Hillclimb

What do you get when you combine the wide-open acceleration of drag racing with a rough-and-rutted uphill trail like you might encounter in a hare scramble? A hillclimb!

Hillclimb competition essentially is a drag race up the face of a steep hill, with each rider allowed at least two attempts. The winner is the rider who reaches the top of the hill in the shortest time.  

Some hills are speed hills, where most riders make it to the top, and the quickest elapsed time determines the winner. Other hills are more technical challenges, where few riders reach the summit, and the distance a competitor covers determines where the rider places. 

Each summer the AMA sanctions the AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship, an event that brings together hundreds of the nation’s best amateur hillclimbers, who converge on one of America’s most challenging hills to battle for AMA Number 1 plates. As with most AMA grand championships, and in recognition of the range of participants in amateur competition, the event includes multiple classes to provide ample opportunity for amateur racers to compete. Both age-, displacement- and bike-configuration classes are offered.  

In addition to the AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship, the AMA also sanctions many local hillclimb events across the country where riders meet to battle for bragging rights, trophies, district or state awards and pro-am purses.

Hill Climb
Photo by Zayne Watson

Championship and Premier Events

Claim: Injured motorcyclists are uninsured and disproportionately rely upon the public to pay for their injuries.

Response: Motorcyclists are just as likely to be privately insured as any other road user.

A medical center study1 reported that injured motorcyclists in the trauma center relied on public funds a lower percentage of the time than did automobile drivers to pay their hospital bills during the same time period.

A university study2 reported that automobile drivers and motorcyclists have their medical costs covered by insurance at a nearly identical rate.

Conclusion: Injured motorcyclists are less likely than the general population to use public funds to pay for injuries sustained in crashes, and no more likely to be uninsured than other vehicle operators.

Each summer, working with a top AMA-chartered promoter, the AMA sanctions the AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship. The event features hundreds of the nation’s best amateur hillclimbers, who converge on one of America’s most challenging hills to battle for AMA national championships.

As with most AMA grand championships, and in recognition of the range of participants in amateur competition, the event includes multiple classes to provide ample opportunity for amateur racers to compete. Both age-, displacement- and bike-configuration classes are featured.

2024 AMA Hill Climb Grand Championship: August 2nd- August 4th, 2024. Red Wing, Minnesota.

AMA-Sanctioned Events