Bomerée: Belgian Hillclimbing at its Resourceful Best

10 minutes ago
2 min read

HillClimbing.org, powered by Insite Graphics, is back in Belgium for another taste of European hillclimbing this time at the 66th Course de Côte de Bomerée.

Taking place in the Thuin and Montigny-le-Tilleul region of Belgium, Bomerée forms Round 8 of the Belgian Hillclimb Championship and is an event with more than six decades of history behind it.

But alongside the competition itself, Bomerée offers a brilliant illustration of something we see time and again when travelling to hillclimbs across Europe: the sheer determination and ingenuity of the people who make these events happen.

There are no vast purpose-built paddocks here.

Instead, the provincial competitors have their paddock in a supermarket car park, while the national and international cars, together with technical scrutineering, are accommodated around a DIY store and garden centre.

Event administration, meanwhile, is being handled from the office of a local car showroom.

It is motorsport woven into the everyday surroundings of the community.

Making Hillclimbing Happen

What strikes you at events such as Bomerée is the ability of organisers, officials, competitors, volunteers and local businesses to work together and simply find a way.

Space is used wherever it can be found. Everyday commercial premises temporarily become part of the infrastructure of a motorsport event. Practical problems are solved, compromises are made and everyone gets on with the job of putting on a hillclimb.

There is something rather special about that.

Hillclimbing has always been a sport shaped by its surroundings. Unlike a permanent race circuit, the landscape comes first — and the event has to adapt to it.

At Bomerée, that philosophy extends far beyond the course itself.

For a weekend, supermarket car parks, shops, garden centres and showrooms all become part of the paddock and organisation of an event that has now reached its 66th running.

That longevity says a great deal about the enthusiasm surrounding the sport in Belgium.

The Spirit of European Hillclimbing

As HillClimbing.org continues to visit events across Britain and Europe, one of the things we increasingly appreciate is that every hillclimb has its own personality.

Some take place against spectacular mountain scenery. Others climb through forests, villages or open countryside. And some, like Bomerée, demonstrate just how successfully motorsport can fit itself into the landscape and community around it.

The surroundings might present challenges, but the response from the people involved is wonderfully straightforward:

They make it work.

And perhaps that is one of the best descriptions of grassroots hillclimbing itself.

Passion, ingenuity, cooperation and a determination to get the cars to the start line.