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The Queensland-built Skelta G-Force -- piloted by driver Jeff denmeade and co-driver/partner Catherine Hammond -- came third in their class last weekend in a time that was faster than second place in the unlimited class.
Denmeade said their run was hampered by snow 5km from the finish that turned the course into a skating rink. It was only their second attempt at the 90th running of the annual event. The two-seater, two-litre supercharged Skelta G-Force was the first Australian-designed and built car to compete in the hillclimb.
Car builder Ray Vandersee, 63, of Toowoomba, said he was "totally thrilled" with the car's success. "The sad part is that I was over there for the original date but it was postponed by wildfires in early July," he says.
Vandersee began building the cars back in 2004 with investment from his family, but has put the project on ice because of a lack of sales. He has only built eight of the Honda-powered cars and has leased his road-registered race car to Denmeade for the event.
"I wouldn't give it to anyone. I didn't want it to come back in a ball or anything," he said. "I had faith he would take care of it and show the car's potential. It's something I would love to have done myself."
Vandersee, 63, has raced the Skelta to wins in several events and the car has been outright runner-up in the Targa Tasmania and Targa West rallies. The hillcimb was won by Kiwi Rhys Millen in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe racecar.
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