THE HISTORY

In addition to The Climb of period vehicles up Aston Hill and
The Show at the top of the hill, the Centenary will feature a
historic exhibition in the Red Kite Pavilion from 14-17th May
2025 (9.00am to 5.00pm each day) in Aston Clinton Park.
This is to inform children and older enthusiasts about one of
the best-kept secrets in motorsport history, worldwide.
Aston Hill was one of the premier motorsport venues in the
country during the pioneering years of the sport either side of WWI. 

Located in the parish of Aston Clinton on the eastern edge of
Buckinghamshire, Aston Hill was the venue for twenty-nine
Hillclimb competitions, with the first event taking place on 10th
September 1904 and the final event on 28th February 1925.
In the early years of motoring just getting up a hill was a challenge,
and consequently Hillclimb competitions became a popular way
to test the performance of cars and motorcycles, as well as the
skill of their drivers and riders. Then, as the speeds of the
competing vehicles increased, Hillclimb events became even
more challenging and exciting, attracting large crowds to witness
the spectacle. With very few private venues at which motorists and
motorcyclists could compete, organising clubs used short
stretches of public roads to host such events. Aston Hill was one
such road, and it rapidly became one of the most popular. It was
the venue for the annual Herts County Auto & Aero Club Open
Hillclimb, a prestigious competition that attracted high-quality
entries and several thousand spectators. 

Attracted by the fast and challenging course, many notable drivers
and riders of the period competed at Aston Hill and did so with a
wide range of cars and motorcycles that showcased the rapid
development of motor engineering either side of WWI.
The competitor most synonymous with Aston Hill is Lionel Martin,
who not only competed there successfully but also used the venue
to name his company when he established Aston Martin. It is
fitting that, by lending its name to a company that grew into one of
the world’s leading manufacturers of high performance and
competition cars, both the name and spirit of Aston Hill lives on.

Other notable competitors at Aston Hill in period include:
• S.F Edge – motor racing pioneer and Gordon Bennett Cup
race winner
• Dorothy Levitt – Britain’s most successful female racing
driver of the Edwardian era
• Victor Riley – founder of Riley cars
• Percy Kidner – engineer and leader at Vauxhall Motors
either side of WWI
• Freddie Barnes – motorcycle record holder at Brooklands
• W.O. Bentley – founder of Bentley Motors
• Harry Bashall – Isle of Man TT winner
• H.F.S Morgan – founder of Morgan cars
• E.A Colliver – Scottish Six Days Trial winner
• Raymond Mays – Grand Prix driver and co-founder of ERA
and BRM
• Dario Resta – Indianapolis 500 winner
• Frank Clement – Le Mans 24 Hours winner
• Eric Fernihough – world motorcycle speed record holder
• E.R. Hall – the only driver to complete the Le Mans 24
Hours solo 

All the major manufacturers from the period participated in
Hillclimb events at Aston Hill, as did many smaller makes. More
than 150 makes of car competed there, as well as more than 60 
makes of motorcycle. Amongst the car manufacturers, Vauxhall 
achieved the most outright victories at the hill with ten FTDs 
(Fastest Time of the Day), whereas the most successful
motorcycles were Triumph, BAT and Zenith, with three FTDs each. 

Entries for The Climb in 2025 will open January 2025.

It is perhaps odd that the amazing history of motorsport at Aston
Hill has never been documented in a book …until now. Local
enthusiasts Mike Stark and Steve Akers have conducted detailed
research of period journals and archives to produce an accurate
account of the Hillclimb events that took place there, as well as
profiles of many of the notable individuals who competed in these
events. Their book will be published at the beginning of 2025, prior
to the Aston Hill centenary event scheduled for May 2025. The final
book will include over one hundred period photographs, many of
which have not been published before. The book has a forward
written by Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) and should be of interest to
motorsport and motoring enthusiasts, as well as people with an 
interest in local history.

Our event sponsors are Ecurie Bertelli and Immun’Age