Torbay Motor Club - celebrating 75 years of speed

It is a very special year for Torbay Motor Club – formed in 1950, it is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

The Club currently has 200 members and has recently been named Club of the Year by the Association of South Western Motor Clubs. The award is based on the points that its members scored in various events during the 2024 season.

Torbay MC organise a wide range of motorsport events, including speed hillclimbs, sprints, and autocross. Club member Colin Anderson has revived interest in autocross in recent years. With sponsorship from 1st Choice Finishes, this race series is now very popular and offers competitors an entry route into motorsport on a relatively modest budget. It has also attracted junior competitors with the minimum age requirement being 14.

Brixham racer Polly Ashley, driving an MG ZR, won the 2024 1st Choice Finishes ASWMC Autocross Championship at the age of 15 and in only her second year of competition.

Her brother Luke – a graduate from the junior class – was Runner-up. The points amassed by Polly and Luke were an important factor in Torbay MC winning the Club of the Year title.

In the 2024 Torbay MC Speed Championship - a mixture of speed hillclimb and sprint events - Shaun Tuckey was crowned Champion driving a Ford Ka.

The Club has been organising speed hillclimbs since March 1961 when the inaugural Oddicombe Hillclimb was held in Torquay. This event continued every March and October until March 2003.

After the Oddicombe event folded, hillclimb events continued on a private estate at Mamhead and at the Finlake leisure complex in Chudleigh before a regular annual Club hillclimb was established at Wiscombe Park, near Honiton. This event, held every May, is now the principal spectator event for Torbay MC.

Over the years, whilst most Torbay MC members were winning South West championships, one racer found success on the international race circuits. That man was Clive Baker, an early member of Torbay MC.

In October 1961 and March 1962, Clive was competing at Oddicombe hillclimb in an Austin Healey Sebring Sprite. His performances soon brought him to the attention of Cornishman Donald Healey – a car designer, rally driver and speed record holder.

In March 1963, Clive was signed by Healey and was soon competing at the prestigious Sebring 12 Hours as a works driver for Donald Healey Motor Co. In 1965, Clive was paired with the great Finnish rally driver Rauno Aaltonen & The Rally Professor.

As well as sports cars, Clive also competed in single seaters - Janspeed Engineering entered him in Formula 3 in 1964, driving a Ron Tauranac designed Brabham BT6 FJ-4-63. Stockbridge Racing ran him in British and European F3 – in a brand-new Cooper T83 F3-1-66.

During the 60s, Clive raced some of the greatest race cars of all time, including Chevron B8 and B16, Ford GT40, Ferrari 365 GTB/4 and Dino 246 GT and McLaren M10B. He participated in the greatest races – Targa Florio, the 24 Hour races at Le Mans, Spa and Daytona, the Sebring 12 Hours and Nurburgring 1000Km. His last competitive outings were in F5000 in the early 70s.

After hanging up his helmet in 1974, he returned to Torquay to pursue business interests, and he still resides in the Bay.

If you are interested in cars and motorsport, Torbay Motor Club would like to hear from you. If you do not want to compete, you can still become involved assisting the Club to run events and get close to the action as a marshal. For more information, please visit www.torbaymotorclub.co.uk

The Torbay MC Hillclimb at Wiscombe Park is on May 17 - tickets are on sale now from the Wiscombe website www.wiscombepark.co.uk

It is a full weekend of motorsport - on Sunday, May 18, the Burnham-on-Sea MC and Taunton Motoring Club hold their Wildlife Autosport event.

Happy 75th Birthday Torbay MC – and here’s to the next 75 years!