Kop Hill Climb

[Words: Colin West and Paul d’Orléans]

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.