There was no stopping Matt Ryder at Gurston Down last weekend. The Gould GR59 driver coped with the searing heat better than anyone on Saturday and Sunday to claim both run-off wins in Wiltshire to move closer to the summit of the table.

Ryder relished the challenge at one of the fastest hills in the country, and a 25.49-second run on the opening run-off saw the Englishman set the benchmark on the opening day. His 2026 sparring partner, Will Hall, was his closest challenger with a 25.71 in his Gould GR59.

Wallace Menzies couldn’t quite duck under the 26-second mark with a 26.06, but he kept a watching eye on his title rivals ahead of him.
Elsewhere, it proved to be an electric weekend for Paul Haimes. After a disappointing meeting at Prescott on the opening weekend, Haimes wound up his Gould and produced a brilliant drive to fourth in his 1300cc turbocharged machine with a 26.50. Alex Coles is never far away from the front and was pleased to secure fifth ahead of Dave Uren, who was building back his confidence in his GR55.

Trevor Willis pushed his OMS to seventh ahead of hill record-holder Alex Summers, who was pleased to pick up points in his self-built AFS P4T, while Harry Pick and Andy Greenen grabbed the final points on offer. For Greenen, it was to be his first BHC point of the season.
Into the second day, proceedings were paused after a sizeable off for Dean Tighe forced the meeting to be halted. The likeable Australian got out of the car, but went to hospital as a precaution.

With time on the hill reduced, the final run-off of the weekend became even more crucial.

It was Ryder again who topped the timesheets, this time going even quicker in the hot and humid conditions with a 25.27 to seal another 10 points. The ever-present Will Hall was just behind with a 25.34 to take nine points. Not taking dropped scores into consideration at this early stage of the season, Matt’s run has seen him reduce the deficit to just four points behind his fellow Gould driver.

Wallace Menzies banked another podium at Gurston Down. The Gould driver knows he has the pace but couldn’t live with the two in front last weekend. A consolation third keeps the title fight alive and, as the championship heads to Shelsley Walsh and Doune, the Flying Scotsman can never be discounted.

Paul Haimes was magic again, taking his third fourth-place finish in a row as the Englishman entered a purple patch of his own. Alex Coles firmly pulled up a seat at the BHC top table with fifth in the run-off, helping him to move up to fifth in the standings.

Trevor Willis bravely battled to sixth ahead of Alex Summers once again in seventh. Harry Pick produced a brilliant run to eighth, while Dave Uren didn’t quite feel at home this weekend in ninth. Bagging crucial points now, ahead of the hills he enjoys later in the year, is always important when fighting for a number. Jason Tunnicliffe snatched the final point from a chasing Andy Greenen and Andy Bougourd.

The championship now heads “home” to Shelsley Walsh — the oldest event on the calendar and the spiritual home of hillclimbing in the UK. Get ready for take-off on 6/7 June!