Rest and Be Thankful Hill Climb is a disused hillclimbing course in Glen Croe, on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. The first known use of the road for a hillclimb was in 1906. The event used to count towards the British Hill Climb Championship. It is named for the Rest and be thankful, a steep incline, on a section of the old military road in Glen Croe, leading to the pass into Glen Kinglas. [1] [2]
In 1952 Motor Sport described the course: "The three danger spots on this course which is 1,425 yards [1,303 m] long, and rises over 400 feet [120 m], are Stone Bridge, Cobblers Corner and the hairpin bend at the finish and of course there is always the occasional sheep that has to be driven off the road." [3]
On 1 July 1961 Jackie Stewart drove a Ford 105E-engined Marcos at an event here. He said: "it's a special place for me, the cradle of my life in motor racing." [4]
In 1970 Motor wrote:
"The Rest, the famous Scottish Rest and Be Thankful Hill climb, will be used for the last time this year. Like many long established venues, time has overtaken it from the safety angle. A lot of money needs to be spent on barriers and banks and the Royal Scottish Automobile Club who run the National Open Hill Climb there say it will cost far too much; so this year it will only be used by clubs for restricted events and then no more." [5]
The venue has also been used for rally special stages and classic car events. The "Friends of the Rest" are working to revive the course (2009).
In September 2018 a project to establish a Scottish Motorsport Heritage Centre at the Rest and Be Thankful was granted official charitable status.
| Year | Driver | Vehicle | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | Broome White | Mercedes 60 h.p. | 2m 19sec | [6] Distance about 1 mile. |
| 1949 | Raymond Mays | E.R.A. | 68.00 sec | [7] 9 July; 1,800 yards. |
| 1950 | Dennis Poore | Alfa Romeo #65 | 57.60 sec | [8] 1 July. |
| 1951 | Dennis Poore | Alfa Romeo | 56.32 sec | [9] 7 July; 1,425 yards; wet. |
| 1952 | Ken Wharton | Cooper | 54.23 sec R | [10] 5 July; 1,425 yards; fine. |
| 1953 | Michael Christie | Cooper-J.A.P. 1,100 c.c. | 55.81 sec | [11] 4 July. |
| 1954 | Michael Christie | Cooper 1,098 c.c. s/c | 63.87 sec | [12] 3 July; 1,425 yards; wet. |
| 1955 | Tony Marsh | Cooper #96 | 56.12 sec | [13] |
| 1956 | Tony Marsh | Cooper 1,100 c.c. | 53.75 sec R | [14] |
| 1957 | Tony Marsh | Cooper-J.A.P. | 56.31 sec | [15] Showers. |
| 1958 | David Boshier-Jones | Cooper-J.A.P. | 53.82 sec | [16] |
| 1959 | David Boshier-Jones | Cooper-J.A.P. | 55.45 sec | [17] 4 July. |
| 1960 | David Boshier-Jones | Cooper-J.A.P. | 52.05 sec | [18] 1 July. |
| 1961 | Tony Marsh | Lotus-Climax 1,500 c.c. | 54.04 sec | [19] 1 July, wet to sunny. |
| 1962 | Tony Marsh | Marsh Special | 52.52 sec | [20] |
| 1963 | Peter Westbury | Felday-Daimler 2.6-litre s/c | [21] 29 June. | |
| 1964 | 27 June. | |||
| 1965 | Peter Meldrum | Lotus 20-Allard s/c | [22] | |
| 1966 | Peter Boshier-Jones | Lotus-Climax 1,200 c.c. | 50.88 sec | [23] 2 July. |
| 1967 | Tony Marsh | Marsh Special | [24] 2 July. | |
| 1968 | Martin Brain | Cooper T81B F1-1-67-Chrysler V8 7.2-litre | [25] 29 June. | |
| 1969 | David Hepworth | Hepworth Traco FF Chevrolet 4.5-litre | 53.07 sec | [26] |
| 1970 | Ted Clark | Lotus 51 | 55.26 sec | [27] 16 May. Round 2 of the inaugural Scottish Hillclimb Championship. |
| Jim Dickson | BVRT Mini | 58.63 sec | [27] 12 September. Round 5 of the inaugural Scottish Hillclimb Championship. Final hillclimb event at the Rest and Be Thankful. | |
Key: R = Course Record.
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