Rider killed at Gladstone Hillclimb

FATAL: Motorcyclists pause beside an ambulance at The King of the Cliffhanger competition this weekend.

A motorcycle rider from Wellington was killed in the 'The King of the Cliffhanger' motorcycling competition in Gladstone yesterday morning.

The 59-year-old man was taking part in the annual two-day Cliffhanger Hillclimb event on Te Wharau Rd when he came off his bike about 2kms up the road and crashed into a fence.

Wellington Free Ambulance was called at 11am but due to the head injuries the man suffered, he could not be saved, a spokesman said.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The road was closed for the event which sees riders take part in staggered time trials up the 6.9km hill road and negotiates 27 corners.

The victim's name has not been released yet.

Police central communications Shift Inspector Mike Coleman said his family were spectators at the event.

The death is the second fatality in the event's history; it has been running for more than a decade.

In 2012, Tawa man Malcolm Foster, 59, died when he lost control on a corner and crashed into a fence.