Good food, good beer and 160mph on a country lane

During F1’s quiet period, Kieran Jackson heads down to the unorthodox setting of rural Worcestershire for the Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, a racing event with some old-school speed

- Kieran Jackson

Strolling around the refreshingly unrestricted paddock at the foot of the prestigious Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb, the first thing you notice is the paradox of it all. Britain’s oldest motorsport venue, at 119 years strong, is an access-all-areas event. You can walk side-by-side with the amateur drivers and their machinery without a care in the world; no bombastic Formula One bouncers in these parts.

On track, not much seems to have changed since 1905. The start line is controlled by two marshals: one at the front of the car, with nothing but the human eye instructing the orange-suited supervisor at the rear to push forward or pull back. A wooden shack of a control room at the front has no fancy traffic lights system in place: red means no, green means go.

But it is an old-school setting with a modern twist, making it somewhat intriguing as a spectacle. Twenty metres from the start line in the courtyard is a big screen with a live stream of the action, with knowledgeable commentary as well as a QR code inviting 15,000 viewers from as far as New Zealand to subscribe on YouTube. On the wall is a placard remembering F1 legend Sir Stirling Moss, who first competed here in 1948.

An event steeped in prestige, desperate to stay timeless.

The picturesque setting of rural Worcestershire is a peculiar venue for what remains the oldest motorsport event in the world to have been staged continuously on its original course. That’s right: older than the likes of Le Mans, Monza and Indianapolis, which have changed from their inaugural races. But like every sporting event, it is bidding to keep itself relevant in modern-day society. Its tagline speaks to that. Speed history; future records.