An old family photograph inspired Simon Green to take up the motor sport of hillclimbing. And now his success has drawn his father back into the sport decades after the original shot was taken.

As a child Simon had been inspired by a picture of his dad taking part in the sport in the 1960s, and he was determined to follow in his footsteps.

He is now celebrating a successful second season in hillclimbing and the return of his father, Chris, to the sport.

The family, who live in Burley-in-Wharfedale, run the KT Green garage at Pool-in-Wharfedale, and it is there that the young Simon used to look at the photo which made such a big impression on him.

Now 21 and a student at the University of Northumbria, Simon remembers: "The photo of him lifting a wheel going round Orchard bend played on my mind every time I saw it in the garage as a young impressionable youth, and I knew that one day I had to have a go. Ever since I started competing in 2005, I've been pushing him to make a return to the hills. He kept declining."

Simon, who normally competes in a Westfield, drove one of his father's cars at a meeting at Harewood late in 2005.

"I set a time in it, and he decided to have a go to try and beat it," he said. "He did a full season and really enjoyed himself."

He thinks his father will continue with the sport and at the age of 62 he is by no means the oldest competitor around. Simon knows of one driver who is 81 and still competing. "I have been one of the youngest," he said. "It's a really diverse age spread."

"Physically it's not too hard. You get about five races during the day , and each race is about a minute. But it's quite hard to build yourself up mentally."

He explains: "For those that don't know much about it, speed hillclimbing is about one car and one driver competing against the clock to complete an uphill course in the fastest time possible.

"Unlike racing, each driver gets only two or three timed runs up the course so a perfect run is vital. One mistake will ruin your chances as the time cannot be made up."

It's a skill Simon has obviously developed well since building his own car from a kit in 2004.

This season he has come either second or first in every single event he has competed in, and has then gone on to come tenth in the Harewood championship. He has also won the Ilkley Motor Club Rosedale Bowl Trophy.

But the season's low came when he had a high speed crash resulting in a bent chassis and a dented pride and confidence.

He says: "All in all it was a great year with some good battles. The highlights for me were being 0.1 of a second off the class record at Three Sisters Sprint on my first ever event there, being 0.1 of a second off the class record at Croft on my second ever event there and coming 10th in the Harewood Championship. Watching my dad competing again was also very special to me."

And his father is not the only family member to have joined him in the sport. His brother in-law, Tom Butler, also competes. And his mum, Sue, and sister, Sally, have been enlisted to provide service support' and catering facilities' at events.

Hillclimbing had been going through a decline some years ago but is now becoming more popular again.

Simon said: "Hillclimbing is a real clubman's motorsport which has rarely attracted the publicity that it deserves. Unlike racing, big budgets are not mandatory and this is why there is so much raw talent out there on the hills."