Rob Roy – Sep 8 2013

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MG Car Club Come and Try Day

In the middle of the rolling hills past Eltham sits a short Hillclimb track that is run by the MG car club. The track has been there for almost 80 years and was the first purpose built Hillclimb track in Australia. Last Sunday it was alive with 101 cars for a “Come and Try” day, attracting all manner of cars and drivers.

This track is very short but sweet, with a target time of only 30 seconds it is over before the tyres are even warm. That didn’t stop people from putting on a good show, especially considering the starting conditions. The track was dusty and the start is on an incline, so getting off the line without lighting up the tyres was a challenge for many, myself included.

My favourite cars included the custom built aluminium body roadster running a ford Pinto engine and shortened chassis, as well as the cool selection of Clubman roadsters running on the day. I have always wanted to build one of these because they are a perfect weekender.

All in all the day went off without a hitch. There were about twice as many spectators as cars and I believe all cars made it through the day unharmed. If you’re keen to give Hillclimbing a go, then Rob Roy is a great place to start. I also recommend the Haunted Hills Hillclimb track run by the Gippsland Car Club. Or if you’re a bit more serious, having a car club membership gets you access to a number of events which aren’t open to the public.