Pikes Peak

[SicMonte]

Has anyone ever been out to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb?? I am thinking about going up there this coming summer for the race. I also heard that they paved most of the track...what's up with that??!! :screwy:

[ZZ430]

I live at the foot of that mountain. The race has lost a lot of it's interest lately.

There was a time when all the big names would run. Most of the major sponsors have pulled out of it.

The road has indeed been paved in several places.

Unless you enter a vehicle, I can't say you'll have a great time.

[SicMonte]

I wonder why it has lost interest....

[MrQuick]

I absolutely LOVE hill climbs....I agree, watch it on TV, you get more. Unless you can find a nice seat near the top.

[vanzuuk1]

I agree hill climbs and targa rallys are super cool,they just have a better vibe.

[ZZ430]

I wonder why it has lost interest....

The paving of parts of it have taken away the interest.

It's still a blast to drive however!

[67SSDan]

Man, that road is hairy at normal speeds! I can't imagine racing up it... and to beat all... they race up it in Semi's as well. Freaking looney, but it sure is fun to watch!

Dan

[65 Fastback]

Awesome Pikes Peak Hill Climb Video!!

So you got to ask yourself - are yours that big?

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5471435040982649693

Tim

[ZZ430]

That video really is awesome! I was lucky enough to be on the hill the year that Vatanen broke the record in that works Peugeot.

What a race car!

Carbon fiber bodywork, state-of-the-art turbo motor. That car was developed exclusively for the Peak, using all the resourses that a major maunfacturer has at their disposal.

Up towards the top, that vid showed what is the most white knuckle corner of all the 156 turns to the summit. "Blue sky corner"! A very hairy, high speed, gutsy, unforgiving, steep sweeper to the left! :seizure:

Over the years, a few racers have actually plunged off the drop-off.....it's a long way down.

[Randyn]

I live in the Springs. One day I decided it would be fun to take the family up for a Sunday Drive. After the last switchback I looked at my 6 and 10 year old in the back seat and decided that one F--k up was not worth thier lives. I turned around and went down and visited the lakes. I thought it was kind of stupid on my part. After watching the video, it seems the race has lost interest since it is better suited for thrill seeker's. The idea of a race where a driver dies without a serious mistake has no appeal to me.

Imagine the safety rules enforced by Nascar and the NHRA, and that death ride is actually still run?

[High Plains Mopars]

Last I heard ALL forms of racing have the potential for death. Heck, just getting out of the bathtub could kill you. I wouldn't call the race of the Peak a death race any more than I'd say drag racing is only for speed freaks. I'd be willing to bet more people have died at Daytona than have died on the Peak. For many, many years GM conducted brake and altitude testing on the Peak. So it has allowed access to testing in an evironmnet that is not normally available to builders and enthusiasts even outside of the race itself. I have noticed that despite the speeds and despite the terrain, any time a car leaves the road, they never go more than 100 feet or so. While dangerous and unsettling to think about, it is certainly no worse a crash than any other racing venue could offer a participant.

Locally, in the last few years, there is not as much hype and advertising about the race as before as they had tied themselves in with promoting racing at the now defunct Pikes Peak International Raceway along with the Hillclimb. Once PPIR went away, most the promotion of the Peak went with it. However, in the last 20 years or so, the Peak has held more appeal for international participants than it has for domestic racers anyway. BTW, it is the second oldest race in the country. Only the Indy 500 is older.

Yes, the lower half of the road is paved. The enviro weenies have seen to it that environmental impact studies have pointed to paving being better than the tons of gravel that used to line the road. IMO, the paving hasn't changed the race that much compared to the last decade as they have been treating the road with calcium chloride since the early 90s. This compound hardens the dirt up to such a degre that they can lay rubber down in the corners anyway, so the pavement portions really haven't changed the race that much anyway. Now compared to 25 years ago and older, yes, the slinging dirt has faded away. However, even before the paving the times were steadily dropping so the pavement just as stepped the speeds up some and increased the challange since drivers must now contend with asphalt and dirt, which require differing set ups and tires so any suspension tuning is a compromise for one or the other.

Viewing the race is an experience. The altitude, the cars, the sounds, the environment are all different. Actually watching the race is like being at Indy as you only get to see a small portion of the course and the cars go by so quickly that it is nothing like being at the drags or an oval. TV coverage is pretty sparse too, so even though there is a broadcast with in car stuff and helicopters, the coverage is only of the top two or three cars of the most popular classes. I think ESPN typically condenses a whole days worth of racing activity into a 30 minute show, so coverage is thin.

There are still some big names that run the race. The Unsers still come out on occasion. Tony Stewart has been here. The Dallenbachs are still involved, and there are still a few Indy associations with the Peak as different drivers, crews, and sponsors come and go every year. For a number of years, the press and pace vehicles from Indy always came out here to help with Hillclimb promotions as well, but I think that stopped some time ago.

Pikes Peak is the biggest race of the Colorado Hillclimb Assoc. They do conduct several other races over the course of the year such as Temple Canyon, Victor, Buffalo Peaks, and sometimes an extra odd ball race thrown in. These guys defintly do it for the love of racing as the payoff is not great. It is kind of like Bonneville without the speeds. Classes are very divergent and you can run anything from motorcycles and quads to almost any SCCA class to special exhibition such as Semis and vintage sprinters, and of course the trucks, stock cars, and unlimited classes. If your coming out book your hotel soon as as you can as finding one during the week of practice adn the race is going to be really tough. Do some searches on street fire, youtube, or other video sites. There are plenty of cool Pikes Peak videos out there.

[High Plains Mopars]

Link to a video of a crash from Temple Canyon or Lands End, not sure which, on the CHCA schedule. Driver walked away, once his car was recovered.

http://videos.streetfire.net/video/1acd087e-2899-45dd-8313-fc19641ce831.htm

[vanzuuk1]

Thanks for the info. What did tony stewart drive?

[High Plains Mopars]

Usually the "big name" professional drivers are in open wheel or unlimited rallye. Jesse James did drive in an exhibition class one year. Some odd ball classes you never see on TV are classes for bikes, sidecars, quads, vintage (old upright sprinters and stock cars), and Legends cars as well as various lower level SCCA rallye stuff.