GHOSTS of the past could be felt in the atmosphere at motor sport's oldest venue still in use when the Shelsley Walsh centenary meeting was staged in glorious conditions over the weekend.

One hundred years previously - on August 12, 1905 - Ernest Instone made the first best time of the day of 77.6 seconds over 992 yards in a 35 horse-power Daimler on the hill-climb track.

Last Saturday Martin Groves lowered his own record in a 3500cc Gould racing car to 23.77 seconds - and in between those times famous names in famous cars have competed over the narrow track.

The track, which was extended to 1,000 yards in 1907 and rises 100 metres over just 914, is set in former farmland near Standford Bridge, just over the border in Worcestershire, and is the local course for the numerous competitors from Here-fordshire.

Britain's favourite racing driver, Sir Stirling Moss, cut his teeth there as a 19-year-old in 1948 and he is the patron of a trust set up by the Midland Automobile Club two years ago to guarantee the hill's existence for future generations.

A seven-figure sum was needed to renew the lease at the Court House and 57 acres of surrounding land for another 99 years and that has been achieved, although some more is also needed to complete improvements to the paddock building and services.

The huge crowds which flocked to the countryside venue at the weekend went a long way to helping achieve that - and showed that the old spirit remains for the world's oldest track where record holders have driven the likes of racing cars Fraser Nash Spiders, ERAs, Maseratis, BRMs and Coopers through to the Pilbeams and Goulds of today.

Numerous other classes have added variety and the centenary meeting was held over three days, with practice last Friday, a British Championship round on the Saturday, and an invitation meeting on the Sunday when a full range of cars from over the 100 years showed their paces on an historic occasion.