Legendary Scottish Hillclimb course, Doune, known as “The King of Hills”, has received vital support from the British Motorsport Trust to help maintain and replenish the crucial safety features required to keep the venue running.

The BMT’s Safety Development Fund helped the local Lothian Car Club purchase and replace sections of armco fencing and safety barriers lining the course, which traces its origins back to 1967 and is the only Scottish venue to host a round of the British Hillclimb Championship.

That’s something Tim Thomson, Chairman of the organising club, is eager to hold on to for as long as possible.

“We are very keen to maintain this status, and our track licence, by having a continuous ‘rolling plan’ of improvements which we implement as and when either funding allows or it becomes necessary following recommendations from (governing body) Motorsport UK,” Thomson told the BMT.

“We are a very small club with a priority around safety. Our funding is limited to four events per year (previously three), so additional funding is required to help with keeping up with repairs and installing new circuit furniture when required. Without the understanding of Allan [Dean-Lewis, General Secretary of the BMT] and the funding from the BMT, we would no longer have a safe venue and, therefore, no event.”

Being a temporary venue also presents its own unique challenges and satisfying the strict safety standards required to keep the venue operational at such a high level, while keeping land owners, tenants and visitors happy, is a balancing act.

“We are very fortunate to have a very good relationship with the land owners and the benefit of great lease terms,” Thomson adds. “The estate have long understood the need for safety improvements but have also asked us to consider the visual impact on the hill, but have never baulked at any request for more barriers.”

To find out more about Doune Hill Climb visit: www.dounehillclimb.co.uk.

For more information on the British Motorsport Trust grants and how to apply, please click here.

Show Your Support

If you’d like to support the British Motorsport Trust to keep making a meaningful impact, find out how to donate via: www.britishmotorsporttrust.org/donate