 |
| Kobus Reyneke Photo |
Hill climbs are an early form of motorsports, competing to determine which car is the most powerful and which driver is the most skillful (or maybe more daring). MG
gained its reputation as THE sports car in the early 1930s with successes on
race tracks and hill climbs.
One of my favorite MG photos is
the one of Doreen Evans running the BOC Hill Climb at Chalfont St. Peter in
1935. Doreen Evans was a successful MG
race driver on both closed circuits and hill climbs. The photographer caught her exiting a corner and
heading up the following straight section of the climb. She has her throttle foot on the floor with
the rear end stepping out in an oversteer, opposite lock applied, the overhead-cam
engine screaming, dual rear knobby tires digging for traction, tossing rocks rearward. I can feel the car slide, hear the engine
rev, and my right foot stays planted.
The adrenaline rushes.
I wanted that experience. So, I did.
Hill climbs do not happen in Florida, our home state. There are no mountains of sufficient size to provide the steep challenge. So, a long trip to Vermont was planned to race a historic hill climb, begun in 1950, Mt. Equinox. The photo at the top of the page is of Glen driving Angie near the summit of the mountain, completing a run up the mountain.
Vermont is a beautiful place with the very green White Mountains. With such a long trip, time was taken to enjoy the surrounding areas. Of course, a beginning was to explore Mt. Equinox at a leisurely pace using the tow truck for transportation. There are gorgeous views from the road up the mountain.
Before the road was paved, it passed over the top of Little Mt. Equinox, the prominent mound to the left. The first races here were even more challenging than today.
This area is a vacation destination, so why not make it one. An old inn, very close to the mountain, was selected for the atmosphere. Breakfast was included, but do not think of one of the modern hotel preprepared, barely edible breakfasts. This inn had their own chicken coop. Farm fresh eggs every day, offered in many different preparations. A warm, relaxed start to each day.
And, the inn provided a great place to end the day. Without the hill climb, a visit here would still be most enjoyable. But, back to the cars and the hill climb, the reason for this trip.
Race cars are stressed to the maximum, and sometimes beyond. Things break. While waiting for the first run up the mountain, Angie fractured a rocker arm. The exhaust valve in #4 cylinder no longer opening, the engine began backfiring and running very rough. Could have been the end of the weekend before the first run up the mountain was completed. Not having a spare rocker arm made it look like the trip home might be early.
The atmosphere at the Mt. Equinox Hill Climb is very welcoming. More camaraderie than competition. One of the other MG T-Series entrants had an entire rocker arm assembly and offered it to the cause. Other competitors pitched in and repairs were made before the second run up the mountain began.
A call to the grid is given and cars move to the parking lot in front of the visitors' center building. Looking at this photo, you can see that the VSCCA runs true vintage events. Cars are limited to 1960 and earlier, with a few select cars up to 1965 added. It was a perfect event for Angie, our 1955 MGTF. There were four T-Series MGs entered, a TC, a TD, and another MGTF, also from Florida.
A grid steward works from a list of run times up the mountain to organize the cars so that cars of similar times are started in sequence. The run up the mountain is a lone task, one car at a time. If a very fast car starts a minute behind a slower car, the fast car might catch up to the earlier starter.
Then, to the gate that admits visitors to Skyline Drive, the road up the mountain. The starter, watching the clock to appropriately space the cars, drops the green flag to begin each car's run up the mountain.
 |
Kobus Reyenke Photo
|
Finally, the few minutes that all the work has gone toward, the run up the mountain. The road to the summit creates
many different challenges in addition to the horsepower-sapping steep
hill. It rises 3248 feet in 5.2 miles of
road. There is a downhill decreasing
radius, off-camber corner, quite unexpected when one is expecting to face an
upward-sloping road. There are many
tight hairpin corners, some back-to-back.
The section known as “The Saddle” is breathtaking. The Saddle is a concave area between two
summits. As you approach the first
summit, after a straight that has allowed you to gain considerable speed, all
that can be seen is the sky. It is
difficult to keep the right foot planted when it appears that you are running
off the top of the mountain.
 |
| Kobus Reyenke Photo |
 |
| Kobus Reyneke Photo |
Finally, the race car reaches the top of the mountain, trips the electronic timer, and receives the checkered flag. The run up the mountain is finished. A short race, but an adrenaline-fueled trip that allows no big mistakes.
 |
| Kobus Reyneke Photo |
 |
| Kobus Reyneke Photo |
The cars gather at the top of the mountain, waiting for the last car to make the run up the mountain. Then the cars make the trip back to the bottom as a group. The break provides some time to share stores, troubleshoot issues on the car, and have some good camaraderie.
The goal of experiencing a mountain climb, one of the competitive events that helped make MG's reputation as "the" sportscar, has been accomplished. The sanctioning body that organized the races, Vintage Sports Car Club of America, did an excellent job. The event ran smoothly in every aspect. All of the competitors were welcoming creating a very positive and fun atmosphere. It was a great event.
