A favorite motorsports tradition returns to Logan County this weekend, as the 8th Annual Bellefontaine Hill Climb Revival revs up Corkscrew Hill along County Road 28 near Zanesfield Saturday, Aug. 22.
The Bellefontaine Hill Climb began in 1953 and ran until 1974. The gas crisis of 1974 and 1975 resulted in the event being suspended.
There were efforts to revive the Hill Climb in 1977 and 1978. However, there would not be another Hill Climb race until 2019 when the Bellefontaine Hill Climb Revival began.
Saturday’s time trials on Corkscrew Hill take place from approximately 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Then, a parade of Packard cars from America’s Packard Museum in Dayton will lead the performance cars into downtown Bellefontaine for a 5 p.m. display in front of the Holland Theatre.
Area residents can check out all of the vintage and specialty vehicles during the car show and awards party that follows from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the theater on east Columbus Avenue.
The revival races are spearheaded by Kurt Niemeyer, who had been a long-time member of the Sports Car Club of America, the Logan County History Center reports.
A Cincinnati resident, Niemeyer raced for many years and served as editor of several car magazines. His family was involved with the creation of the Western Ohio Region of the Sportscar Club of America and his aunt and uncle served as chairs for the Hill Climb in the 1950’s.
Tech inspections took place Friday afternoon at the Logan County History Center. (HISTORY CENTER PHOTO)
Many vintage and specialty automobiles are part of this year’s Bellefontaine Hill Climb Revival, pictured during Friday’s tech inspection at the Logan County History Center. Area residents can also get into the spirit of the Hillclimb by visiting the car show planned in front of the Holland Theatre this evening. (HISTORY CENTER PHOTO)
Although he did not attend any of the Hill Climb events as a child, he did have many fond memories of the stories his family recounted. About 2014, Niemeyer was on his way to a race reunion in Put-In-Bay when he decided to drive through Bellefontaine and up Corkscrew Hill.
After seeing where the great Hill Climb races had taken place in person, he knew he had to revive one of the most challenging races in Ohio, according to the history center reports.
After five years of hard work and planning, Niemeyer’s dream was achieved. The first annual Bellefontaine Hill Climb Revival took place Aug. 23–25, 2019. Most of the cars that entered the race were built before 1974. Entries included Porsche, Austin-Healey, MG, Fiat, Jaguar, Triumph, Camaro, Corvette and a Shelby Mustang.
For Saturday's hill climb, cars are divided into production, modified, and full-race classes, with scoring based on engine displacement.
To keep within the spirit of the vintage sport car exhibition, the majority of participating cars were manufactured prior to 1985. These cars are examples of what would run today if the Bellefontaine Hill Climb had continued through the decades unabated.
Organizers also allow a limited number of newer vehicles to participate in a special exhibition class with prior approval.
Competitors are required to have previous motorsports experience, such as autocross, rally, road racing or time trials. Vehicles must also pass a safety inspection prior to participating.
The Bellefontaine Hill Climb Revival is organized by Sports Car Preservation LTD. For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/Bellefontainehillclimb.
