Empire Hill Climb Reaches New Heights

The 2017 edition of the Empire Hill Climb Revival was a rousing success. Nearly 30 competitors flocked to the hamlet of Empire, Michigan to tackle the roughly half-mile run up Storm Hill. The cars were as eclectic as ever, with nearly every major auto producing country represented. Vehicles ranged in age from as old as a 1951 Packard to as new as the pair of 2013 Subaru BRZ and Scion FRS.

Competition was fierce, with most the drivers in the under 2.55 liter 2WD class. Matt Wolfe jumped out to an early lead in his 2003 Mazdaspeed Protégé during the morning runs, but was eventually eclipsed by Michael Mulvaney in his Honda CRX on his final run of the afternoon. However, Mulvaney’s lead would only be temporary as Frank Fardell and Christian Leone would earn second and first respectively in their Nissan 240SX’s.

The new king of the hill, Dan Milewski, showing off his new hardware. Pictured with his wife, Natalie, and their (her) dog, Jilly

In the over 2.55-liter 2WD class, Dan Milewski set a blistering pace in his 2002 Corvette Z06 ahead of Cody Loveland’s mad science project of a 1993 Honda Civic. Dan continued to get faster throughout the event, setting a new overall course record of 20.912, setting a new course record and becoming the first driver ever to break the 20 second barrier.

The Vintage class was a melting pot of unique machinery, with cars from four different era’s battling for the top spot. Adam Pickworth set the pace early in his 1985 Mercedes 190E, but was eventually bested by Dave Burton in his 1964 Porsche 356 and class winner Ian Dawkins in his 1973 AMC Gremlin.

As always, a good time was had by all competitors and the fans thoroughly enjoyed the event. This small town knows how to treat racers to a great time. We’re looking forward to racing here for years to come.

See a full gallery of the 2017 Empire Hill Climb Here  courtesy of Turbo Tara Media

Official results from the 2017 Empire Hill Climb even can be downloaded here: 2017 Empire Hill Climb Results