Newspress
FEATURE
Michelle Mouton set the record time of 11mins 25.39secs at the 1985 Pikes Peak Hillclimb in her Audi Sport quattro. Mouton, one of the most successful and best-known female rally drivers of all time, said,“ I was very pleased to win the race for myself – it was the first outright victory ever scored by a woman – and proud for Audi as it was the first time a European manufacturer’ s rally car had won – it was something very special to beat the Americans on their home soil”.
“ I was invited to showcase the car in an event at Shelsley Walsh and I did a few untimed runs up the hill, taking passengers and having a play with the car. When I walked around the clubhouse there, I saw all these old photographs and started to appreciate the history behind British Hill Climbing, and that, to me, was huge.
“ I just felt there is so much depth to this type of motorsport, and that I would really like to get involved in it – so I went to try out my first competitive event and the paddock was amazing. It was a slightly older crowd than I was used to in the Time Attack Championship, but there was a real family feeling and a lovely atmosphere, and that was me sold on it.”
After winning his Hill Climb class in 2021, he was invited to join Team GB for the European Hill Climb Masters, taking the Legacy to Portugal to compete with the continent’ s best.“ We all had team shirts,” he recalls.“ It was Incredible, but also surreal, because I had only done it for a short time and some people had done it most of their lives.
“ Wallace Menzies and Alex Summers were there in their single-seaters and James Kerr in his little Peugeot 205 against these huge fire-breathing turbocharged monsters!
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After practice, I went and watched his in-car footage with him and was blown away by his commitment. That was a huge inspiration and the following day, after running fourth, I was second in the final.”
The car’ s continuous ongoing development has required a“ significant amount of investment” from Bradley, but after learning how to open the door to good sponsorship benefits during his time in the Time Attack Championship, he has also enjoyed“ huge help” from a long list of partnerships, with backers including AET Turbos and US-based Torco Racing Fuels.
“ There are always opportunities out there with sponsors, but if you want to do this sort of thing, you have to appreciate what is in it for them,” he explains.“ With Torco,
Revolution- June 2025