Kings of the Mountain - Burke Hillclimb Report

Between the distinctive cliffs of Lake Willoughby, Burke Mountain appeared like a bead lined up through the site of a rifle. Coming off of our most recent hillclimb adventure up the 14,000 ft chunk of granite known as Pike's, our first glimpse of this mountain in Vermont's northeast kingdom was less than intimidating. But we've all read the fables, heard the sayings and perhaps even underestimated someone or something once or twice before. And hopefully, we've learned our lessons. There was no question that, even at 1/5 the height of Pike's Peak, Burke Mountain was about to demand our respect.

The Burke Mountain Hillclimb is a time trial up a 30-turn, 2.3 mile, tarmac "toll road" that spends most of its life buried beneath the snows of Burke Mountain ski area. Over two days, approximately 40 cars and 8 motorcycles would own the road for timed runs and trophies. Saturday's timed runs would be for practice and Sunday's timed runs would be for real. Fastest run from bottom to top on Sunday would be the winner.

The Killington Sports Car Club sponsors this stop on the New England Hillclimb Association tour and they were great to have us all weekend. This is a tradition for the club and every year the hill climbers turn the campground at the base of the mountain into a pit area cum village, complete with a mess truck and grills and enough food to feed a small town. Cars ran the gamut, from tube-framed open wheel dwarfs to street stock VWs and everything in between. It was a blast to see the drivers, many of whom have been doing this for over a decade, rip up the mountain road.

This was the first hillclimb event in New England to welcome motorcycles, so it was important to have a small group of experienced riders on hand. Motorcycle riders were a novelty for an event like this, but with the introduction of RallyMoto to car rallies, we've been in this position before. We were grateful to be included and though there were some exciting runs and a few nervous moments, each rider demonstrated their will to stay on the hill.

Andrew Phillips debuted his X Challenge at Burke Mountain and was our bike-cam guinea pig for the weekend:


Joe Warner looked right at home on his HP2 Enduro (though he did manage to sneak in a run on Max's HP2 MegaMoto):



The aforementioned MegaMoto, with Max Stratton in control:

TJ Jarrett rode solidly all weekend, wringing out his HP2 Enduro:



Pike's Peak veteran Jimmy Hyder showed us how to ride a 250:



Seth Strait and Seth Cohen each took up the challenge on KTMs:

And the superbike entry for the weekend was Jim Larsen on his R1:

As a spectator event, a hillclimb is difficult to manage. With so many turns and such a narrow road, spectating is all but prohibited on the course itself. However, it's fun to watch the starts, read the radar guns and compare the times, even if the visible part of the course was short. Sunday's spectators were treated to a close battle, and the punters who wagered on the R1 or the Suzuki-riding Pike's vet went home with empty wallets thanks to a HP2 MegaMoto.

It was fun to welcome so many riders in our pit area on Saturday and Sunday. They came on GS Adventures, Airheads, and various other models beginning with K, F, G and R, and we even saw some of those orange bikes come by for a visit as well! Thanks to everyone who came by to see us see what the event was all about, say hi and enjoy all of the great riding that northern Vermont has to offer.

Our next event is the Black River Stages Rally in Harrisville, NY on September 26-27. This is an event that is always looking for volunteers, so if you have the time and energy, please visit www.blackriverstages.com and click on volunteers to find out how you can help. There are also still some slots available for riders. If you're interested in joining TEAM MAX BMW for this event, please call or stop in either store to speak with Max or Ben.