and writing it has kept me out of he garden on a very hot day!

Two things of note: certainly down this way, you don't need a number showing to the front of the car as the numbers on the side are deemed adequate. Also there's been debate lately about windows being up or down.I was yelled at by a startline marshal at Tregrehan last year for having my windows down by 1/2 inch, although there's nothing in the regs to say they must be all the way up. It was the first time anyone had brought it up. Then, shortly after, Steve Hill who competes in a variety of old cr*p (currently a very hot A35)was told he couldn't run with door windows down to keep windows demisted, so he protested it and had the scrutineers raise it with MSUK. The agreement was that you now don't have to have the windows wound up, the argument being that Caterhams, etc, don't have windows to roll up anyway...

The prep in this thread is really focused to Shelsley, but at most midland hills the front numbers are required to allow the paddock marshals to note the car coming at them in line as they can't see the sides of the car.
Having done 3 weekends as a Paddock Marshal numbers on the front are essential, saves a lot of effort trying to get everyone in number order in a tight space with cars far away.

Some officials will gripe at you if none in place, I think some have it in their formal regs too, so no excuses because EVERYONE reads them...as if...I rely on my wife to spot such stuff, she can spot these things.

Windows up is if you have an open face helmet, if you have a closed face then up or down. Window down, open face helmet and the wasp or track debris can get to your eyes, hence the 'rule'.

The idea about the window with a gap ie not fully closed is the glass can shatter far easier with the top unsupported than if in a frame. If your glass is about to break you may have bigger issues to think about.

Problem with this generalisation is a car (like my Impreza of old) that has frame less doors, weak as can be to glass fracture.

Hillclimb 'regs' are full of this stuff, some written, some not and certainly each scrutineer and marshal have their own take on it.

When I started in 1990 I had the cheapest Sparco helmet, open face, no overalls and no gloves, but you had to have all your limbs covered, so no Bermuda shorts etc. That's all you needed and you were legal.

The last 20 years has seen a lot of H&S changes, many driven I think by the FIA and filtered down to the UK.

I have to replace my Lola's seat belts every 4 or 5 years because they suddenly become dangerous to use. A 45 year old Lotus 7 can use the original lap belts (if it had any at all). We can both hit the same tree at the same speed, my belts are dangerous, his are not. £500 every 5 years.

As far as I’m aware, Shelsley Walsh and Prescott are the only two hillclimb venues in the country to require front competition numbers.
I think the reason is that they are the only two where the timekeepers are positioned ahead of the start line, most others are actually on the start line, and so can clearly see the side numbers.

JW

Interesting thread - thanks for posting

I thought the Shelsley numbers thing was for the commentary box to be able to identify the car in the hill, hence venue specific.

Before I put Perspex windows with shutters in the race car I was never once told to put the windows up, and always ran with them down a little. If Perspex any argument about safety becomes completely moot.

I do however agree that when an official gets a ‘semi’ about an issue it is not worth arguing!


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Yes, the numbers on the front serve the paddock marshal (a tough job imho) and the commentary boxes too.
Loton like them as it simply makes the hill easier to identify you!

Never a good idea to take on an official with these grey areas, they can stop you running and Race-with-Respect rules will apply and you will find yourself in front of the CofC and the MSUK Steward if you raise your voice. Worse still, the Chief Scrutineer who is usually a walking Blue Book and is bound to remember you next time...

It's a simple sport but complicated a bit in the background.

I did this little article for a real road car, Drive it there Drive it home as I did for 20+ years with the 911 and the Impreza, bliss.

Here in about 1994, 2 current DDK'rs chatting. Note the child seat belt in the back!

Oo i thin you want some of these

https://www.longstonetyres.co.uk/vintag ... tyres.html

Love Loton

Gulp!
Thanks for your suggestion, but in the past, and over 20 years ago the Kumho V70 sorts were magic, as they were on the Impreza that followed the 911. Used several sets across the years, about £200 each today I think, could be wrong.

However, for just one fun event road tyres will have to do.

Ha ha, i get that.