The Yorkshire Film Archive collects, preserves, and shows film made in, or about Yorkshire. Our collections are non-fiction, dating from the 1890s to the present day, and providing a rich and visually compelling record of all aspects of lives, cultures, landscape, industries, major events and everyday activities, many of which are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Bradford M.C. Freak Hill Climb at Hepolite Scar Topical Budget 780-1
In this exhilarating short film from 1926, cars, motorbikes, and everything in-between race up Bradford’s Hepolite Scar.
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Overview
This thrilling silent film depicts a 1926 hill climb at Hepolite Scar in Bradford. The film begins with a shot of the expectant crowd. Shots of numerous cars, motorbikes and various other vehicles take up the rest of the film. Many vehicles get stuck in the mud and require race officials to dig them out, but most of them eventually make it to the summit of the hill and finish the race.
Hill climbing is one of the oldest forms of motorsport in the world. Traditionally, cars, motorbikes, and other vehicles compete one-by-one to see who can reach the top of an uphill track in the quickest possible time. Each competitor usually gets two tries at the course and must adhere to stringent safety regulations. The Hepolite Scar was discovered by Joe Hepworth, Vice President of the Bradford Motor Cycle Club. The club were keen to find an area of private land to use for their sport after speed races were banned on public roads.
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