What's this crazy motorcycle sport?

[LunarOne]

I watch a lot of Youtube, and in the last couple of weeks the algorithm has been feeding me videos of a sport I've never seen before. It seems to consist of Frenchies going up ridiculously steep hills on two-wheeled motorised contraptions (I hesitate to call them motorbikes) with powerful engines and huge, spiked or dished rear wheels. They seem to call them "hill climb" events, but when I search for "motorcycle hill climb UK", I just get results for events which seem like a regular tarmac hillclimb.

Do we have this crazy sport in the UK, and if not, why not? Looks hugely fun, and hugely entertaining and hugely dangerous. Most motorsport generally leaves me completely cold, but this has me gripping the edge of the sofa like some sort of horror film...

[CypSIdders]

Don't know what it's called but they used to show an annual event, from I think Czechoslovakia, on Eurosport, in the early 2000s.
There was a class for modified bikes, but the main event was for crossers, there was also a class for sidecar crossers!

[CypSIdders]

Sorry wrong location it was Austria, Rachau to be precise.
If you search youtube for "Rachau hill climb" you should get some results, they also have a facebook page.

[Export56]

I must admit motorsport leaves me completely cold too, this was entertaining for a about 2 mins, then I paused. The spiked wheels makes it, in the first climb, it almost takes his nadgers off.

[littleredrooster]

If you want to watch it at close quarters, try this

Absolute madness!

[rodericb]

Rad. Up in the mountains, the cool mountain air laced with the smells of burnt exotic fuels and food vendors product, a constant stream of people lining up to take on the hill. It'd be great to go to one of those events.

[slopes]

There is a video on youtube from somewhere in the USA where a guy has an elongated CR500 with an all billet engine and christ on a bike, does it shift

[gareth_r]

As mentioned above, happens in the US as well as Europe.

Similar sport, but not quite as crazy, known as "freak hill climb" in the UK. EDIT: See link to Red Marley in littleredrooster's post above. There are films from the 1930s on youtube.

Edited by gareth_r on Wednesday 21st September 09:43

[airsafari87]

slopes said:

There is a video on youtube from somewhere in the USA where a guy has an elongated CR500 with an all billet engine and christ on a bike, does it shift

Is that the bike that sounds like a top fuel drag car? An absolutely vicious thing.

[markymarkthree]

Pah!!! Sammy Miller would have cleaned that on a Bultaco.

[LunarOne]

Really enjoying this!

[slopes]

airsafari87 said:

slopes said:

There is a video on youtube from somewhere in the USA where a guy has an elongated CR500 with an all billet engine and christ on a bike, does it shift

Is that the bike that sounds like a top fuel drag car? An absolutely vicious thing.

Don't think so, it does sound vicious but sounds like a 2 stroke on steroids and boy does it move. Okay a lot of that is down to the rider too but looks like they spent a lot of money on it

[DodgyGeezer]

also worth looking at the Icelandic hill-climb mob (the driving across water bit is very entertaining too


And then there's insanity like this...

Edited by DodgyGeezer on Monday 24th October 12:23