Less than half a second separated the top three in the Pre-1940 Standard and Modified Sports Cars Unsupercharged up to 1500cc class, with Simon snatching victory from William Way in the Austin 7 Ulster and debutant Guy Spollon in the HRG 1.5 Litre Meadows.
“I wasn’t very confident, but I was determined,” said Simon. “I went up on two wheels on one of the corners, which was pretty scary. I was trying to catch William, who was leading the class all weekend, and I got him in the end.”
This was Simon’s first Chateau Impney Hill Climb but his wife, Jo Blakeney-Edwards, drove the Frazer Nash Super Sports at the hill climb last year. Although she had a few problems with the car last year, she was in fine form in another Frazer Nash Super Sports at the weekend, finishing in a respectable fourth place, just 0.6 of a second behind her husband.
The couple finished restoring the winning car four years ago. Simon spent a year racing it, picking up all of the major VSCC trophies. Jo then repeated his success the following year.
2016 was supposed to be a quiet year for the car and the couple, but they couldn’t resist the lure of the Chateau.
