Hillclimbing
Encyclopedia : H : HI : HIL : Hillclimbing
- For other uses, see (disambiguation)}}}.
It is one of the oldest forms of motorsport, since the first known hillclimb (at La Turbie near Nice, France) took place as long ago as 31 January 1897. The hillclimb held at Shelsley Walsh, in Worcestershire, England is the world's oldest continuously-staged motorsport event still staged on its original course, having been first run in 1905.
A very different kind of hillclimbing is done with offroad motorcycles going straight up extremely steep hills. The winner is the one which could climb the highest, or in the case more than one made it to the top, the fastest. This kind of motorsport, which requires skill as well as bravery, has a long tradition in the USA and has been popular in France and Austria since the 1980s. The Austrian event in Rachau focused on crowd entertainment, and inspired many similar events.
Europe
Hillclimbs in continental Europe are usually held on courses which are several kilometres long, taking advantage of the available hills and mountains including the Alps. The most prestigious competition is the FIA European Hill Climb Championship.
British Isles
In the British Isles, the format is different from that in other parts of Europe, with courses being much shorter - more akin to uphill sprints - and almost always taking under one minute for the fastest drivers to complete. For this reason, cars and drivers do not generally cross between the British and continental European championships.
In Britain, hillclimbing is considered a spectator sport, and the most prestigious events, such as those that form part of the British Hill Climb Championship, often attract several thousand enthusiasts to the hills. All the courses in Great Britain are situated on private land, but some events in the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland are held on closed public roads. Track lengths are traditionally quoted in yards: the longest hillclimb course used in the British Championship is Harewood at 1583 yards (1447 metres), and the shortest is Val des Terres at 850 yards (777 metres).
A notable feature of hillclimbing is the very wide variety of vehicles used for competition. Both cars and motorcycles (including sidecars) take part in the sport, and in the case of cars these range from almost standard machines (sometimes driven to and from the tracks) with the only modifications being those required on grounds of safety, right through to specially-built single-seater racing cars. Classic and vintage cars are also very popular in hillclimbing. Generally there are separate meetings for cars and bikes, but occasionally both appear at the same event.
There is a system of classes which groups cars into broadly similar categories. For example, the classes for "Racing Cars" (ie single-seaters) are divided into those for cars with engine capacities of under 600cc, 600-1100cc, 1100-1600cc, 1600-2000cc and over 2000cc. The cars in the unlimited capacity class often use engines from, or derived from, Formula One cars, and occasionally F1 cars themselves have competed. Drivers entered for the British Hill Climb Championship may qualify for a "run-off" at the end of each set of class runs, and it is here that BHCC points are scored.
It is common for two drivers, often but not always related, to share the same car at a hillclimb. Such entries are known as "dual-driven" (or, occasionally, "double-driven") cars. Usually drivers considered the slower in such partnerships will make the climb first, before the bulk of the class for which they have been entered. This therefore allows their companions to make their ascent within the same time frame as the competitors, to ensure similar track conditions. Other than this, there is no special consideration for drivers in dual-driven cars, and both drivers count their results (and, if appropriate, score points) individually.
Major hillclimbs in the British Isles
Hills used in the British Hill Climb Championship
- Barbon Manor, Cumbria (course length 890 yd / 814 m)
- Bouley Bay, Jersey
- Craigantlet, County Down (1460 yd / 1335 m)
- Doune, Perthshire (1476 yd / 1350 m)
- Gurston Down, Wiltshire (1057 yd / 967 m)
- Harewood, Yorkshire (1583 yd / 1447 m)
- Loton Park, Shropshire (1475 yd / 1349 m)
- Prescott, Gloucestershire (1127 yd / 1031 m)
- Shelsley Walsh, Worcestershire (1000 yd / 914 m)
- Val des Terres, Guernsey (850 yd / 777 m)
- Wiscombe Park, Devon (1000 yd / 914 m)
- Goodwood Festival of Speed, Hampshire (1.16miles)
Malta
Hillclimbing is a very popular sport on the island of Malta. Numerous events are organised annually by the [Island Car Club]. Participants are divided according to their type of vehicle into various categories ranging from single seaters to saloon cars.
Sweden
In Sweden, hillclimb events are run along different lines, with dirt bikes and four-wheel drive machines literally driving up the side of a roadless hill.
Switzerland
Motor racing was banned in Switzerland in the aftermath of the fatal collision between cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1955. However, this prohibition does not extend to events where drivers compete only indirectly via the clock. Events such as rallies and hillclimbs are popular, including the FIA European Hill Climb Championship.
North America
United States
In the United States, hill climbs in the European style take place on long mountain courses, and in many cases spectators are either banned or heavily restricted for safety or insurance reasons. The most famous hillclimb in the US is the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb held at Pikes Peak, Colorado. This event has been entered by many internationally renowned drivers and multiple world rally champions. The 12.4 mile course finishes at a height of 14,100 feet. Current unlimited class record holder is Rod Millen with a time of 10:04.06, Millen has won the hill climb 7 times.
The "Climb to the Clouds" hillclimb on the 7.4-mile course up the Mount Washington Auto Road at Mount Washington, New Hampshire is the oldest motorsport event in North America, and was first run in 1904. However, this climb has been held only sporadically since 1961.
However, true "American Hill Climb" events are entirely different. In an American hill climb, the "track" is a giant dirt hill between 200 and 500 feet tall, with slopes as steep as 60 degrees or more. The goal is simple: Make it to the top. You'll see heavily modified machines with long swingarms, giant paddle tires with chains or steel studs, and bikes literally flying up the mountian - only to come tumbling back down. The hill is staffed with people carrying long catch hooks, to stop the rider and bike from tumbling back down the hill.
The American Hill Climb is one of the oldest forms of motorcycle competition, dating back to the very early 1900's. Today some of the most famous hill climbs are Bushkill Valley in Easton, PA (http://www.bikehillclimb.com/), and Big Nasty Hillclimb in Idaho (http://www.bignastyhillclimb.com/). The North American Hillclimbers Association (http://www.pro-hillclimbers.org/) has a schedule of hill climb events around the country and around the world.
Canada
Canada's best known hillclimb event is the Knox Mountain Hillclimb, held in Kelowna, British Columbia. It a 3.5km paved road, climbing 245m elevation. It has run annually since the 1950s, attracting drivers from the Pacific Northwest.
Oceania
Australia
Hillclimbing in Australia dates back to the early 1900's, and was most prevalent in the city of Melbourne, at locations such as Templestowe and Rob Roy. The course at Templestowe still exists today in the Domain Wetlands. The course was never trafficable due to the massive incline known as "the wall", and so was only used during race events.
The course at Rob Roy still hosts race meets on occasions. It is located just off Clintons Road in an area of Smiths Gully known as Rob Roy.
New Zealand
The premiere hillclimb event on the New Zealand motor racing calendar is the Queenstown, New Zealand based ["Race to the Sky".] It attracts a number of international competitors and is a major draw for local and foreign motor racing enthusiasts.
Held every Easter since 1998 it starts from the floor of the Cardrona Valley and runs uphill for 15 kilometres through 137 corners to the top, climbing from 1,500 ft to 5,000 ft averaging a 1:11 gradient.
The driver with the greatest number of "Race to the Sky" outright wins (6) is Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, driving his custom built Suzuki hillclimb special vehicle.
External links
- [Hillclimb and Sprint Association] (Britain)
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.