SPEED hill climb action returns to the Shelsley Walsh course for the Bank Holiday weekend.

The two-day meeting is a round of the UK Changes Midland Hill Climb, the Richard Egger Insurance/HSA Speed and the Porsche Club Speed Championships.

There will be a practice day on Sunday with racing on Monday which, with 172 entrants, is sure to be highly competitive.

In the popular 1100 to 1600cc single-seater class, 2007 sensation Robert Kenrick will be a star attraction in his 1600cc Force PC Suzuki.

Will Hall is out at Shelsley in a new but slightly smaller 1300cc capacity Force which dispenses with paint in order to save weight. In the 600 to 1100cc class is another Force PC this time shared by Darren Luke and Brodie Branch, who astonished spectators last year with only 999cc.

The two-litre racing car class is growing and sees two new competitors in Ash Mason and Steven Day, the boss of Midland Championship sponsors UK Changes, who are driving the ex-Mark Goodyear Pilbeam MP 62 Vauxhall.

Also in what may be the most competitive class are Andrew Platt and Tim Elmer in a brace of Dallara cars, Tony Hunt in his supercharged Force PC and Steve Owen sharing the latest 2008 OMS with wife Lynne. Lovers of nostalgia will find something to roll back the years with immortal Shelsley specials The Martyr and Spider II.

Much-travelled Australian driver Scotty Taylor brings his Cooper Bobtail, similar to the car in which three-time world champion Jack Brabham made his F1 debut in 1955.

The unlimited capacity single-seater class should see the front-runners for best time of the day as three of the most powerful cars in speed hill climbing are entered.

They are the three Goulds of husband and wife Deryk and Sue Young, veteran Rob Turnbull and Chris Merrick.

But perhaps the favourite is Trevor Willis in the small but nimble OMS with a Suzuki Hayabusa-derived Powertec V8 engine.

Willis was fifth in the 2007 British Hill Climb Championship in the car and never fails to impress on the tight, steep confines of the historic Worcestershire Hill.

Practice starts at 9.30am on Sunday and the event starts at 9.30am on Bank Holiday Monday.

Admission is £10 on practice day, £14 on event day and accompanied children under 16 get in free.

It includes parking, transfer to the paddock and seated trackside enclosures.

Catering and light refreshment facilities are available as are a range of souvenirs and regalia.