A classic Porsche faces Monson Road prior to starting a timed run during the Wilbraham Hill Climb on Saturday, May 10.
Republican file photo
WILBRAHAM — A new issue has been raised in the ongoing debate over whether the town should continue to approve the Wilbraham Hill Climb.
After hearing over the last few months from groups of residents both for and against the event, the continuation of the Hill Climb may come down to state law.
The Hill Climb began in 1908 with manufacturers in the burgeoning automobile industry racing for bragging rights to see which vehicles could make it up the steep incline of Monson Road. In 2013, the event was reenacted for the town’s 250th anniversary. In recent years, the Springfield to Boston Foundation, a nonprofit that encourages young people to engage in the classic car hobby, has been hosting the event. The Hill Climb has grown to include a car show, food trucks and a craft fair, all staged along Main Street.
However, the modern incarnation of the event has created controversy, with complaints from Monson Road residents about not being able to come and go from their driveways, safety concerns and traffic congestion along Main Street. After several people spoke against the event, a large contingent of supporters came to Select Board meetings to support it, saying it is family friendly and one of the few events left in town that brings the community together.
Organizers Ed Cenedella and Jeff DeMarey tried to address some of the issues by making changes between previous climbs and the one that took place in May. They instituted a system to hold cars at the starting line if a resident wants to come or go from their property. They added Memorial School as a place for spectators to park, with shuttles to ferry people to the festivities. The vendor process was streamlined to prevent a backup of paperwork for the town in the weeks before the Hill Climb.
Even so, some issues remain. On Aug. 11, the organizers came before the Select Board to answer questions about how to resolve lingering problems. Select Board member Susan Bunnell said an issue at this year’s climb involved a contingent of vehicles parked at the Wilbraham Public Library despite it being open for business. DeMarey said the vehicles belonged to vendors and, if the event is approved for 2026, the Sugar Chalet has granted permission for the vehicles to park in its lot. Further, DeMarey said he and Cenedella would like to extend an invitation to the library to host a table at the event.
Safety
Select Board member Marc Ducey said that his concerns have been regarding safety and liability for the town should an accident occur. DeMarey said Ben Bragg of the Vintage Sports Car Club of America performs inspections on all the vehicles before they are allowed to race. Bragg attended the meeting remotely and said the VSCCA is a “safety conscious club.” He said drivers must have credentials. “We don’t fool around with people who are loose cannons.” The 12 people stationed along the hill are trained in safety measures, Bragg said.
DeMarey added, “It’s a very professional organization that runs the hill. It’s not just some guys that close off a road and race up the hill.”
Ducey noted vehicles made as recently as 1970 are allowed to register. “The danger factor, to me, gets more escalated the faster they go,” Ducey said. DeMarey responded that the speed a vehicle can go is less about the year it was made and more about the “displacement of the engine.” The vehicles that participate in the Hill Climb must be “flat head” engines with eight cylinders or less. A flathead engine is generally capable of slower speeds than an overhead valve engine. Cenedella added that newer cars are necessarily faster. The last Hill Climb winner was a 1932 Ford, he said.
Continuing the safety line of questioning, Ducey asked if the event is canceled in poor weather.
“There are too many moving parts,” to cancel the event, DeMarey said. If a storm moves through the area, they may delay the start of the event. In the event of extremely inclement weather the VSCCA would make a call on if it were too dangerous to continue.
Annual or biennial
The Select Board has considered approving the Hill Climb for every other year. Select Board Chair Michael Squindo questioned whether the board could approve the event for multiple years at a time. Bunnell said she did not believe the board had the authority to “obligate” a future Select Board by approving the climb for several years.
DeMarey said limiting the climb to every two years would essentially end it, because classic car enthusiasts attend a series of scheduled races throughout the year. “If there’s a space [in the schedule] they’re going to go somewhere else” and likely would not come back.
“I would like to imagine folks who want to be a part of this would put it down” to come back, Bunnell said. However, Wayne Carini, who used to host “Chasing Classic Cars” on the Motor Trend network and has participated in the Hill Climb, agreed with DeMarey about the importance of hosting can events annually.
Bunnell asked what activities are funded by the Hill Climb. DeMarey said the event costs about $40,000 and any money left over from the registration fees is used by the foundation to further its mission. The foundation provides youth with opportunities to engage with classic vehicles, including bringing them to schools. The foundation has brought vehicles to Soule Road School and Minnechaug Regional High School.
“We just want to be a supportive partner,” DeMarey said. He said the climb is unique. “With most car shows, you don’t see them [moving], you don’t hear them.”
Legality
Bunnell read a letter into the record from Mary Kate Holman, whose family was involved in bringing the Hill Climb back in 2013. Holman urged the town to make the event biennial at most, because sponsors are often only able to give to one major event each year and a yearly Hill Climb would make it difficult for other events to gather financial backing.
Perhaps most importantly, Holman said the reason the 2013 event was advertised as a “reenactment” is because racing on public ways is illegal under state law. The law prohibits operating “a motor vehicle in a race” or “for the purpose of making a record.”
Squindo said the board needs input from Town Counsel Brian Winner before it can move forward with a decision on the Hill Climb. Breault said Winner is unlikely to prohibit the race but may caution the board against its approval.
