Because the usual venue for the Imp Club Sprint (Curborough) wasn't available, an alternative was arranged. Peter Arnold arranged with his local car club "Pendle & District" to have two separate Imp classes at their closed event.
So on 25 August 1996 the Imp Club Sprint (a hillclimb) was held at Scammonden Dam, near Huddersfield.
The Imp Club entry:
Safety checks:
The event consisted of two practice runs and four timed runs. The course was extremely steep and twisty. The start line had been brought forward 50 yards due to a stranded JCB on the outside of the first bend. (the full course would have been 550 yards.) Once passed the new start line, the course consisted of a sharp right-hand bend, a short straight leading to a 90° left-hander and another straight, interrupted by a virtually flat-out sweeping right-hander to the finish line. The event was livened up further by bursts of heavy rain. With the track drying out throughout the afternoon the times improved.
It was Andrew Jones' first ever event and he did very well. Though in practice he got stuck in the undergrowth and after one timed run on the way back down he spun-off - he won the Imp saloon class !
The Mitchell Ginetta was entered as a double entry for both the Mitchell brothers.
| Class | Driver | Car | Capacity | Fastest time | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 7 7 |
Andrew Jones Graham Cashmore Peter Arnold |
Singer Chamois Sunbeam Stiletto Hillman Imp |
998cc 998cc 1,040cc |
28.66 29.67 30.03 |
1st in class |
| 8 8 8 8 |
Andrew Isherwood Simon Hulse Iain Mitchell Henry Mitchell |
Clan Crusader Ginetta G15 Ginetta G15 Ginetta G15 |
1,100cc 998cc 998cc 998cc |
24.38 27.14 29.04 29.76 |
1st in class |
| Class 7: | Imp-engined production saloons and coupés |
| Class 8: | Imp-engined specialist sport cars |