THE memories will come flooding back when an Evesham driver revisits the scene of her finest hour.

Joy Rainey used to dominate the go-faster world of hill climbing back in the 1980s. She still holds the outright ladies record at Shelsley Walsh and this weekend she is due to return to the scene of her triumph in a special invitation event.

"It's good to be back," said Joy, who is an Australian and who runs Aboriginalia UK from its base in Broadway.

Back in the 1980s Joy and her Pilbeam-Hart MP53 single seater dominated the hillclimb championships. A combination of her powerful car and Joy's driving style left the competition trailing in her wake. Her outright record was set in 1986 and it has still to be broken.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Midland Automobile Club at Shelsley Walsh and Joy's success meant that she was one of a select few who were invited to take part in the weekend's events.

Joy stopped racing back in the early 90s which meant that her Pilbeam-Hart had not been used for eight years. It took four months to rebuild the powerful car, with help from friends and family, and the car is now ready for the meeting.

"It is now all up to the driver," said Joy after the car was finished on August 4.

And three Midlands-based companies have added their support to make Joy's dream possible. The car will carry the logos of Marchants of Broadway, purveyors of fine foods, Oak Underwriting, of Moreton-in-Marsh, who specialise in individually tailored insurance policies and Witney-based Data Plastics, manufacturers of injection mouldings and industrial closures for the motor industry.

Joy is due to practise on the legendary Shelsley Walsh course tomorrow (Friday) and she will compete in the invitation event at around midday on Sunday.

Shelsley Walsh is located in the heart of the picturesque hills in Worcestershire and is the oldest motor racing venue in the world, which is still in use.