The British Hillclimb Championship presented by Nova Motorsport delivered one of the most intense contests in hillclimbing history at Craigantlet on 3 May, where three drivers dipped under the hill record — with a new benchmark laid down on the Northern Irish course.
Matthew Ryder and Will Hall went toe-to-toe during the opening weekend at Prescott just six days earlier, and that rivalry continued across the Irish Sea for Rounds Three and Four on the daunting closed-road hillclimb course on the outskirts of Belfast.
With conditions perfect for the one-day meeting, sights were firmly set on the run-offs in the latter part of the afternoon, which were ultimately decided by the finest of margins as the leading contenders pushed the limits of commitment on the fast and unforgiving public road venue.
Ryder pips Hall in ultra-close Round Three
Round Three set the tone for the day with a remarkably tight finish at the top. Wallace Menzies was first to dip under the 39.12-second benchmark set by Scott Moran in 2016 and later equalled by Dave Uren in 2019 on the 1,300-yard course.
He found a turn of pace to lower the target to 39.03 seconds. However, the new hill record would stand for only a matter of seconds, as Matthew Ryder took to the road and etched his name into the history books with a 38.97-second run — becoming the first driver to break the 39-second barrier.
Will Hall, like his two rivals, also picked up a bonus point as he stormed to a 39.01-second run, leaving the top three covered by just six hundredths of a second.
A gap then opened to David Uren, who secured fourth with a 40.60s effort, while Trevor Willis rounded out the top five on 40.80s. Paul Haimes followed closely in sixth, narrowly ahead of Alex Coles, who was visiting the Northern Irish hill for the first time.
Further down the points, the ever-present David Warburton collected a handful of points, as did first-time scorers Dean Tighe and Gary Warren.
Even closer in Round Four as Ryder doubles up
If Round Three was close, Round Four somehow raised the bar even further.
Ryder again came out on top, this time lowering the benchmark to a blistering 38.60 seconds. Hall pushed him all the way once more but fell just 0.04 seconds short for the second time in succession, recording his first sub-39 run with a 38.64s effort.
Menzies again completed the podium, his 39.12s effort matching the previous record benchmark and reinforcing his consistency across the day.
Behind the front three, Willis moved up to fourth with a strong 40.35s, while Coles improved to fifth ahead of Haimes in sixth — both drivers continuing to bank valuable points in the fight for a top-eight championship finish in 2026.
Further down the order, Tighe, Warren and Warburton remained tightly grouped, separated by only a few tenths as the fight for points stayed fiercely competitive. Tighe, who became the first Australian to qualify for a run-off at Prescott, continued to impress at Craigantlet by scoring his first championship points in only his second event.
Aaron Colbourne completed the top ten, while Darren Gumbley and Uren — who failed to record a time in the second run-off following contact with the wall — rounded out the classification.
Early momentum building
With four rounds now complete, Ryder’s double victory provides a significant early boost in the championship standings. However, Hall’s back-to-back second-place finishes — each by the narrowest of margins — ensure the fight is far from settled.
Menzies’ pair of third-place finishes also keep him firmly in contention, forming a clear leading trio as the season begins to take shape.
The championship now moves on to Harewood next weekend (10 May), where momentum will continue to build. If Craigantlet is any indication, the 2026 title battle could be one of the closest in recent years.
