In 1925, exactly 100 years ago, an accident in which a spectator was injured at the Kop Hill event, near Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire, led to the RAC ceasing to issue permits for closed public road events in England, Scotland and Wales. After that date, only Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man in the British Isles issued permits for such events, a situation that continues to the current day, particularly in motorcycle racing with the North West 200, Manx Grand Prix and of course the IoM TT races.
The nearest hillclimb to Kop Hill, which was also in Buckinghamshire, was that on Aston Hill, above Aston Clinton. Arguably the best-known contribution of the events held from 1904 to 1925 at this venue was that it gave its name to a marque synonymous with fast and luxurious cars. Both of the founders of Bamford and Martin Ltd competed at Aston Hill initially in other marques and latterly in their own. To celebrate and remind potential customers of their successes, the name Aston Martin was coined which had the added advantage of promoting them towards the front of any alphabetical listing.
To celebrate 100 years since the final hillclimb at Aston Hill, an event is being organised on 17th May 2025. The Chair and Vice-chair of the organising committee are Mike Stark and Steve Akers respectively, who are both active competitors in speed hillclimbs and live in Aston Clinton or the local area. As part of the preparations for the event they have diligently researched the history of the Aston Hill hillclimb and this information has been published in a new book which was launched at Race Retro on 21st February 2025.
The book incorporates a foreword by Nick Mason, who is well-known for owning and competing in early Aston Martins, some of which will be coming to May's event. The well-illustrated book, The Motorsport History of Aston Hill by Mike Stark and Steve Akers is published by JRB Publishing, 148 pages in soft covers.
The book is available at £35 from Chaters Bookshop see The Motorsport History of Aston Hill | Motoring Books | Chaters
