Do you like racing?
By Jeffrey Fazio
DriveTime Columnist
How
many race fans do we have out there? Based on the number of cars I see
on the bypass with NASCAR stickers and/or driving like it is the Indy
500, I suspect there are thousands of race fans right here in Berks
County.
So
why is it that I do not see hundreds, if not thousands, of spectators
milling around Duryea Drive in June for the Pagoda Hill Climb, and
again in August, for the Duryea Hill Climb? Hill climb racing is truly
an amazing sport with an incredible diversity of cars competing in
dozens of classes.
If
you venture up to the hill climbs this summer, you will see everything
from Jack Reifsnyder’s classic ’69 Mustangs to Lloyd Geib’s
vintage MGA. You will probably also see Robert Oswald Jr.’s
open-wheeled Solo V race car, Matt William’s 1995 BMW M3, and Joe
Foering’s 1985 Dodge Charger.
With
those five cars, I’m barely even beginning to touch on the 100 or so
cars that typically show up for these races. We’ve even seen Rally,
Indy and Stock cars show up to these events. You never know what you
will see and there is really a race car there for every type of race
fan.
Did
I forget to mention this is all free for spectators? We all know how
much Berks County loves "free." You don’t even need to buy
a special pit pass for these races. Anyone can come up, wander around
the pits to see the cars up close and talk to the drivers. There are
also numerous places on the hill to watch the actual racing from.
So
what could be better than seeing all of these marvelous cars up close
and watching the race for free?
What
if it were possible for you to get a front row seat to the most
action-packed portions of the course where spectators typically are
not allowed, a free lunch and a ticket to the hill climb party on
Saturday night? Well, all of that is actually possible if you
volunteer to help work the course.
You
see, these races wouldn’t happen if there weren’t enough people to
man (or woman!) the course. The hill climbs rely on people to
volunteer to help out at corners to make sure everything proceeds as
safely and professionally as possible. Although the races are
sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of America, you do not have to be an
SCCA member to help out.
As
I hinted above, the people who volunteer to help out get a free lunch
and also a ticket to the Saturday night hill climb dinner party. How
great would it be to go to a dinner party with the actual race
drivers, crews, officials and other volunteers? Ever try to get that
type of ticket at a NASCAR race? Good luck trying to get to dinner
with those folks!
The
people who regularly volunteer at the hills have truly become part of
the "big family" of the hill climb races. Their help is
always greatly appreciated. In fact, I’ve even turned faster times
because course workers have noticed things that I could be doing
better. Let me tell you, as a driver, having eyes outside of the car
that can give you solid feedback is an awesome advantage for
improving.
One
of our regular hill climb workers, Mel Horn from York, York County,
has been involved with the hills as both a driver and worker since
1972. Mel shared that the best part of working the hills is getting to
know the other people involved in the events.
"At
my first hill climb I met a lady and her husband who were drivers and
she encouraged me," he said. "She had just had a little boy.
Today, her son is driving!"
If
you are interested in getting involved, contact John Champion, who is
in charge of workers for the Reading events, at 610-944-7217, or
contact Tom Knorr, president of the Pennsylvania Hillclimb
Association, at 610-863-4709. In addition to the two races in Reading,
there are also two hill climbs in Weatherly, Carbon County, one in
Laurel Run, Luzerne County, and one in Trout Run, Lycoming County. All
of these hills could use workers.
See
you on the hills in 2007!
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