St-Ursanne – Les Rangiers: 100 Years of European Hillclimbing History

Few events capture the scale, speed and atmosphere of European hillclimbing quite like St-Ursanne – Les Rangiers.

Set among the wooded hills of the Swiss Jura, the event has become one of the landmark rounds of the FIA European Hill Climb Championship, as well as a round of the Swiss National and local championships, attracting an international field of drivers and some extraordinary machinery to Switzerland each summer.

In 2026, there was an additional reason to celebrate. This year's 81st running came 100 years after the event was first held in 1926, a remarkable milestone for one of Europe's great hillclimbs.

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Five Kilometres of Pure Hillclimbing

The course starts in the historic village of St-Ursanne itself, before climbing out towards Les Rangiers.

At just over five kilometres long, with an elevation gain of approximately 350 metres, it is a formidable challenge. Fast sections, changing gradients and a road threading its way through the Jura landscape combine to create a hill that demands commitment, precision and confidence from the drivers.

And it is fast. Very fast.

That combination of outright speed and technical challenge has helped give St-Ursanne – Les Rangiers its reputation as one of the great tests on the European hillclimb calendar.

An International Gathering

Part of the appeal of St-Ursanne is the sheer variety of machinery it brings together.

The FIA European Hill Climb Championship attracts competitors from across Europe, while the Swiss National and local championship rounds add another dimension to an already impressive field.

For British hillclimb followers, events such as St-Ursanne also offer a fascinating opportunity to see how the sport operates beyond the UK with different venues, different cars and an unmistakably European atmosphere, but the same passion for getting from the bottom of a hill to the top as quickly as possible.

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Hillclimbing.org at St-Ursanne

Hillclimbing.org, powered by Insite Graphics, was on the ground in Switzerland for the 2026 event, taking in practice and competition and finding out more about Performance Factor, the FIA's system for classifying cars according to their technical characteristics and performance potential.

With Performance Factor increasingly part of the conversation around the future development of hillclimbing, St-Ursanne provided the perfect opportunity to see the system operating within a major European Championship event.

It also gave us the chance simply to experience one of the sport's great venues first-hand.

From the activity in the paddock to the sound of the cars echoing through the Jura hills, practice day gave a taste of what makes this event so special and competition on Sunday certainly lived up to St-Ursanne's reputation.

A Century of Competition

Motorsport has changed almost beyond recognition since competitors first tackled the hill in 1926.

Cars have become faster, technology more sophisticated and safety standards transformed, yet the essential challenge remains wonderfully simple: one driver, one car, one road and the clock.

One hundred years after that first event, St-Ursanne – Les Rangiers remains an extraordinary celebration of that idea.

And after spending a weekend there, it's easy to understand why it continues to hold such a special place in European hillclimbing.

St-Ursanne – Les Rangiers, Switzerland | FIA European Hill Climb Championship | August 2026