Loton Park Hill Climb

Loton Park Hill Climb is held in part of the Loton Park deer park, 9 miles west of Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England. The track was originally constructed by the members of The Severn Valley Motor Club based in Shrewsbury, in the mid-1950s. The first ever winner was Peter Foulkes in a Cooper Climax. The track was threatened with closure in 1969, but in 1970 Hagley & District Light Car Club obtained the lease on the land from owner Sir Michael Leighton and have organised events there ever since. The annual calendar of events includes rounds of the British Hill Climb Championship.

The course is 1475 yards (1349 metres) in length, whilst it contains an unusual downhill section fairly early in its layout it has an average gradient of 1 in 25 (4%) and is 1 in 7 (14%) at its steepest.

Location

Loton Park, Alberbury, SY5 9A

Points to Note

Sign on is located on the approach to the start line.

Times are printable from the Time Hut accessible from the field area adjacent to the start line.

The hill does not operate a return road so competitors are run in batches and held in the top paddock before returning down.

The hill and turning into the paddock at Triangle. Dual drive changeover is at the side of the top road through the paddock.

If you are red flagged before reaching Triangle you can exit the hill under the direction of the marshalls and re-enter the paddock area. Spectators can get to Museum corner by using the footpath from Triangle.

Accommodation

On the entry form there is the option to pay for camping which many of us take advantage of, and meet up at the pub just down the road on the best side of the border. There are Posh Toilet trailers located around the paddock area but no showers.

But beware, at this venue you may be woken in your tent by something with 4 legs not 2!

There are a wide variety of Hotels , B&B’s and holiday home rentals in the Shrewsbury area, but good ones to try are:

Brownhill House, Brownhill, Near Shrewsbury SY4 1LR,

Holiday Inn, Shrewsbury Business Park, Shrewsbury SY2 6LG

Start

From the start, the road drops down and sweeps to the right as it then rises leading to a blind brow that kinks left before heavy braking for "Hall" corner.

Hall

This is a very tight left hander, that leads onto a short straight before "Loggerheads".

Loggerheads

Loggerheads is a tricky double apex off camber left hander.

Fletchers Dellow

This is a quite sharp kink left that leads onto the longest straight part of the course which runs downhill, but just starts to rise on the approach to "Triangle".

Triangle

Triangle is a more than a 90° right hander

Keepers

This is an open right followed by a tighter left complex

Cedar Straight

An oddly named section because its not straight! It flows to the left and then the right leading to another blind brow (at the fastest part of the course) on the approach to "Fallow"

Fallow

Fallow is a tight lefthander. The exit sweeps to the left and steeply up hill to another blind brow!

Museum

Braking needs to be complete before turning in on the brow to this tight sweeping right that leads, over another brow, to the finish line.