Historic Kop Hill Climb to be revived in 2009

Kop Hill, Princes Risborough, is one of the oldest Hill Climb venues in England. In the period between 1910 and 1925 Kop Hill, Buckinghamshire, was one of several hill climbs along with Aston Clinton and Shelsley Walsh. This was long before the climb at Prescott was founded in 1938.

Kop Hill, where the first open hill climb was held, was a major event on the motor sports car and motorcycle calendar at that time. Many famous names had runs up the hill including Malcolm Campbell in his 12hp Talbot 'Blue Bird', Raymond Mays (Bugatti), Henry Segrave (2 litre Grand Prix Sunbeam), Count Zborowski (8 cylinder Ballot), and Archie Frazer Nash (GN).

It was after a minor accident on Kop Hill in 1925 that it was decided to ban motor racing on public roads in the UK. At that time, on an open public road, pedestrians could not be restrained from going and standing where they wished and any vehicle had to be given the right of way if they wanted to drive up or down the hill during racing.

There was a revival of the hill climb in 1999, as part of the Risborough Festival, which was organized by the Bean Car Club. The organizers of the 2009 commemorative run plan to replicate the one in 1999 and intend to hold the event on a regular basis in the future.

The commemorative run will be on the weekend of Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th September 2009. The hill will be closed to the public but there will not be any official timing of runs.

Vehicles will be divided into different classes: -

Pre-war Motorcycles
Veteran Motorcars (up to 1918)
Vintage and Post Vintage Motorcars (1918 to 1939)
Classic Motorcars (1940 to 1973)

The organizers are planning for over 300 entrants and priority will be given to vehicles that could have appeared on the hill before 1925. The run plate given as a part of the entrance fee will be a unique memento of the event.

Kop Hill is just short of 1300 yards long and in this distance rises 304 feet. However, at the half way mark there is a gradient of 1 in 6 and near the summit the gradient is 1 in 4, sufficient to test all but the most powerful vehicles. The road surface is smooth and in good condition unlike conditions in 1920’s.

The photograph shows a Morgan breasting the summit in 1925 on a somewhat loose road service. It illustrates the potential dangers from racing on public roads in those times.

For those interested in participating in this historic revival of Kop Hill please refer to www.kophillclimb.org.uk for full details including a PO Box no address to send in entries for the event.