Hi Mike,
Hillclimb racing is an extremely intense race for the driver – a race against the clock on a narrow, steep, winding road with an average length of between 1.5 and 3km. The goal is simple – fastest time wins. There is an extremely diverse range of cars competing, from Fiat Cinquecento to Formula racing cars. The Championship is Nationwide, competing on some of the most scenic stretches of road in the country.
I believe the best way to show you our sport in Europe is to ask you to watch some of the following Highlights video of the recent Masters event in Czech Republic. The first couple of minutes is a brief promo of the event and then you’ll spot the Irish team near the end, 27min 40sec in. Link to MASTERS VIDEO
Overall this video should give you an idea of the scale of this sport across Europe. Hillclimb Racing across europe has large crowds lining the roads and filling the towns where the events are based.
Hillclimb cars to tend to stand out due to standout power:weight ratios and BHP, far higher than those of F1 for example. In Ireland our sport remains largely unrestricted, resulting in some incredible spectacles. The following link is to highlights of the Irish Hillclimb Championship. Sit close and enjoy this short 2016 Irish Hillclimb Intro Clip. While the roads and cars we use are a rare combination, it is the atmosphere within hillclimbing which I believe makes it unique. Whether it is at the World Championship or an Irish Hillclimb, the friendships and welcome are evident.
2012 Irish Champion Sylvie Mullins competes in his Gould single seater on Corkscrew Hillclimb, Co. Clare.
My 2016 involvement: I was Ireland Team Captain for the recent FIA Hillclimb Masters event, which we were returning from when we met. This event is the biannual World Championships for our sport. I am an advisor on Classes to the National Hillclimb & Sprint Committee. I am part of a 3 person team who took over PR for the discipline 1 year ago. I am also a Class Coordinator for the Cento Challenge, in which I also compete myself, finishing 3rd in Class 1B – the ‘Cento Challenge’. I prepare cars for drivers on my Team, Our 2016 team highlights included that of 2nd and 8th Overall in the National Championship, plus 3 Class Championship wins and 3rd in Class Championship. I suppose you could say I am heavily involved!
I am now looking towards the 2017 season, as we make our PR plan for Irish Hillclimb and also make our competitive plan of attack. Our team is already looking toward qualifying for the 2018 FIA Masters, with just 23 months to go until we start packing!
That’s a glimpse of the sport which we are so passionate about. It even welcomes Porsche…
Billy White
