Andrew Grover stormed to the top of his modified car class in the Guyson Scottish Hill Climb championships, while claiming a third place overall in the Aberdeen District Motor Club sprint championships.

The Highland Council mechanic retained his title which he won in 2005. It was also the first time that Grover had competed in the full Aberdeen District Motor Club sprint championships.

Grover, Bank Flat, Main Street, drove his Sylva Striker to victory in the modified class for the second year running, after moving up a class in hill climbing last year, after six years of powering his car as quickly as possible up steep hills and along twisting single-track tarmac roads.

He was faced with the challenge of driving on slick tyres – in a season that was predominantly wet and on moss-covered roads.

In order to be successful, Grover continued to make a number of alterations to the car to make it lighter and more competitive – including removing the vehicle’s headlights – which meant it was no longer roadworthy.

This meant that new ways of getting much-needed practice, and time behind the wheel, had to be found in order to master the new way of driving.

He said: “I’m delighted to have performed so well, considering my lack of practice. I work in my garage on a shoestring budget trying to get the car fit for the race and there’s no chance for practice apart from on the day – you just have to sit on the line and go for it.”

Grover said his passion for motorsport began at the age of 10, and it wasn’t long before he was driving a Rover V8 around Knockhill and Ingliston during circuit racing in 1987.

The driver soon made the switch to hill climbing and has been continually developing the Sylva Striker this season with help of friends Angus Anderson and David Kieler.

The 12-event season saw the racing cars reach speeds of up to 100mph, with little room for error on the sharp bends and twisting roads.

The racing takes place at three main Scottish locations – Fintray near Aberdeen; Forrestburn, Harthill; and Doune, near Stirling.

Drivers from all over Scotland take part, with the vehicles frequently charging up the slopes in less than a minute.

Andrew Grover shows off his ever-growing trophy collection with the prospect of beginning his defence of the Scottish Hill Climbing Championship title looming next month.

Grover said: “We are often just inches from the crash barriers, so the buzz we get in that time is unbelievable.

“The discipline teaches you to be accurate as you cannot cut corners.

“We have to be precise, and I get such a thrill out of driving on the edge. The sport is so competitive that you have no option but to push yourself to the limit.

“Of the three hills, two are specifically designed for hill racing and the other is a farm road. This brings its own problems, as it is quite dirty and takes a while before it starts to clean up.

“It also means that track conditions change a lot quicker than they do in circuit racing. The set-up with the events means you can be racing in the morning, break for dinner, then race again in the afternoon.

“What you find is that the conditions can be completely different between the two sessions, so you do not know how to drive on the track until you are actually on it.”

Grover said he intends to defend his title in the Sylva Striker this year with the help of sponsorship from his parents, John and Janet.

He said, however, that more sponsors were needed for him to have a realistic chance of retaining his title for a third year running.

“I would love to enter both competitions again, but at the moment the chances of that are pretty slim due to a lack of sponsorship. I’m having to scale things down and just do the hill climbing this year,” he said.

“It’s frustrating getting great results on a fraction of what others have and wonder what you can achieve, but it’s all ifs and buts. I realistically don’t think I’ll have a similar level of success this year, as it’s getting harder and harder to compete, but I’ll go out there and give it my best shot.”

The new season of the Guyson Scottish Hill Climb championships begins on April 21, with racing taking place at Doune.

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