Mule Mountain Hillclimb was held on the Divide Pass Road in Bisbee, which goes over Mule Mountain. The first event was held Sept 15 & 16, 1962 . The Arizona Region of SCCA were the original organizers. The event met resistance from the locals in 1968, when a few locals near the hill attempted a restraining order. The order was denied by the city, and the event continued another year. In 1969 the SCCA dropped its’ sanction and the event was done…..
Except, it wasn’t! On May 28th & 29th, 1977 the event was revived- this time called The Bisbee Hillclimb, by the Four Cylinder Club of Arizona. They ran on the same section of the road as SCCA had. The event used a one mile eight turn section of the road, which doesn’t look to be much longer than that on the map. They continued until 1982, when the last event was held.
Bisbee is an old mining town. It is located around 100 miles SE of Tucson, and just 10 miles north of the Mexican border. It was a major copper mining center founded in 1880. The mines closed in the 1970s and it can now be described as a unique artistic community. There are about 5000 residents at this time.
Wish I could say I have some results or names of competitors, but I don’t. What I do have, is a YouTube video of a motorcycle ride over the road so you can enjoy the curves! Looks like it would have been fun to race.
Found this great trophy mug on Ebay
Resistance from some local residents in 1968 probably helped in the demise of the Mule Mountain Hillclimb after the 1969 event. The Phoenix Chapter of the Four Cylinder Club was able to revive it in 1977 as the Bisbee Hillclimb! Article above from Oct 17, 1968, Arizona Republic.
Links To Newspaper Articles – They Are A Fun Read:
“Big Races Scheduled For Fall” 1962 Sept 02, Arizona Daily Star
“Bisbee Hill Climb Set” 1963 Aug 20, Arizona Daily Star
“Coming Events” 1963 Sept 16, Arizona Daily Star
“Hill Racing Returning to Bisbee” 1977 May 04, Tucson Citizen
“Club Stages Hill Climb” 1977 May 28, Arizona Republic
“Hillclimb in Bisbee” 1978 May 28, Tucson Citizen
