British Hillclimb: Gearing up for the title fight of the ages

We are just days away from deciding the 2026 British Hillclimb Champion. The 2026 edition, presented by Avon Motorsport, has gone down as a classic, with three drivers locking horns all season, hill records tumbling and wins being shared between Will Hall, Matt Ryder and Wallace Menzies.

All three have become great rivals, with a huge amount of mutual respect for each other. For Wallace, it would be five titles; for Matt, three; and for Will, a premier piece of silverware at the end of the weekend.

But what do they say about each other… strengths, weaknesses and characteristics? Let’s find out…

MATT RYDER ON…

Wallace Menzies

“You certainly can't ever count Wallace out. The consistency over a number of years from Wallace has been absolutely outstanding. He's always there with a great overall package. Obviously, he’s got a fantastic team of people around him to help make that happen as well.

“It's definitely a team sport with both these guys. Will and Wallace are both fantastic drivers, but I think we're all bound by the people around us that help make it happen as well, and we're all really lucky to have great people.

“Wallace definitely has a great, smooth driving style, with effortless speed and consistency across all the hills throughout the year.

“Very annoyingly, there's not a venue we go to where it's maybe not to his strength! He's just super consistent throughout the year, and I think that's what really wins championships.

“He’s really relaxed and easily gets himself into the headspace in the paddock. He's not walking around stressed like some people you might see in the paddock. He's definitely a cool head, which is what you need for that consistency too.”

Will Hall

“Will has had a great season, hasn't he? Fair does. It’s really come together this year for him. We do this sport for the competition. It'd be no good if no one else was here or trying.

“Will's having a fantastic year, and he’s been building up over the last few years and getting quicker and quicker. I think this year it's really been a big step forward for him. He's found some incredible times across lots of the hills.

“He's really going for it this year and going the extra mile with every last thing in terms of effort and making sure everything is perfect, and that is also what you need to do to win a championship. Everything has to come together, from the driver to the car to the preparation and reliability. Everything has to come together, and this has been a great season for Will.”

WILL HALL ON…

Wallace Menzies

“He’s determined! He's like that in business and work, and he’s very strong-willed.

“He's had a really good second half of the year and outscored me and Matt. He's upped his game massively.

“He's good all round. There's no weaknesses with him. He's good all round, and the team behind him is good. He's got it all there.

“If you win the championship this year, you can say you've done it with good pace against very good opposition, whoever wins…”

Matt Ryder

“Matt is very quick and is a very good driver. He's very good at slow-speed corners, and it's just fantastic to see. I don't know how he does it, but he does it.

“Like Wallace, he has no real weakness. He’s done karting and raced Jedi single-seaters. I think that's what helps him in some of the cornering speed. He's from circuit racing and he's come across to the hills. Matt is a first-class driver.”

WALLACE MENZIES ON…

Will Hall

“We're very good friends. His strength has been his tenacity to work at things and keep going, and he's got a really good team around him now.

“He puts a huge amount of effort into it, and he's changed his driving style. Will's nickname used to be ‘Will he, won't he’, and that was to get to the top of the hill. He had a garage full of Westfield chassis, but if you watch Will drive now, he's reined it in a huge amount, and that's how he's finding the speed. He’s a super-quick driver who gets his head down and works and works.

“He got his head about a quarter of the way into this season. Before that, Matt was just pipping him by a few hundredths on a regular basis. Over the first half of the season, the two of them were great to watch, and they were certainly ahead of me.

“But Will then just kept battering and working, and it shows now. He's got a great wet set-up. They have done a lot in the wet and, if it goes wet, he's in really good shape. They've got the car dialled in, the engine, the throttle map, and everything that they've done — that's all hard work. It's not good luck.”

Matt Ryder

“Matt is obviously a super-talented, really quick, skinny wee bastard! He can turn it on. Matt has ability, and I think he can step it up when he needs to and take a big step. Will and I don't drive that way.

“Matt can be behind all day until the run-off and then turn it on. He's naturally a very good driver who probably drives with a very different style to both Will and I to get the most out of the car. But he's very successful at it, with two championships in that car. He gets in, focuses and delivers, and he can do that super well.

“He's really difficult to beat. Matt again is a lovely guy, and full credit to him for the way he's juggled his little one, family life and family racing. His mum Caroline’s racing, his wife Kirsten is racing, he's racing and his father-in-law's racing.

“Will and I have been in over-two-litre cars for more than 15 years. This is Matt's third or fourth year in a big car, and in that time he's won two championships.

“By the time Matt's as old as Will or I, it'll be really difficult to beat him. And he's gaining knowledge. You see in the Channel Islands, as he gains knowledge in places that he hasn't been in a big car before. A lot of hillclimbing is your apprenticeship in learning the hills and learning that 1100cc is different to 1600cc and different to a big car.

“What he's done is learn really quickly and adapt really quickly. Sean Gould helped with that, and this year he's got his dad John and Anthony Lane, and they're doing a great job with it. They're looking to try and find a wet set-up that's better, and you can see that we are too. I’m full of respect for both of them!”

Just two run-offs remain, and there are just two points separating them all. Huge respect, huge pressure, huge speeds and a huge title awaits.

May the best person win.