Those who say ‘it’s grim up north’ should visit Harewood Hillclimb.  Looking over the course from the paddock with the Wharfe valley as a backdrop is one of the most stunning views in motorsport.

I’d  competed here last year, but never really came to terms with the course.  To help, I came to the Harewood Hillclimb School in July, and instructor Tim Wilson gave me the confidence to push much harder.  So that I was fully prepared for the qualifying round of the Seven Club Speed Championship on Sunday 2nd August I entered the non-qualifying event on the day before, along with many other Seveners.

The Saturday was really wet, but the experience of the day was great.  After a disastrous wet meeting at Curborough last year when I’d spun, I’d convinced myself that I just wasn’t very good in the wet.  This time was quite different, and the confidence of knowing the lines better helped me to get the fastest time of the Class 1 entrants.

Sunday was a very different day – bright and dry, and it meant I was going to be able to try to break my personal best of last year, 71.23 seconds.  There was a good field of Class 1 entrants, any of whom were capable of beating me.  What’s more, several of them had been to the Hillclimb School too.  A particular worry was David Lynch, who had done very well last year.  Also, Matthew was there, though he’d never driven the course before.  He’s a much quicker learner than me, though, so I knew that my advantage over him would be short-lived.

Practice 1 was OK – 71.40 – so I was nearly to my best already, but David was just ahead of me.  Practice 2 was better but David was still improving and Andy Bramall and Matthew were looking very threatening.  Time to regroup – I had to make up time, but I had to keep on the black stuff, even more so because my parents were going to be there watching me for the first time in the afternoon.

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My first timed run felt great, and I knew it was a good time as I went through the beam at Quarry.  I was delighted to see my time on the display – 68.76, and my daughter Lisa came excitedly to my car to confirm that I had read it correctly.  As I waited for David to park up, anxiously wondering what his time was, word came through on the tannoy – my time hadn’t registered, and I had to do a re-run, along with the cars that followed me.

Disappointed (to say the least), I went down to the start hoping to do it again, but this time was a bit slower – 69.05; just enough to be in the lead, with David posting 69.14.

Run 2 was less good at 69.42.  What’s more, David was breathing down my neck, getting a near identical time to his first.  I knew that his final run was likely to be a stormer.

Run 3, the final one, felt good – the best of the day, and I was pleased to get 68.80.  David had a big lock-up early in the run, and despite a great second half, he wasn’t quite able to make up the time lost, finishing with a 69.50.  Andy Bramall and Matthew both had excellent final runs - 69.85 and 70.19 – both much better than my 2008 time.

As ever, paddock camaraderie and support were much in evidence, and I particularly enjoyed the company of my neighbours Greg and Kristy Price and David Lynch.  As David and I stood shaking with the exhilaration of our final runs, adrenaline levels through the roof, we both agreed that it didn’t get much better than that – nip and tuck competition all day.

What’s more, I managed not to embarrass myself in front of Mum and Dad!