The first round of the EZI Up & Go Motorsport Australia Victorian Hillclimb Championship took place at the iconic Rob Roy Hillclimb on the weekend, with experienced driver David Mahon adding yet another victory to his name.
 
More than 80 entrants packed the course for the first round of the championship, with each competitor getting up to four runs of the 700 metre course.

While Mahon ended up winning the event, it was no easy feat for the 70-year-old as he had to wait until the final run to snatch the lead from Mike Barker.
 
The start of the event proved business as usual for the South Australian after he won the opening two runs, each by a second over Barker, as he looked on track for round one honours.


Having won the 2019 edition of the event, Barker then dug deep on the third run and ended up producing a blistering time of 19.85 seconds to surpass Mahon for top spot by eight tenths.
 
However, just has he had on many occasions, the reigning champion stepped up to the plate when it mattered most and posted a 19.68 second run, pipping Barker for first place at the last opportunity.
  
Mahon expressed his excitement after taking out first place in thrilling fashion.
 
“It was a good start for the year, however it was probably a bit too hot actually, I think cooler conditions probably would’ve been a little better,” Mahon said.
 
“With that said, it was a really good competition, especially since Mike (Barker) got in front of me on that third run and it came down to the final run.


“Rob Roy is sort of Mike’s home track and it is very hard to beat him there. Considering he’s got Brett Heywood’s big motor in his car now, he has heaps more horsepower than what I’ve got, so it was really pleasing to get the win.
 
“Mike was running straight after me so I actually didn’t know what time he had done, because I was coming back down the return road, and then when I got to the bottom, I could see all the spectators giving me the thumbs up as if I’d won, so that’s when I knew I’d won.
 
“I’m looking forward to the next event at Bryant Park, I really like that track.”
 
Finishing behind the two contenders on the final podium positions was Mirko Grbic, who steered his Mitsubishi Evo 7 to a 20.92 second time and claimed the fastest tin top by just one tenth over Subaru Impreza WRX pilot, David Bell.   
 
Rounding out the top five was another Subaru WRX driver in Daniel Leitner, who enjoyed a 22.26 second run of the famous course on his third attempt.
 
Click here for full results.

Round two of the EZI Up & Go Motorsport Australia Victorian Hillclimb Championship will take place 19 February at Bryant Park.