Jun 18, 2024
🏔️ It’s HILLCLIMB RACE WEEK at PAGODA!!! 🏔️
The 2024 Pagoda Hillclimb is the third event in the seven event Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association Championship Series, and will be held on June 22-23, 2024 in Reading, PA. It is an SCCA sanctioned event and is hosted by Blue Mountain Region of the SCCA.
The Pagoda course is a technical course that is 1.3 miles long and consists of 9 turns (or 10 if you count 5b). It starts at the beginning of Duryea Drive, and ends just before the Pagoda (hence the name). Note that this same course is used for the bottom half of the Duryea Hillclimb in August, but the Duryea Hillclimb continues on past the Pagoda, and finishes just before the Tower on Skyline Drive.
Pagoda has something for everyone, high and low horsepower cars alike. Turns 1-4 are sharp turns, followed by a more or less "straight" between turns 5 and 6, passing 5b. Turn 5b definitely seems like a turn from the driver's seat, even if it doesn't on the map, so yes, I definitely count it!
Turn 6 is a sweeper, and is one of the most important turns of the course to get right. Braking too soon means you will lose speed and therefore time. However, there is the risk of braking too late, and carrying so much speed into the turn that you don't quite make it around. It is locally known as "Oh S**T", which has been known to be involuntarily muttered by drivers in both situations. It is also muttered sometimes by drivers in amazement when they finally get it right, and experience the perfect run through the turn.
Following turn 6, all the speed carried into the turn will need to be bled off quickly in order to make it around turn 7, a sharp left turn. Turns 8 and 9 are sharp rights and lefts respectively, and the finish line is after turn 9, just below the Pagoda.
The turn around parking area is in the Pagoda parking lot, so drivers will get a chance to check out this unique structure up close.
Pagoda Hillclimb is also a great place for spectators, as there are many good viewing areas along the course. The spectator areas for turns 1-4 are easily accessible on foot from the pit area along Clymer drive, and there are bleachers between turns 2 and 3. There are also bleachers between turns 7 and 8. A shuttle bus will run all day during the event from the pit area (Clymer and Hill Rd intersection) to various locations along the course that cannot be easily reached on foot.
I’m really looking forward to compete at this new to me hillclimb and seeing the good folks of the Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association this weekend!!
Team Tracy Motorsport Lingenfelter Performance Engineering MTI Racing Hoosier Racing Tire Trackdaytire.com
#teamtracymotorsport #pagodahillclimb #PHA #ReadingPA #c6z06 #racechick #teamlingenfelter #whatsstoppingyou
