BEAUTIFUL MT ASCUTNEY, AUTUMN AND SPORTSCARS

MOUNT ASCUTNEY AUTOSPORT HILL CLIMB

The roar of  the engines, the smell of exhaust … it is all around the campground this weekend.  It’s the Mount Ascutney hillclimb weekend!

Mt Ascutney State Park hosts two autosport hill climbs a season; one in the spring and one in the fall.  The three New England clubs; Killington Sports Car Club, Sports Car Club of New Hampshire and Sports Car Club of Vermont hold the events at ski areas and stat parks throughout the summer.  Venues include Okemo Ski Area, Ascutney, Burke, Bolton Valley and Philo. 

Speeds on these hills range from 20-30 mph in hairpin turns and 80+ on straightaways.  An experienced driver can average 60 mph.  We can really appreciate this as we clear the road at night averaging about 20 mph!

FATHER & SON PROJECT ... NASCAR CHASSIE

 This is a family affair.  Many cars are worked on by father and son; family and friends are camping here over the weekend and enjoying the beautiful autumn weather that has finally arrived.  Everyone works together, even if they are competing with each other, to help prepare or fix the cars and tow rigs into the area.   

CHECKING THE TIRES....GETTING ADVICE

It's a party.  It's fun.  You can feel it in the air.  Everyone is having a good time.  Since this is a points series race, these guys hang out all summer at the various venues.

THE EYES HAVE IT!  MIATA

TOYLET ... MG MIDGET WITH MR2 ENGINE!

 RUNS ON A MOTORCYCLE 1 LTR ENGINE

CALL ME A GIRL...BUT I LIKE THE WAY HIS HELMET MATCHES HIS LETTERING!!  BMW

It is a timed race so the cars go up every minute or so, but eventually some car will be passing another car.  There can be up to three cars on the road, and once you’ve driven the mountain road, you appreciate how that must feel!

SAGE WISDOM OF A HILLCLIMBER

Any time is infinitely faster than a DNF (did not finish)

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Workers yelling and waving flags at you are not cheering you on!

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Brakes and steering don't work while the wheels are in the air.

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If you find yourself sitting in a car that is on its roof your run is done. Trying to talk workers into quickly rolling you over so you can continue isn't going to work.

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When things are going really well beware. Ask anyone who crashed hard. They were having their best run ever just before they left the road.

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In an Autocross you get time penalties for going off course. In hillclimbs we don't bother with time penalties since the rocks, trees, ditches, etc. usually take care of this automatically. The penalties are measured in dollars instead of seconds.
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It's always better to be at the top of the hill wishing you went a little faster than being part way up wishing you went a little slower.
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When in doubt about a corner, slow down. We haven't pulled many drivers out of the woods who said they went too slow through the previous corner. We have pulled out many who mistook sharp turn for a small bend.
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Holding the accelerator down makes corners appear as if by magic. Sometimes they appear in places you have never seen them before.

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A "good" run is one you make it to the top. A "great" run is one you make it to the top and have fun doing it.
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Faster is not the same as quicker.
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FIRST LEARN TO FINISH…..THEN TO FINISH QUICKER!

WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG