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Europe

Hillclimbs in continental Europe are usually held on courses which are several kilometres long, taking advantage of the available hills and mountains including the Alps. The most prestigious competition is the FIA European Hill Climb Championship.

British Isles

In the British Isles, the format is different from that in other parts of Europe, with courses being much shorter - more akin to uphill sprints - and almost always taking under one minute for the fastest drivers to complete. For this reason, cars and drivers do not generally cross between the British and continental European championships.

In Britain, hillclimbing is considered a spectator sport, and the most prestigious events, such as those that form part of the British Hill Climb Championship, often attract several thousand enthusiasts to the hills. All the courses in Great Britain are situated on private land, but some events in the Channel Islands and Northern Ireland are held on closed public roads. Track lengths are traditionally quoted in yards: the longest hillclimb course used in the British Championship is Harewood at 1583 yards (1447 metres), and the shortest is Val des Terres at 850 yards (777 metres).

A notable feature of hillclimbing is the very wide variety of vehicles used for competition. Both cars and motorcycles (including sidecars) take part in the sport, and in the case of cars these range from almost standard machines (sometimes driven to and from the tracks) with the only modifications being those required on grounds of safety, right through to specially-built single-seater racing cars. Classic and vintage cars are also very popular in hillclimbing. Generally there are separate meetings for cars and bikes, but occasionally both appear at the same event.

There is a system of classes which groups cars into broadly similar categories. For example, the classes for "Racing Cars" (ie single-seaters) are divided into those for cars with engine capacities of under 600cc, 600-1100cc, 1100-1600cc, 1600-2000cc and over 2000cc. The cars in the unlimited capacity class often use engines from, or derived from, Formula One cars, and occasionally F1 cars themselves have competed. Drivers entered for the British Hill Climb Championship may qualify for a "run-off" at the end of each set of class runs, and it is here that BHCC points are scored.

It is common for two drivers, often but not always related, to share the same car at a hillclimb. Such entries are known as "dual-driven" (or, occasionally, "double-driven") cars. Usually drivers considered the slower in such partnerships will make the climb first, before the bulk of the class for which they have been entered. This therefore allows their companions to make their ascent within the same time frame as the competitors, to ensure similar track conditions. Other than this, there is no special consideration for drivers in dual-driven cars, and both drivers count their results (and, if appropriate, score points) individually.

Major hillclimbs in the British Isles

Sweden

In Sweden, hillclimb events are run along different lines, with dirt bikes and four-wheel drive machines literally driving up the side of a roadless hill.

Switzerland

Motor racing was banned in Switzerland in the aftermath of the fatal collision between cars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1955. However, this prohibition does not extend to events where drivers do not compete against each other directly on the track, but only indirectly via the clock. Events such as rallies and hillclimbs are popular, including the FIA European Hill Climb Championship.

United States

Most American hillclimbs take place on long mountain courses, and in many cases spectators are either banned or heavily restricted for safety or insurance reasons. The most famous hillclimb in the US is that held at Pikes Peak, Colorado. This event has been entered by many internationally renowned drivers, perhaps most famously world rally champion Ari Vatanen.

The "Climb to the Clouds" hillclimb on the 7.4-mile course up the Mount Washington Auto Road at Mount Washington, New Hampshire is the oldest motorsport event in North America, and was first run in 1904. However, this climb has been held only sporadically since 1961.

New Zealand

The premiere hillclimb event on the New Zealand motor racing calendar is the Queenstown, New Zealand based "Race to the Sky". It attracts a number of international competitors and is a major draw for local and foreign motor racing enthusiasts.

Held every Easter since 1998 it starts from the floor of the Cardrona Valley and runs uphill for 15 kilometres through 137 corners to the top, climbing from 1,500 ft to 5,000 ft averaging a 1:11 gradient.

The driver with the greatest number of "Race to the Sky" outright wins (6) is Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, driving his custom built Suzuki hillclimb special vehicle.