In the heart of Buckinghamshire Country, deep in the British countryside, the Kop Hill Climb is among the most historic of all road races. The first race was held in 1910 as a test of machinery on the unpaved, winding road up the tallest local hill. The course begins gently, but the mid-section is a 1-in-6 grade (17%), and steepens to 1-in4 at the end (25%), which seemed nearly insurmountable in those early years of single-speeders with slipping belt drives.A 1922 shot of DF Fitzgerald on a Norton 16H with sidecar – look at that crowd! And the lack of spectator barriers on the rough dirt road…[The Motor Cycle]Over the 15 years of its original existence, many famous names competed, on many long-gone marques, once bathed in glory from such competition – Duzmo, Motosacoche, Zenith, Douglas, etc. By the early 1920s, he event became more a speed trial than endurance run, as machinery grew multiple gears and respectable horsepower, and riders like Freddie Dixon, the original Iron Man, flew up the final steep section, catching big air at the top of the hill, setting record times. A variety of events, car and motorcycle, were held on this lonely stretch of road, including local owner’s clubs, University racing teams (Oxford seemed especially keen), and allcomers races.Freddie Dixon on one of his own creations – a Works racing Douglas TT Model 500cc flat-twin with tuned OHV engine, here being aviated at the top of the hill. [The Motor Cycle]As the power of vehicles increased by the 1920s, the skill of the rider/driver became critical, and with no ‘test’ for entrants, the quality of some competitors was sub-par, and accidents drew negative attention from both press and government. By 1925, Kop Hill was in a precarious spot, and an accident that year – a spectator refused to move from an unsafe spot and was struck by a car, breaking his leg – put an end not only to this event, but all racing on public roads in Britain. Kop Hill was thus the last race held on a public road, and sprints/hillclimbs moved onto sympathetic private estates for the next half century.Plenty of women raced too; this is Mrs. DeLissa on a Ladies’ Model Motosacoche in 1913. Her husband was the British importer for Motosacoche in those early years. [The Motor Cycle]Kop Hill was revived in 2009 as a non-competitive ‘parade’, and this year saw over 400 historic cars and motorcycles tackling the famous hill, and many more displayed in the paddock. Vehicles range in age from the early 1900’s to modern day exotics, and included the amazing crowd-puller Napier-Railton from the Brooklands Museum. This huge 24 litre, two-ton goliath is an awesome sight, and with a top speed of over 165mph, it had no trouble on the hill. Another star was the 1922 Isle of Man TT winning Sunbeam Grand Prix car, joined by a replica of the 1936 6.7L Cummins-Railton Special, the Napier-Railton, and the 1922 7.2L Leyland-Thomas No.1 recreation.The immortal Bert LeVack in 1920, here with a Duzmo-JAP single. LeVack was the development engineer for JAP, and later Motosacoche. [The Motor Cycle]Kop Hill is a charity event, and in addition to the stunning machinery, there’s a challenge for the local school kids on a ‘soap box’ circuit, where future motoring stars can cut their teeth under the guidance of motoring legends such as Paddy Hopkirk, a regular supporter of the Kop Hill event. Youngsters (and oldsters) can also ride a traditional steam-powered Merry-Go-Round and a Helter-Skelter. Charity stalls, food, bars and the famous ‘Wall of Death’ stunt riders make this a low-key alternative to Goodwood in September.A 1932 Scott Flying Squirrel smokes off the line. [Colin West]Amongst the motorcycles this year was a stunning Brough Model W flat-twin (featured on TheVintagent.com), which was recreated from the 1922 drawings by Dave Clark, after he sourced the original engine – it’s a unique machine. Richard Duffin was seen to abuse the rear tyre of his 1932 Scott before disappearing up the hill in a cloud of smoke, closely followed by a gun-toting Alastair Flanagan on his 1944 Harley WLA in full military livery. Amongst the various two-strokes were two extremes of the Scott design with a 1977 Silk 70ss ridden by George Silk and a 1929 two-speeder Scott Super Squirrel ridden by Bob Woodman. For fans of historic cars and motorcycles being used ‘as the maker intended’, Kop Hill is an event in rare company.The aero-engined Napier-Railton from the Brooklands Museum. [Colin West]Art is where you find it; the gearshift gate on the Napier-Railton. [Colin West]Thundering Land Speed Racers at Kop Hill. [Colin West]Dave Clarke’s astonishing W.E.Brough flat-twin racer re-creation. [Colin West]The business department of a 1922 Sunbeam 8-cylinder 3L DOHC motor. [Colin West]Quieter rides are available too. [Colin West]The event originally included plenty of touring cars, although this Frazer Nash ‘Byfleet’ was a hot rod. [Colin West]1920; a Mr Wallace rides a Duzmo with very wide handlebars, as Dr. Archibald Low officiates. Low was later known for his rocket-powered motorcycle experiments! [The Motor Cycle]1914 competitors; Ms Berend and Ms.Davies sheltering from a deluge that year. I presume Ms Davies was the daughter of ‘Ixion’, the famous writer for The Motor Cycle, and author of ‘Motorcycle Reminiscence’ and ‘Motorcycle Cavalcade’, both of which are fascinating accounts of coping with very early motorcycles, from a talented writer. [The Motor Cycle]Not a Ladies’ Model – the 17 year old daughter of Cyril Pullin, one of the first women to gain a motorcycle license in Britain, aboard a hotrod Zenith-JAP with a 2.5hp OHV racing engine. Read about her father’s motorcycle projects here. In the early years, the rider was weighed as well as the bike. This is the 1913 weigh-in. [The Motor Cycle]A Distinguished Gentleman – H.V. Colver in 1913 aboard a rare v-twin 2 3/4hp Royal Enfield with all-chain drive. [The Motor Cycle]1910: W.A. Cooper on a 3.5hp Bradbury at speed. [The Motor Cycle]1910: B.A. Hill on a 2 3/4hp Douglas – looks lonely! [The Motor Cycle]The Soap Box Derby was a hit with future road racers. [Colin West]Youngest on oldest – a 1900 Singer bolt-on motorized wheel. [Colin West]
Colin, that looks like so much fun! I’d love to join you there someday. Thanks for sharing your words/pics. Even though it is a non-competitive event, are the vehicles timed during their runs?
Sadly – no the event is not timed, though in a way it opens it up to more people entering as there is no pressure to do anything but enjoy it. Glad you liked the snaps – Montlhery is a fun place too – I saw some of your photos.
Colin
Colin, Many thanks for a very interesting story and wonderful old photos. Any truth to the rumor that Paul fell off the end of the world?
Cortez in Virginia
Cortez, yes nearly. Just a very busy man, although I’m sure you see my hand in this post! It was fun researching the vintage photos and history.
great 1933 Napier-Railton 24L aero-engine beast
Paul/Pete,
Steve here from the Isle of Man, came on some of the VOCNA summer runs a few years ago.
Love your site, read it regularly.
re the Kop hill-climb, I shall be taking 16 members of our Vintage MCC to Harrogate (North Yorkshire) this summer and to commemorate the 1928 ISDT which was held in that town will be resurrecting some of the ISDT activities of the day – hopefully including a hill-climb.
It will be an amateurish affair and we may liven up the results by building in handicaps for age of bike and rider etc, but it will certainly be fun. I shall report back and look forward to meeting up with you again if you ever come across to England,
Cheers, Steve
What a magnificent article, we’d like to say a huge well done and thank you from all of us at the Kop Hill Climb Festival for bringing our heritage to life in such a wonderful way.
Thank you sincerely 🙂