WISCOMBE Park hosts the highlight of the South-West’s hill climb season this weekend with the visit of the country’s premier series, the Avon Tyres/TTC Group British Hill Climb Championship.

The main championship event with two exciting run-offs for the 12 fastest championship competitors will be on the Sunday while the previous day will see a separate event for local drivers plus the practice runs for those contesting the national championship.

Challengers for the title will be attacking the lead that the current championship leader Scott Moran has amassed so far this season.

Competitors will be travelling from Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands with the intent of claiming success.

Not all of the challengers have such extensive travelling arrangements however with many local drivers having the opportunity of comparing their prowess and skills with the best of British.

Two such drivers hail from the Eyles family of Wellington.

Both Rod and Forrest Eyles will be campaigning single-seater racing cars. Forrest in his 1000cc OMS CF will contest the 600cc to 1100cc class while the experienced Rod will be among the championship aspirants with his 2.8 litre Pilbeam MP53.

And having taken victories at Wiscombe Park he can be relied on to take the battle to the ‘big boys’.

Favourite for success this weekend is the 2012 British Champion Trevor Willis.

Willis, the fastest driver to compete at the course having posted a new hill record at Wiscombe two years ago, will be keen to close the gap at the top of the points table to Scott Moran who last weekend increased his lead in the championship standings to thirty points following events in the Channel Islands.

Willis will take his OMS 28 chassis powered by a 3.2 litre Powertec V8 engine up against current third place man Will Hall aboard his 3.5 litre Nissan powered Force WH.

The recent events in Jersey and Guernsey will see Alex Summers seeking to make up lost ground on Hall having occupied the third slot earlier in the season in his DJ Firehawk powered by a 1.34 litre supercharged Suzuki engine.

Added interest at Wiscombe will involve the ever developing battle of the lightweight carbon-fibre chassis, powered by highly developed motorcycle engines, which have been proving a match for the large capacity V8 powered machines.

This was very much the case last week at Val Des Terres in Guernsey when Jos Goodyear took two wins in his GWR Raptor with a similar power plant to DJ of Summers.

The series only visits the south west’s premier hillclimb course at Wiscombe Park once during the season so spectators will looking to the fastest driver/car combinations not only to be fighting each other but bidding for a new hill record should track conditions allow.

Although the focus of attention will be on these ultimate machines, there will be a huge supporting cast of saloon and sports cars. Included in the entry of over 120 will be competitors contesting classes for saloon and sports cars.

In addition there will be classes for vintage Austin Sevens, Morgans and an eclectic mixture of Mini and Mini variants battling in the Downton Engineering Works Social Club category.

More local drivers will battle for glory in the diverse array of classes which will compete on track.

Taunton Rover Mini enthusiasts Dan and Simon Howard will be in action in both events across the weekend as will Ian Sydenham in his Nissan Micra.

Peugeots will be campaigned by another two Taunton drivers in the form of Steve Watts and Tom Reeves.

The Modified Series Production up to 1400cc class will see the father and son combination of Tony and Ben Bonfield campaign their 1380cc Mini.

No ordinary Mini this as the striking black machine sports a 16 valve BMW motorcycle engine cylinder head.

Gates open at 10am on both Saturday and Sunday.

Further information available at www.wiscombepark.co.uk .