12 replies to this topic

[NC Ghost Hunter]

Not really a track but a historic hill climb that was run from the base of Chimney Rock Park to the upper parking lot. From 1957 - 1995 the King of the Hill was held 50 times. Through the years the course was shortened from 2.7 to 1.8 miles. The race met its demise due to ecological, safety and liability reasons.

Edited by NC Ghost Hunter, 08 July 2010 - 00:05.

[D-Type]

I've never heard of this one (which doesn't surprise me at all).

Where is it? Australia? USA? Ireland?

No profile so not even a clue!

/rant over

[David Shaw]

I put up with the physical strain of typing chimney rock park into Google and found it was in North Carolina. Looks very interesting.

[Bob Riebe]

It was written up in some of the national racing rags back when road racing truly big-time and popular.

[kayemod]

No profile so not even a clue!

New rant.

Why won't people fill in their bloody profiles?

How could any of us possibly answer half a query like this one?

Inconsiderate isn't an adequate word to describe this, there's a vast amount of knowledge here, but none of us are mindreaders.

[URY914]

This was a very popular event in the Southeastern SCCA clubs. I knew of several guys from Florida that would make the trek.

Edited by URY914, 08 July 2010 - 22:13.

[MCS]

My wife and I made the top in 1991 and had our sandwiches perched on the rocks up there, admiring the view.

A few snakes were in evidence on the way back down!

[Sunbeam74]

I lived in Nashville, Tennessee and remember hearing about this event growing up. It sounded like a great event. I knew of a few people that would travel from the mid-tenn area to run.

I just did a quick search of the internet hoping to find some images:

http://www.historicm...om/tidwell.html

I couldn't find any details on when they started running there.

Steve

Edited by Sunbeam74, 09 July 2010 - 22:19.

[Jack-the-Lad]

The race met its demise due to ecological, safety and liability reasons.

So typical of things in the US...afraid we might run over a mouse or get ourselves hurt while exercising our free will to risk our own necks if we wish to. /rant

Jack

[Jerry Entin]

A regular overall winner at Chimney Rock in the early sixties was J. Frank Harrison of Chattanooga, who had access to good equipment thanks to the profits generated by his Coca-Cola bottling plant.

Harrison was first overall four times: November 1961 [Cooper FJ], May 1962 [Cooper FJ], November 1962 [1.5-liter Lola FL] and May 1963 [1.5-liter Lola FL]. In December 1963 he went off the mountain with his 1.65-liter Lola FL. His last appearance came in April 1964, when he crashed the same car just past the starting line in the rain.


all research Willem Oosthoek

[dwh43scale]

We visited Chimney Rock three years ago while on an holiday taking in Petit Le Mans and Charlotte Nascar. Didn't know about it's motor sport heritage, but it does make sense. We were surprised at the lack of fences and safety features we'd expect (but prefer not) to see in the UK. We were told that was because it was privately owned.

[d15b2]

I attended at least five events at The Rock, including the last.

The park was privately owned and they hosted annual spring and fall events. The owners desperately tried to balance hosting the hillclimb with the rest of its' customer base - most of whom had little knowledge or interest in automotive competitions. Runs were regularly halted so tour busses could take non-race visitors back and forth to the top of the mountain, which was focal point of the park. Eventually, the owners decided the hillclimb interfered too much with normal business activities and the event was halted. Yes, there were some environmental issues, too.

It was a shame the racing was stopped as the little village of Chimney Rock really came alive on race weekends. The town embraced the event and eagerly welcomed the crowds; it seemed nearly every business displayed some sort of welcome-banner for race fans. Speaking from personal experience, the town was well rewarded for its' hospitality.

The park owners also hosted the Hillfall, an event that featured gravity-powered contraptions that raced precariously down the hill. Any who thought the climb was intimidating would have thought running down it as madness.

Edit: The park was used prominently in the movie production of "The Last of the Mohicans", c. 1992. The harrowing cliffside trail scenes filmed in the final portions of the movie featured the raison d'etre for the park. Aside from the spire named Chimney Rock, those trails looped around the top of the park and provided access to spectacular views of the gorge and nearby Lake Lure - if one was atheletic and brave. Visitor safety seemed almost an after-thought as precipitous drop-offs were common on the hike.

The trails mimiced the Hillclimb; daunting and thrilling.

Edited by d15b2, 11 July 2010 - 08:30.

[Rupertlt1]

Scott Repeats Victory

In Chimney Climb

CHIMNEY ROCK, N. C.—John

Scott won his second consecu-

tive Chimney Rock Hill Climb,

establishing a new course record

of 2:09.144.

The Columbia, S. C,, veteran

topped his own 1966 record of

2:10.5 by more than a second

in his 350 horsepower Ford

Cobra.

Close behind Scott was Ted

Tidwell of Augusta, Ga., in a

rear engine Zink Formula B.

Tidwell's best time was 2:10.757,

and a new Formula B record.

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Monday 21 April 1969, Page 32

 

RGDS RLT 

Edited by Rupertlt1, 23 September 2021 - 05:35.