The Devil's Staircase
The beautiful rolling hills of Southwestern Ohio have long since been one of our favorite riding destinations (as well as serving us a bit of scenery on our Greasy Dozen Run) but go even further south to Oregonia, Ohio and you will find the home of one of the most infamous hills in the country, The Devils Staircase. Powell Farm in Oregonia has been holding the Devils Staircase AMA professional hillclimb for a whopping 71 years now making it one of the longest running motorcycle events in the entire country. It also serves as the culmination of the AMA pro racing series and determines the series champion for that year. It has attracted the bravest and most talented riders from all over the country to throttle straight up this treacherous hill with dust covered fearless victory in their sights. While some other hillclimbs serve a straighter path the Devils Staircase earned its named due to its multiple levels of difficulty trying to quickly advance up each step of the "staircase" one careful move at a time. This often sends riders launching wildly through mid air trying to advance to the next step. A feat that only the most heroic and fearless riders in the country can attain with skill and precision.
The event attracts thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the country to pack every inch of Powell farms for a chance to see every moment of the action from any possible angle you can safely stand. Standing however is always at your own risk as the slick grass and loose dirt that make up the surrounding spectator sections of the steep hills are quite the challenge to climb even just on your own two legs and not even two wheels. As the racers are taking breaks you often hear the chants and cheers as spectators drunkenly roll down the hills in a failed attempt to find their footing. All in good fun and always ending with the dust settling to a good laugh. One of the staples of the infamous "party on the hill" as the Dayton Motorcycle Club who helps put on the event refers to it, is the beer! The classically simple yet functional beer filled gallon milk jugs can be seen in the hands of almost every spectator and became quite popular over the years at Powell Farm simply because of the fact that your chances for spilling a "cup" of beer while trying to climb a hill are probably pretty good, but it takes alot to spill a gallon jug, and thus the tradition was born.
Another staple of the event is its awesome bike show area as well as the roll in rows of custom bikes that line the massive field just on the edge of the farm. Bike parking is free so most spectators choose happily to ride in. You can see just about anything here from 2019 bikes to 1920's bikes and everything in between. The bike lot and bike show are so densely packed by noon on Sunday they often take on a life of their own serving almost like a whole separate event. The roll in bikers usually make a full weekend of this event too thanks to the town of Oregonia welcoming everyone with tons of camping options and a nearby river that makes for a perfect spot to pitch a tent next to.
As you move on past the overwhelming sea of bikes in the roll in lot you begin to fill your nose with a very distinct and particular smell that gets thicker in the air as you approach the hill, you watch the dust fly and as it clears you see a rider emerge soaring through the air leaving a trace of what your nostrils were stung by.....and that's pure fresh nitro methane race fuel. The top fuel classes are where the hill really comes alive especially when the vintage Triumphs and Harley Davidsons begin making their way up the hill. Fitted with extremely long swingarms to keep the front wheel planted and the most inventive forms of traction some racers can come up with these bikes are meant for one thing, pure unhinged torque and speed. While the bigger bikes get the most ewwws and ahhhhs out of the crowd the 450 two stroke classes with the shorter swingarms really gave it their all this year putting up some serious competition for the fastest times. This year marked a bit of a milestone for the Devils Staircase as they added a 4 racer class that competed in an all out battle royale shredding their way up the hill in a dust storm of fury. Getting up that hill in one piece is a heroic feat enough just doing it solo but watching as the riders in front shower the losers behind with a hail storm of rocks and dust becomes all part of the thrill of watching these riders achieve ultimate victory. Whether you want to have a great weekend of camping and comradery with your fellow moto enthusiasts or you crave the thrill of top fuel AMA sanctioned pro hillclimb racing the Devils Staircase never disappoints for an amazing end to the midwest moto season.
The event attracts thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the country to pack every inch of Powell farms for a chance to see every moment of the action from any possible angle you can safely stand. Standing however is always at your own risk as the slick grass and loose dirt that make up the surrounding spectator sections of the steep hills are quite the challenge to climb even just on your own two legs and not even two wheels. As the racers are taking breaks you often hear the chants and cheers as spectators drunkenly roll down the hills in a failed attempt to find their footing. All in good fun and always ending with the dust settling to a good laugh. One of the staples of the infamous "party on the hill" as the Dayton Motorcycle Club who helps put on the event refers to it, is the beer! The classically simple yet functional beer filled gallon milk jugs can be seen in the hands of almost every spectator and became quite popular over the years at Powell Farm simply because of the fact that your chances for spilling a "cup" of beer while trying to climb a hill are probably pretty good, but it takes alot to spill a gallon jug, and thus the tradition was born.
Another staple of the event is its awesome bike show area as well as the roll in rows of custom bikes that line the massive field just on the edge of the farm. Bike parking is free so most spectators choose happily to ride in. You can see just about anything here from 2019 bikes to 1920's bikes and everything in between. The bike lot and bike show are so densely packed by noon on Sunday they often take on a life of their own serving almost like a whole separate event. The roll in bikers usually make a full weekend of this event too thanks to the town of Oregonia welcoming everyone with tons of camping options and a nearby river that makes for a perfect spot to pitch a tent next to.
As you move on past the overwhelming sea of bikes in the roll in lot you begin to fill your nose with a very distinct and particular smell that gets thicker in the air as you approach the hill, you watch the dust fly and as it clears you see a rider emerge soaring through the air leaving a trace of what your nostrils were stung by.....and that's pure fresh nitro methane race fuel. The top fuel classes are where the hill really comes alive especially when the vintage Triumphs and Harley Davidsons begin making their way up the hill. Fitted with extremely long swingarms to keep the front wheel planted and the most inventive forms of traction some racers can come up with these bikes are meant for one thing, pure unhinged torque and speed. While the bigger bikes get the most ewwws and ahhhhs out of the crowd the 450 two stroke classes with the shorter swingarms really gave it their all this year putting up some serious competition for the fastest times. This year marked a bit of a milestone for the Devils Staircase as they added a 4 racer class that competed in an all out battle royale shredding their way up the hill in a dust storm of fury. Getting up that hill in one piece is a heroic feat enough just doing it solo but watching as the riders in front shower the losers behind with a hail storm of rocks and dust becomes all part of the thrill of watching these riders achieve ultimate victory. Whether you want to have a great weekend of camping and comradery with your fellow moto enthusiasts or you crave the thrill of top fuel AMA sanctioned pro hillclimb racing the Devils Staircase never disappoints for an amazing end to the midwest moto season.
Photos and words by Mike Vandegriff