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Bank holiday Monday and I find myself with the Holy Grail at my disposal – free time! The wife is at the pit face and the kids are happy with the neighbours. So I sloped off with a fellow biker (Red Leader ~ BMW R1100S), and headed for the Red Marley “Freak” Hill Climb held at Great Witley near where I live here in Worcestershire.
This is an event for pre-1971 scramble and grass track bikes and involves their riders have a desperate lunge at a grassy, muddy and grassy ¼ mile long hill that gets progressively steeper closer to the top and also boasts a series of yumps to add to the fun.
Midland legend Len Vale Onslow originally ran the event from 1938 until 1971. It was resurrected for the millennium in 2000 and has been growing in popularity year on year with over 150 competing this year.The bikes were split into 4 classes;
1. pre 1950 RIGID Frame
2. pre 1971 up to 350cc
3. pre 1970over 350cc
4. All comersThe heats were run with 4 bikes in each race, with the 1st and 2nd place bikes making through to the next round until there were only the final 4 left in the last race.
Simple enough, and in truth I wasn’t really expecting much. However I had a great time and there were some fantastic bikes in all the classes. Some of the pre 1950 stuff looked like it had been dragged out the canal, in particular a 1931 Norton, but this confounded everybody by making its way through several rounds, and storming the final in it’s class, and doing respectably well in the Class 4 competition too. There was also a 1930 water cooled Scott twin, the spiritual Grandad of the Yamaha LC being chucked up the Hill. Looked to good to be treated like that!
Some of the guys competing were not exactly in the first flush of youth either, and one was 70! He is a great bloke who runs a small, but very friendly bike shop in Stourport-on-Severn. If you ever visit the town check out Alec Dorrell Motorcycles, it is a refreshing counterpoint to the glittering, but bland modern bike showroom.
For the morning practice I stood by the start line at the bottom of the Hill. The sound was spine tingling as up to 50 or 60 bikes all lined up to take turns ant hammering up the Hill. The smell of Castrol R hung deliciously in the air. The two stroke air-cooled Husqvarnas and CZs just sounded wild as they exploded away from the start line with a great triangle of mud spewed from the back wheel as they fish tailed and fought for grip as the rider wrenched the throttle to stop. Big 500cc+ British singles and twins roared through open exhausts. They could have made a DVD of the row and sold it. Fantastic!
The Class 1 and 2 events were good fun and the pace built as the slower riders were gradually eliminated, but the real action was in the 3rd class. I walked the pits and there was some beautifully prepared machinery competing. Everything on the bikes was functional, basic, and tough. Some were so immaculate it seemed a shame to race them up the hill and get them plastered in mud and glass.
It was in Class 3 where the racing was really close from the early heats. The spectacle of four bikes roaring up the hill in some cases handlebar to handlebar, leaping from crest to crest was one that will live me for years to come. One bike caught my eye in particular, a muscular and brutal 1,000cc V twin shovel head Harley bearing the appropriate number 666. It even made its first run up the Hill in heat 13! Now I hate Harleys, but this thing sounded like a World War Two vintage fighter flying low every time it went up the hill and, unbelievably, the Harley went on to thwart several handy looking Brit bikes before eventually going out late on in the proceedings.
By now we had started heading up the hill and Red Leader come across some other of his mates, including one lad who been a pretty handy racer in the mid 90’s on a ZXR750. Once about half way up the hill and we settled here with this crowd to watch the competition hot up. They knew a couple of people racing and one of these in particular a lad called Pope aboard a Triumph engined Cheney framed special. He was seriously quick and spectacular over the lumps. In fact in most heats he thrashed the opposition pretty much completely, with his speciality being a really huge lunge from the last yump that dam nearly carried him over the finish line in a single bound!
But another few were flying up the hill too and after a surprise elimination in the semi-final of “King of the Hill” Terry Challiner on a Triumph Matisse bearing race No1, the final race saw Pope lined up against a Cheney framed BSA, another Cheney framed special but with a howling Jawa motor and the reigning champion (Arthur Browning) also riding a two stroke Jawa but this time in a Metisse frame.
All four launched as one from the starting line but Pope got dropped slightly as he got forced off the best line. However he came back strongly in the middle part of the course and as he hit the final 1/3 of the hill and the yumps he was fighting for second place. Browning on the Jawa was in front, but only a couple bikes lengths, whilst behind the other three were still battling hard. Pope leapt off the final yump in desperate bid to snatch glory, but Browning just held on at the finish to retain his crown. What great racing, the 6,000 strong crowd went home happy for another year, as did I. A great day out for £5!
Sounds like you had a really good day Radar,was there any ice cream vans..LOL…
Take it easy out there
He ‘cone’ tell you that Digger. £5 for a ‘Fab’ day out like that sounds like not a lot of ‘lolly’. Did the winner get a ‘Magnum’ of champagne?
I could go on for hours. Shout me on the next one Radar, sounds great.
Great report Radar, I knew you should be a journalist, its a shame that all the rags youv’e written to won’t give you a chance; and all because the interviewees at such events complained about a stiff neck looking down all the time whilst being interviewed!
Seriously though Radar, brill report, sounds really good fun. Give us a shout on the next one too! (Note to self: Must buy myself a ‘scratch n’sniff’ monitor)
Be seen and be Safe!
I have been a couple of times now and was toying with idea of getting a few people to go together in 2009
Looks good – I’ll consult my social secretary.
Vid from last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz2BHmV3WBoquote:
Originally posted by katanaLooks good – I’ll consult my social secretary.
Vid from last year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz2BHmV3WBoOK bud, be good if we could get a few together for this
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