Hill climbs: a lesser known branch of motorsport

A form of motorsport for which international interest has declined in recent years is hillclimbing or mountain climbing.

The idea is to find a suitable stretch of uphill road (preferably narrow and with plenty of bends) that must be covered by car or motorcycle as fast as possible. The start (each participant starts separately) and the finish are therefore in different locations. The task may seem simple, but it is anything but.

Hill climbs may well be older than traditional racing on public roads. Around 1900, in the south of France, the mountain La Turbie near Nice was climbed. The German brand Daimler was strongly represented there. These cars were entered by Emile Jelinek, a prominent figure from the region, who had a daughter that later became world famous, Mercedes.

Hill climbing is a demanding activity for both car and driver. The car is tested in a very different way than during a normal race. The driver has to work hard to get his car to the top as quickly as possible. In many cases there is no power steering or power brakes, so it is no easy task!

It is relatively easy to organize a hill climb; the course is easy to cordon off and therefore less dangerous in terms of crossing animals and people. Whoever completes the course the fastest wins. If the parking area at the top (at the end of the climb, that is) is full of cars, a break is scheduled so that everyone can calmly drive back down.

Most hill climbs are held on public roads. There are no permanent grandstands or paddock, so taking part in or watching a hill climb feels more like an upscale picnic.

Nothing could be further from the truth. In countries such as England, France and Italy, this branch of motorsport is still practiced, albeit only at national level. The internal rivalry and the variety of classes turn these kinds of events into a true popular festival. The time when the sport was "big", with for example a European championship, is unfortunately far behind us.

The first glory days were before the Second World War, in the 1930s. Back then Auto Union and Mercedes Benz fought for the mountain championship. This included a number of mountain passes that, before there were tunnels, were famous and notorious among holidaymakers. Such as the Grossglockner, the Klausen Pass and even the St. Bernard. Just the idea of climbing this kind of mountain as fast as possible with a 500 hp monster or more must have given even seasoned speed devils like Carracciola and Rosemeyer a rather special feeling. One of the most successful drivers in this discipline at the time was Hans Stuck, who first raced sports cars for Austro Daimler and Mercedes Benz (before 1933) and later Grand Prix cars for Auto Union.

Until the Second World War he was a formidable rival to the established names of the Grands Prix. One of Stuck's feats should not go unmentioned: in 1936 Auto Union paid a visit to England to take part in the Shelsey Walsh hill climb, a short but vicious little hill. The traditional English weather stood in the way of a record, but to this day people still speak with awe about his performance back then.

Hans Stuck in action at Shelsey Walsh 1936

Following this visit, Frederick Gordon-Crosby created a caricature of Stuck that can be seen in the Louwman Museum. Stuck was the only 'foreigner' to be immortalized in this way.

Gordon Crosbys caricature of Hans Stuck in the Louwman Museum

The courses were very different. From the long climbs in the Alps to short tracks in England, which are now all privately owned. Even the Netherlands has had a hill climb. Near Vaals, for several years a climb was held that was part of the national championship. In the 1960s, hill climbs were a normal part of, for example, the touring car championships, which for the rest were held on circuits.

The most obvious cars to win a hill climb were of course Grand Prix cars and, after 1950, F1 cars. However, right after the Second World War there was no longer a championship for this type of vehicle. For a high starting fee, F1 cars were sometimes still present, especially in Switzerland. Since 1955, car races had been banned in that country (as a consequence of the aftermath of the disaster at Le Mans that year), but hill climbs were allowed. This way, the Swiss could still see the real Grand Prix machines.

The second golden age of hill climbs was the 1960s. Several manufacturers, Ferrari, Porsche, BMW and Abarth, competed for glory. Well-known courses from that era included Mt. Ventoux (F), Ollon-Villars and Sierre-Crans-Montana (CH), Rossfeld (D) and Trento Bondone (I). All of them were long and very demanding. The cars that contested this championship were, by regulation, limited to a maximum engine capacity of 2 liters (without turbo), were featherlight (around 450 kg) and had a maximum output of 250 hp. Porsche used eight-cylinder engines, while Ferrari even bored out its "old" twelve-cylinder Formula 1 engines from the early 1960s to 2 liters. BMW and Abarth used the more traditional 4-cylinder power units.

An Italian brand that was very successful in this discipline was Abarth. This brand specialized in touring cars and small sports cars and was very successful with them. Malicious tongues claimed that the engines were tuned so highly that longer distances (than a hill climb) would already be too much!

Besides the previously mentioned Stuck (who was also active after WWII), there have not been very many "well known" drivers who could call themselves "King of the Hill." The Germans Rolf Stommelen and Gerhard Mitter (Germany) and Luduvicio Scarfiotti (Italy) made it to Formula 1, but there were not many more than that.

This article may give the impression that this is a typically European event. That is not entirely true. In America there is the climb of Pikes Peak, which is partly unpaved. The record has recently been held by Sebastian Loeb.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a quality event, we would consider that an unmissable opportunity!

Peter Helbach