SHELSLEY Walsh hosts the first of its two National Championship meetings this weekend with the best of British, if not world, speed hill climbing.

Included are 140mph+ racing cars, an Aston Martin DB9, the fastest accelerating road legal car in the UK a 680bhp Audi Quattro, classes of Ferraris and Lotus'are all part of Shelsley Walsh in ths it's 99th year.

Reigning champion Adam Fleetwood has won nearly all the previous rounds by setting outright records, so there is an outright record at Shelsley Walsh on the cards.

This meeting last year saw Graeme Wight Jnr set 24.56 seconds to be the fastest ever driver up Shelsley, but he's out-gunned this year as Fleetwood gets into his stride with a car that was brand new to him last season.

Fleetwood had an engine upgrade to 3.5 litres over the winter, while two-time champion Wight Jnr still has his 2.5 litre V6 Gould (similar chassis to Fleetwood) and a package that is having to be driven exceptionally hard to keep up with the extra power of the Fleetwood car.

Wight Jnr managed to outgun Fleetwood at Prescott, and get under the record at Harewood, but Fleetwood went quicker. Wight Jnr is building his own V10 powered car in Scotland and expects it to be out sometime soon, but he'll not have enough time to set it up against the sorted Gould GR55 of Fleetwood.

Elsewhere in the Top 12 Run Off, Martin Groves usually goes well at Shelsley in the older, heavier Gould GR37.

The Pilbeam MP88 of Scott and Roger Moran has had a new V8 engine over the winter, plus aerodynamical additions, while the sister Pilbeam of Willem Toet is shared with Ben Butterfield who is build up his speed while learning the car.

There is also an excellent entry elsewhere in the programme.

The intra class Midland Hill Climb Championship levels the playing field between cars, the Ferrari Hill Climb Championship and the Lotus Championship host one make battles.

However, star class of the day is for Aston Martins featuring some very rare machinery including actor Rowan Atkinson's V8 Zagato.

Elsewhere there is a brand new Aston Martin DB9 on show courtesy of Stratstone of Mayfair.

This is a truly stunning motor car that will be seen by many for the very first time at Shelsley Walsh.

Shelsley Walsh oerganisers are continuing to raise money to keep the hill climb in existence.

Currently the fighting fund stands at £550,000 which, considering 12 months ago the fund stood next to nothing, is a credit to all involved.

Officials have also launched Shelsley Walsh Ltd which give supporters the opportunity to purchase shares in this historic motor sport venue.