Drivers compete in the 'Monaco of hill climbing'

Cars raced up the 328ft incline in seconds

Motorsports fans have gathered in Worcestershire to watch races described by organisers as like "Formula 1 up a country lane".

The 120th British Hill Climb Championships at Shelsley Walsh, held on Saturday and Sunday, is billed as Europe's "fastest and most spectacular" speed hill climb.

The track, near Stourport-on-Severn, claims to be the oldest motorsports venue in the world still staging events on its original course.

Encompassing a steep hill with a 329ft (99m) rise, generations of racers have taken on the course since it opened in 1905.

More than 200 cars took to the hill over the weekend to compete, some racing at speeds of about 150mph (241km/h) around the 1,000 yd (914m) track.

Alex Summers, from Tenbury Wells, the fourth generation of his family to race the course, described it as "hallowed ground".

"Some people refer to it as the Monaco of hill climbing," he said.

"It's the sensation of speed and it's the fact that Shelsley's a natural amphitheatre, so you've got the ability to see almost the entire hill, pretty much wherever you are."

Supporting from the paddocks, his mum Lindsay, who started racing 15 years ago, hit speeds of 143mph (230km/h) on her practice round.

She said: "You just get to an age I think, as a woman, where you stop caring what people think and you just [say] 'I'm going to do it, I'm going to have some fun'."

After lugging wheels up the track, she described the sport as "definitely not glamorous but a lot of fun".

Porsche also put a prototype electric SUV, brought over from Germany and named Cayenne, through its paces on the track and a spokesperson said it was "very fast".

Drivers described Shelsley Walsh as the "Monaco of hill climbing"

Events started at 09:00 BST, with the fastest cars competing in the top 12 run offs.

Course record holder Sean Gould was attempting to better his fastest time of 22.37 seconds in a 410kg single-seater, smaller-scale Formula 1-style car .

He said hitting the high speed had been "frightening" in hindsight.

"You kind of get carried away in the moment," he added.