Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Discussion
Anyone been? Is it worth a visit?
This has got me interested - awesome driving (especially when he has to put one hand up to remove the glare from the sun)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSrDD3tcibU
This has got me interested - awesome driving (especially when he has to put one hand up to remove the glare from the sun)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSrDD3tcibU
Not been to the hill climb, but hiked up the mountain a couple of days after it last year. From chatting to people who've been it sounds good, the driving is amazing. You've got to be prepared for a long day though - they open the mountain at 0400 on race day. The road shuts at 0630 when the race starts, you've got to be in before then and can't leave until it's all over, typically 1800, or later if there have been a lot of accidents. I guess you could try and get a spot on the railway up there or walk though.
That said, the climate isn't too bad - it'll be a bit chilly at the top (4300m) and there's the occasional thunderstorm in the afternoon. All well worth enduring to watch the mentalist driving! The hill climb route uses the toll road up the mountain and having driven that road at normal speeds the guys must be nuts - they usually kill about one per year I think.
Only other things to warn you about are at the top itself - you will have the worst cup of tea of your life (Liptons tea bag, coffee mate and insufficiently hot boiling water). There are also an awful lot of fat people up there, which I found offensive.
That said, the climate isn't too bad - it'll be a bit chilly at the top (4300m) and there's the occasional thunderstorm in the afternoon. All well worth enduring to watch the mentalist driving! The hill climb route uses the toll road up the mountain and having driven that road at normal speeds the guys must be nuts - they usually kill about one per year I think.
Only other things to warn you about are at the top itself - you will have the worst cup of tea of your life (Liptons tea bag, coffee mate and insufficiently hot boiling water). There are also an awful lot of fat people up there, which I found offensive.
i read an article in EVO where Dickie Meaden does the pikes peak and that article got me thinking how it might be possible for a "regular joe" to compete in the pikes peak without the connections he has.
http://www.ppihc.com/ppihcftp/2009/09_rule_book.pd... due to the nature of the event, their "rule book" is effectively comparable to our "blue book" i spent a good deal of time reading this trying to work out what the cheapest way into the race was, i believe that a British entry would be welcomed and would generate some interest even if i were to complete only for the fun of it, the top guys spend eye-watering amounts, i just want to do it for the fun of it, anyway, the dream lives on... i have my plans
www.ppihc.com has loads of info on spectating too!...
http://www.ppihc.com/ppihcftp/2009/09_rule_book.pd... due to the nature of the event, their "rule book" is effectively comparable to our "blue book" i spent a good deal of time reading this trying to work out what the cheapest way into the race was, i believe that a British entry would be welcomed and would generate some interest even if i were to complete only for the fun of it, the top guys spend eye-watering amounts, i just want to do it for the fun of it, anyway, the dream lives on... i have my plans
www.ppihc.com has loads of info on spectating too!...
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 10th January 17:00
busa turbo said:
few pics of the 405 t16 that a friend looks after,and also preping ford RS200 for this year Pikes Peak
Is that this? http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=MSrDD3tcibU
heightswitch said:
isn't it funny how the yanks had to tarmac it before they could think about beating the european records!!!
N.
Hmm... the new paving of Pike's Peak (which was not the choice of the organisers or the owners, but was due to a lawsuit from the state over pollution control - too much gravel being washed down) only started in 2004. The overall record is held by a Japanese driver in a Suzuki.N.
By 2012, the whole road will be paved and, I suspect, very different vehicles will be setting records - if the Europeans go to compete, I can see it being more likely to be in F1 cars than WRC / GrpB devices.
skwdenyer said:
heightswitch said:
isn't it funny how the yanks had to tarmac it before they could think about beating the european records!!!
N.
Hmm... the new paving of Pike's Peak (which was not the choice of the organisers or the owners, but was due to a lawsuit from the state over pollution control - too much gravel being washed down) only started in 2004. The overall record is held by a Japanese driver in a Suzuki.N.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_Kbxj-h5I
Edited by GravelBen on Monday 19th January 09:52
GravelBen said:
skwdenyer said:
heightswitch said:
isn't it funny how the yanks had to tarmac it before they could think about beating the european records!!!
N.
Hmm... the new paving of Pike's Peak (which was not the choice of the organisers or the owners, but was due to a lawsuit from the state over pollution control - too much gravel being washed down) only started in 2004. The overall record is held by a Japanese driver in a Suzuki.N.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_Kbxj-h5I
Edited by GravelBen on Monday 19th January 09:52
busa turbo said:
Heres some more pics of the RS200 in the pic above its being prep for this years Pikes Peak!!!
Is that the same car that EVO tested a couple of years ago? One of the funniest track tests I've ever read. They tried to get a 1/4 mile figure for it but it hit the limiter about 2/3rd of the way down the run and returned a useless time. 50 - 70 in 3rd (I think) took 0.85 seconds. 
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