Background
Information
The National Hill Climb Association is the non-territorial body of the uniquely European racing sport of Tarmac Hill Climb racing on motorbikes. This page gives you a idea of what goes on, what it costs and who to contact if you fancy giving it a try.
The course is a Tarmac surface varying from 400 to 2500 yards in length, usually rising steeply uphill with loads of bends.
The venues cover most of Britain, the NHCA events are mainly, though by no
means solely, in the South. The North of the country has a thriving scene with
a good number of territorial clubs holding well attended and exciting events.
Scotland too has a good number of events. Competitions are also held in other
areas such as the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and France.
The Bikes
The bikes are many and varied. The classes are 0-250cc, 250-350cc, 350-500cc, 500-750cc and 750-1300cc and a class for sidecars and three-wheelers. In addition to the capacity classes there is also the Classic class for pre-1965 bikes and the Road Legal class for, guess what, road legal bikes! This class is designed for the newcomer who wants to "have a go". The people in the road legal class run such things as Yamaha XS400s, Harley Davidsons, Fireblades. In fact just about anything! There are really three four main classes of bikes. Firstly the motocrossers, Honda CR500s etc. that are the very competitive machines. Then there are the specials, all sorts of beautifully put together purpose built machines. The vintage/classic bikes are beautiful to listen to, and the road legal machines are the cheapest to put on the Hill, and not necessarily the slowest!
The riders are as varied as the bikes. Young to old, big to small, fast to slow, all sorts of people. I myself am a civil servant, but we have farmers, doctors, computer repairmen, and some I'd rather not mention!
The rules are pretty simple:
As far as the licenses are concerned, at the event you can get a one-day license from the ACU (Auto-Cycle Union) and a one-day membership of the NHCA. This will cost you about a tenner! If you like it and want to go further, a full year's NHCA membership and a year's ACU license will cost you about £55 in total.
After the license there is a cost for competing in the event. This covers your insurance and the club's insurance and costs for running the event. The costs for an event are usually £35-£50
The season runs from the end of March, which usually starts at Hartland Quay in North Devon, and runs through until the beginning of October, which strangely enough is usually at Hartland Quay in North Devon !
Most events are held on a Sunday, with some being Weekend events and some on Bank Holidays.
If you're interested and fancy a go you can contact me by EMAIL
(Remove NOSPAM from the address) or by Phone on 01305 764432 . Alternatively,
send a SAE to the Membership Secretary:
Lin Cooper,
3, Perryfield Road,
Southgate,
Crawley,
Sussex,
RH11 8AA
To download a Word version of the application form, and other forms, click on "Forms" on the navbar on the left. For Event Regulations you can also go to the calendar.
