AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship Coming To Monson Monster

MONSON, MA – A year after a brouhaha threatened hill climbs on the dirt track facility owned by the Quaboag Riders Motorcycle Club, the American Motorcyclist Association announced Wednesday that the 2023 AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship will be staged on the “Monson Monster.”

The dates will be Aug. 5-6 and it will be the sixth time the AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship will be held in Monson. The event was previously held there in 1993, 2001, 2007, 2013 and 2018.

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The championship will be organized and promoted by the 79-year-old club, which has staged hill climbs at the facility at 31 King St. since 1945.

“The Quaboag Riders club is honored to host the 2023 AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship at our hillclimb facility in Monson, Mass.,” said club Vice President Jim O’Connell in an AMA press release.

“We have been working diligently to ensure an outstanding event for all participants and their families. We are eager to showcase our facility and provide a thrilling experience for all who attend.”

The AMA press release provided details for the championship:

“On August 4, final sign-in, tech inspection and a mandatory riders meeting will be held at 5 p.m. On August 5 and 6, Rounds 1 and 2 will commence, respectively, starting at 8 a.m. Time permitting, August 5 will have the Verticross Class at the end of the event. 

“The AMA Hillclimb Grand Championship will culminate with the highly anticipated King of the Hill competition, which will take place on August 6 with the 10 fastest riders of the weekend competing in a one-run exhibition for the honor of being crowned King of the Hill.”

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It was last year that the future of hill climbs in Monson looked uncertain. In March, asserting that the club had violated zoning regulations, the town enacted a prohibition on hill climbs after decades of them having been held. That resulted in protests and an eventual decision in mid-July by the Zoning Board of Appeals to overturn two cease-and-desist orders. This allowed hill climbs to resume.