Movs to re-instate Saltburn's Road Race

Moves are being made to try to open up the way for the Saltburn Hill Climb event to be staged again. Provisions in the Road Traffic Act meant the event, staged annually from 1993 to 2005, was illegal. The act bans 'road racing' on the public highway.The hill climb attracted thousands of people to the town.
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP, Tom Blenkinsop, has now made recommend moves in the House of Commons to have the event reinstated.
The hill climb involved vintage motor cycles and cars in a speed trial starting on Saltburn seafront and culminating in a road dash up the steep hill to Rushpool Hall Hotel on the Skelton Road.
Organisers have worked with Mr Blenkinsop and his predecessor, the late Dr Ashok Kumar, to get a mechanism which could allow a local exemption from that part of the act to allow the event through local authority road closure powers.
As part of the campaign, Mr Blenkinsop has tabled a House of Commons Early Day Motion calling for such exemptions to be made part of the Act.
The MP said, "The Saltburn Hill Climb was a popular event which attracted participants and visitors from across the country. The influx of people boosted the local economy of Saltburn and put the town firmly on the tourist map. Along with the organisers and Redcar and Cleveland Council, I have been looking to see if we can table a Private Bill sponsored by the council which would allow for a suspension of the relevant parts of the Act so as to allow this once a year event. This is a complicated process which could take some time to deliver. It would be easier for everyone if the Government could simply allow for local exemptions, strictly managed by councils and the police, to be introduced nationally."
He said the UK Motor Sports Association believed such an exemption could lead to nationwide events which could generate between £20m and £60m for the host communities. "I do not see why Saltburn should not be allowed to gain part of this revenue, and that is why I have tabled this special Motion in the House," added the MP.

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