Red Marley; those crazy people and their old gadgets going up the hill

Of course, on some occasion you will have seen a video or photo of "impossible climbs" where only a few brave ones throw themselves down the side of a mountain, to try to reach the top. But this time the Red Marley that takes place in England, on a hillside between the cities of Birmingham and Cardiff, it doesn't have much to do with these impossible climbs, but it certainly has a very special vibe. It has left me fascinated and wanting to be able to attend that race one day.

It is a race exclusively dedicated to classic motorcycles prior to 1965, and it takes place more or less at the end of April. The party, racing and motorcycle atmosphere looks amazing. Imagine motorcycles that should be in a museum even from brands unknown to the general public such as Walwin, Cheney Jawa, Luckhurst Jap, Tribsa, rushing up to crown the top of the hill. Once again it leads me to confirm that the English fans live the motorcycle with passion and know how to have fun with events as curious as this one. But let's see a little more what the Red Marley, "Hill Climb" consists of.

As you can see in the video in the 2010 edition, about 120 pilots competed in the test. The start is made with four drivers on the grid. The first two to cross the finish line, advance to the next round. The hill has a distance of 440 meters, almost 1/4 of a mile. When the hill really starts to tilt a difficult jump appears known as "the grain" that dislodges many participants.

It is incredible to see the large number of audiences watching the evolutions of these very veteran machines. A '65 bike with period suspensions and drum brakes, quadrupled and full throttle, must be a lot of noise and excitement going up the hill. Besides the average age is around 56 years. In the 2010 edition there were only two young pilots registered and as a curiosity the oldest pilot was 74.

For example, the pilot you see in the video perform some incredible jumps most typical of supercross is Arthur Browning of 62 years, with his Metisse '65 Jawa 500. The variety of motorcycles is great, and not only in the type since we can see trial, cross, and speedWay motorcycles, although the most popular option is one-cylinder four-stroke motorcycles type BSA of the mid from the 60s.

In the 2011 edition the conditions were much drier on the hill judging by the dust that the riders were kicking up. Also from this other angle it is appreciated even more the speed at which they go with their old bikes the participants who are playing the podium positions. Of course, I wouldn't mind going to see the 2012 edition live.

What about you?