iN VIDEO: Kelowna’s Knox Mountain Hill Climb through the years

Every year spectators gather at Kelowna’s Knox Mountain to see drivers line-up to tackle its hairpin turns at break-neck speeds. For 60 years, drivers have been racing up that hill and a local historian recently republished some film footage of the race showcasing its iconic history.

Francois Arseneault is a local cameraman and historian who digitizes old footage so it can be preserved online. He has posted copies of footage of the Knox Mountain Hill Climb from 1969, 1972, 1982, 1985 and 2015.

“Some of the cars are just demonic. They’re purpose-built for one reason, and one reason only. Go up the hill as quick and as fast as possible, and if it’s a little terrifying along the way to watch it, that’s OK, too,” Arseneault said.

He said the cars that you see in the footage from 1972 would be worth a lot of money these days, and some even found fame in the racing scene 50 years ago.

“These cars… they’re museum pieces,” he said. “The McLaren I know is about a million dollar car. The Brabhams are probably the better part of half a million. Same with the Chevron. There’s a Porsche 904 in there that also has a racing history and a racing pedigree.”

The race started in Penticton in 1956 then it moved to a site in Westbank until that road was straightened out and it was moved to Knox Mountain in 1966. All of the results for the races are available online going back to 1966.

“It’s unfortunate that it does not have the publicity that it should have,” he said. “It’s a throwback to an era that you just don’t see very frequently here in North America. In Europe, hill climbing is a really big deal.”

This year the tradition continues on May 17 and 18. Drivers are going to rip up the 3.5 kilometre track gaining 245 metres in elevation, sometimes in under two minutes. The current record is held by Edmonton’s Aran Cook who raced up the hill in 1:34.

“The other thing, too, that’s really wonderful about this sport, and you see it in the 1972 film, it’s grassroots. It’s mom and dad, they built a Datsun 510, or some guy you know, he’s been tinkering around with an old British car. It’s a fun thing for these folks,” he said.

Arseneault posts all kinds of historic footage that he’s digitized over the years, and this footage of the Knox Mountain races has attracted attention from around the world.

“Since I posted the film, I have received a response from people all over the place watching it as far away as New Zealand,” he said.

Check out more of Arseneault’s digitized footage on his Reel Life YouTube channel here.