GLEN Ames held off a challenge from Gary West to take out Sunday's Bathurst Light Car Club Mountain Straight Hillclimb.
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The two competitors in the speedy Type 5 Vehicles over 2000cc category went blow for blow over the days five runs but it was Ames who reigned supreme with a best time of 38.89 seconds in his 2006 Gould GR55B.
Ames gradually improved with every run, breaking the 40-second barrier with run number two before reaching his winning mark the next time up the hill.
West and his 1999 Pilbeam MP82 never quite broke that barrier. His best time was a 40.55, also achieved on run three.
The category had four of the top four overall finishers in Sunday's event.
Ron Hay (42.49, 1996 Synergy Dallara) and Warwick Hutchinson (47.39, 2017 OMS 28 RPV03) finished third and fifth respectively.
Type 5 Sports racers 0-2000cc entrant Steven King and his 2014 Uberkart split the pair with a best time of 47.38.
Clerk of course Dave Robinson said the leading pair providing a high level of competition on the Mount.
"We're holding the Australian Hillclimb Championships in November and a lot of the guys were there to get a practice run in. We had Gary West, who won the Australian Championship here in 2006 and 2008, come across from Perth to compete because he's never done a Mountain Straight hillclimb," he said.
"Glen Ames was driving a Gould and that particular car's previous owner, Tim Edmondson, won the 2012 Australian Hillclimb Championships on Mountain Straight. He did a time around 36.8 so Glen's still got two seconds to get near that outright record.
"We're expecting about 120 to 150 entrants for the Australian Championships. It will be held over three days with practice on the Friday and competition on Saturday and Sunday."
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Several home city drivers also shined on the Mount.
"Rod Esdaile won the Type 2 1601-2000cc category in his Mazda MX5," Robinson said.
"We also had Gerard Gotch win the Type 3 1601-2000cc in his Datsun 1200.
"We had a lot of visitors turning up and it was great to have 50 entries on the day."
Saturday also saw the running of the Flying Fifth event.
The race was won by the man sporting the number one, Steven Nobrege, in his 1999 Mitsubishi Evolution.
Nobrege saved his best for the seventh and final run of the day.
He hit the speed trap at 265.68 kilometres per hour, racing through the sectional in 2.71 seconds.
He narrowly saw off a challenge from Matt Cole (262.77km/h, 2.74 seconds) and his 1982 Mazda RX7.
The Australian Hillclimb Championships will run from November 1 to 3 on Mountain Straight.