This was the scene at the AMA Hillclimb in Goshen, Indiana, back in 1984. It was the first hillclimb I ever attended. Cycle News sent me to cover the event and coming from road racing the hillclimb atmosphere was something of a shock to me. The place was packed with fans; many of them inebriated… check that, most of them inebriated. It turned out to be a great event to cover and I was immediately won over as a hillclimb fan. I think Gerencer’s Harley-Davidson sponsored this climb and Lou Gerencer was one of the stars of the series. I don’t get a chance to cover them very often, but I try to get to a hillclimb event at least once every couple of seasons. The riders have some serious skill to get these powerful machines up these steep hills, and yes the get-offs are spectacular. It’s a photographer dream.  If you’ve never been, do yourself a favor and at least go to one hillclimb in your life to see what it’s all about. – Larry Lawrence

A rider on an old-school hillclimb machine prepares to tackle the hill in Goshen, Indiana, during an AMA Hillclimb event in the mid-1980s. (Larry Lawrence photo)