Following the successful reintroduction of the event in 2023, the Thoroughbred Sports Car Club (NI), in partnership with Porsche Centre Belfast, held the Cultra Motorsport Festival 2024 on Saturday, 8th June.
Blessed with the driest day of the week in our typical summer weather, the hillclimb element of the event ran to programme. With two practice runs, and three timed runs up the challenging 64- metre long course within the grounds of the Ulster Folk Museum.
With a comprehensive selection of all of the current Porsche models on display, alongside vintage tractors courtesy of the Crosslé family, a variety of Mondiale racing cars celebrating their 40th birthday, Colin Turkington’s 2019 BTCC championship winning car, and a classic car display provided by local enthusiasts, there was something for everyone.
Catering for a great family day out there was also children’s entertainment, food, drink, and picnic facilities insuring there was plenty to keep spectators entertained throughout the day. Practice runs for the hillclimb ran to schedule and finished without any major incidents, allowing the first of the competitive timed runs to start earlier than planned.
Class 1 (Pre WW2 cars) got the timed runs underway with Andy Johnson in his Alfa Romeo Monza recording the fastest time for the Class on 40.71, ahead of David Gomes in his MG K3 on 43.38 and Matthew Gilmore in his Bentley Derby Special on 45.26. Ali Carver wrestled the oldest car entered, a 1913 Vauxhall 30/98 A-type Special, and was declared the Class winner after the handicap calculations had been completed.
Conor Hamill was the Class 2 (Road Going Sports cars) winner in his much-modified Mazda MX5 on 37.39, ahead of Ian Thompson in his Porsche Boxster S on 38.48 with Wayne Clyde completing a Mazda ‘sandwich’ in his MX5 on 38.76. Stephen Ross was denied his chance of a top three place, having topped the timesheet in the practice runs. An engine bay fire during his second timed run put an end to his day but gave the Marshals on the exit of ‘Glade’ an opportunity to demonstrate their skills.
Class 3 (Road Going Saloon cars) was dominated by the Renault marque, Aaron Vance taking overall honours in his RenaultSport Clio 197 on 37.44, over a second ahead of Crawford Ewing in his Renault Megane on 38.46 with Stephen Donelly in his Renault Twingo RS a mere two hundredths of a second adrift on 38.48.
Richard McGimpsey took a convincing victory in Class 4 (Specials and 4WD) in his self-constructed RMG V2. His time of 32.51, placing him third overall on the event, left him comfortably ahead of Alan Cassells in a Casmat Buggy on 35.31 and the fastest of the ‘NI Sevens’ driven by Mark Francis, on 35.42.
While Class 5 (Road Going Cars 1945-65) featured two of the most historically interesting cars, the 1953 C-type Jaguar of English visitor David Brazell and the ex-Mille Miglia 1956 Maserati 150S driven by Simon Echlin, it was the Morris Mini of Colin McDowell that took Class honours with a time of 38.20. The ex-Carroll Shelby Jaguar finished on 41.07, second to the mighty Mini, but ahead of a similar Austin Mini Cooper S driven by Harold Bunting on 41.17, who narrowly edged out the Austin Healey Sebring Sprite of Trevor McIlroy on 41.35.
Class 6 (Road Going Cars 1966-75) went to Simon Brien in his Porsche 911 with a best time of 37.44 on his final run. David Wylie in the ex-works BMW 2002 once used by Achim Warmbold, finished just 0.17 adrift on 37.61 with Dominic McGowan rounding out the top three in his Ford Escort Mk1 on 38.02.
David Cochrane was the winner of Class 7 (Road Going Cars 1976-85) in his Mk2 Ford Escort on 37.18, ahead of Gary Milligan’s faithful Mini on 38.63 and the Talbot Sunbeam Ti of Peter Tolerton on 39.42. The rumbling V8 soundtrack provided by the Chevrolet Corvette of Arnie Wishart was the ‘crowd pleaser’ in this Class.
The revised Class structure for this year brought proceedings to the newly introduced Class 8 (Formula Ford 1600), perhaps providing the most level playing field of them all. Jack Brien driving his father’s Crosslé 16F, the oldest of the cars, won with a time of 34.53 from Alan Davidson’s Mondiale M89S on 34.65 and Mike Todd in a Gulf liveried similar model on 34.91.
The overall winner was always likely to come from Class 9 (Racing Cars) and Tim Woodside didn’t disappoint. He stopped the clocks on 31.58 in his Pilbeam MP82, somewhat shy of his 31.17 record breaking time from 2023, but enough for victory. Ryan McGimpsey managed a ‘giant killing’ 32.16 in his diminutive Jedi Mk1 for second in Class, as well as second overall, ahead of third place Simon Woodside in another Pilbeam MP82 on 32.64.
And so the competition ended, with positive comments from sponsors, spectators and competitors alike. The planning for next year has already commenced, with the TSCC and the Museum looking forward to what will be the Silver Anniversary of this event due to its inception in its current format first being held at the turn of the millennium.
Words: KIERON SMYTH / EVENT DIRECTOR | Photos: GRAHAM BAALHAM-CURRY [Images must not be used in any way without prior written consent of the photographer]
