newport hillclimb

Newport Hill Climb
By Phred Hollister
Scholarship
2010
Hansel sporting 16 inch
track shoes.
A word about the Christmas party.
Every year the town of Newport, Indiana (population
500) welcomes hundreds of antique cars and trucks to the Newport Hill Climb. The event began in the year 1909. Back then
automobiles were not very powerful, and it was quite a feat for
a car just to make it up a steep hill, let alone do it quickly. The
hill climb was an event to show off the power of these vehicles.
Competitors came from all over to race up the hill. 1915 was
the last year of the event, as automobiles had become more
powerful and climbing a hill was no longer such a feat. Oval
track and road racing was growing in popularity and capturing
the attention of the general public.
In 1968 the event was reborn as an antique car event
and has continued annually. Today the event is open to antique
vehicles 1941 and older and also includes discontinued manufacturers (ie: Nash, Studebaker, Plymouth…) 1955 and older.
2009 was the 100th anniversary of the Newport Hill
Climb and took place on Oct 3 and 4. The Newport Lions
Cont. Pg. 2, col. 2
St. Charles Electric Christmas Parade
Eastward Ho!
Newport Hillclimb, cont.
23 Fox Valley members got up
early, well at least most of
them, to make the trip east to
Winfield, the breakfast capital
of the world. Despite freezing
temperatures, the hardy
among them (pictured right
top) showed up in Model “A’s”.
Now that Oakfield
Restaurant is on the
list we all
look forward to
many more Winfield
breakfasts.
Tech Time With Noel
Would you think installing an alternator on a Model
A could burn up the water pump? Probably not but
it’s true. Noel De Lessio explained this and much
more at a tech seminar held before the November
meeting. The seminar covered generators and alternators opening our eyes to pros and cons of
each. After the scheduled business meeting and a
snack, Noel was back on the soapbox for another
hour as he answered questions. So what’s the deal
with the water pump? It seems that with the
smaller pulley on an alternator there is less belt wrap with a corresponding decrease in friction. To keep the belt from slipping it is
typically adjusted tighter causing increased pressure on the water
pump bearing. Oh, the unintended consequences.
This 18 year old is
driving a 1946
International.
The small print on
the door says
Elmhurst. Can
you name him?
Last Month
Club, which puts on the event, has a six foot long panoramic
photo of the contestants and spectators taken in 1909. A photographer in Virginia was found who had the same type of
camera used in 1909 and he came to Newport to photograph a
“reenacted” photo from 2009.
350 cars and trucks attended this year to challenge the
hill. There were 56 Model A’s, a couple dozen Model T’s,
about ten modified Model T speedsters, two 1930’s Indy race
cars, lots of V-8 flathead Fords, and a nice assortment of other
old cars. The oldest cars were a 1906 Stanley Steamer and a
1908 REO. The oldest driver was 92 years old.
The course is currently Main Street in Newport, 1800
feet long and rises 140 feet. The starting line is in the middle of
town at the courthouse. After about 100 yards of more of relatively flat ground, the road rises at about a 9% grade out of
town. The finish line is about 100 feet beyond the crest of the
hill. Lining the edges of the road are a few large round bales
of hay. I was told, “If you break down on the hill and have no
brakes, aim for the hay bales. They are softer than the trees.”
The hill is steep, but no cars needed hay bale assistance.
Saturday is the day for practice and the rules on originality are not strictly enforced. For fun I had borrowed a set of
16” wire wheels and tires for Hansel. They are about 2.5”
smaller in diameter that his original 21” wheels and tires. My
thinking was this would give me better gearing in third gear
going up the hill. My times for three practice runs on Saturday
were 33.3, 32.1, and 32.25 seconds.
On Sunday they play by the rules. The event is for
stock automobiles and time penalties are given to cars with
modifications. Hansel’s cylinder head and carburetor would
surely get noticed, but there was a 2 second per inch penalty
for tire sizes (a potential 10 second penalty seemed more than I
wanted to accept). I bolted Hansel’s stock 21” wheels for the
official competition. To my surprise, his time went down to
31.7 seconds. I don’t know how Hansel finished overall as we
headed back home right after his run.
The hill climb was a great event for spectators also.
They whole town gets involved. There are yard sales, food
vendors, car shows, a parade, fireworks, and a Newport Hill
Climb Queen and court. The Lions Club puts on a great pork
barbeque. You know your in small town Indiana when the
Sheriff’s Office is raffling off a new rifle.
Bob McMahon has found a shop in Loves Park, IL that specializes in Model “A” repair and mechanical restoration. Tri-City
Auto Service, Inc. (815-633-2778) is owned and operated by Steve
Klentz who is also the president of the Rock-Ford-”A’s”. Bob
says, “the shop does a great job in turning brake drums and
arching brake shoes”. Add them to your phone list.
Take another look .... you
know this young Model
A’er and Fox Valley VP as
Frank Nemechek.
Fox Valley Regional Officers
Bruce Winslow
Frank Nemechek
Charlie Lenz
Pat Smith
Bob McMahon
President
Vice President
Treasurer
Secretary
Director
Keith Rogers - Newsletter Fabricator
Harry Klimek - Web Master