Most liked posts in thread: Pikes Peak 2014

TheModFather · Jun 30, 2014

Yep, the pavement killed part of the fun factor!
It was once a race where it could be 70 degrees at the base of the mountain, and only mid 30's at the top, then transitioning from pavement to gravel on top of that...
It used to take one ballzy driver who knew what they where doing just to reach the summit... Now its point and go, with cars that dont care about altitude or weather, they can run on soft road race slicks and make it just fine without the worry of dirt.

Running the dirt tires on the pavement was every bit as challenging as just running the dirt half. Now you have records being broken multiple times each year, just because a lot of the variables went away when the asphalt got poured.

Crashton · Jun 30, 2014

It saddens me that the Pikes Peak road has been paved. Glad I got to spectate that race twice while it was a gravel road.

Crashton · Jul 1, 2014

I still am a fan of the race, but as you say is sure lost something when they paved the whole thing. For me it seemed to require a very special talent that the new course does not. Yes the racers today are still talented, but it ain't the same. Back in my day..... :sleep:

Get off my lawn!

Steve · Jun 25, 2014

All sorts taking on the peak this year, as usual. (will post more pics as they come up)

Piero Nappi

Rick Knoop

Peter Koch

Robert Walker

Toshiki Yoshioka

Sage Marie

Guy Martin

Romain Dumas

Steve · Jun 25, 2014

Huh?

Lots of variety on the hill.

More Monster Tajima's electric contender:

TheModFather · Jun 30, 2014

Its not like that lot is very big either...

Colorado probably spent that money pushing to regulate our guns or something...

TheModFather · Jun 25, 2014

The best live stream is being on the side of the road... Yelling "SLOW DOWN HOODLUM!"

TheModFather · Jun 25, 2014

If I go*...

I might be sober enough to post updates, but as you know Crapatalk pics now suck for some reason.

*If implies:

(1) Do I really want to be getting back home at midnight when I have to get up and go to work 4 1/2 hours later?

(2) All my friends said they cant make it this year.

(3) Do I want to take another weekend off of getting my car done?

(4) Do I really want to pay to get hammered in the woods, and watch cars go up the road all day?

Steve · Jun 29, 2014

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IQjMQGTl0E"]Mike Ryan EXCLUSIVE - The CRASH at Pikes Peak - In Mike's Own Words and Unseen Footage - YouTube[/ame]

TheModFather · Jun 30, 2014

You would have thought they would have done that when they finished the road...

TheModFather · Jun 23, 2014

I might camp on the mountain this year! Got to see if I can get Monday off of work.

mrntd · Jun 23, 2014

I can say I drove up it before it was all paved. I would love to see the race.

Crashton · Jun 24, 2014

^^^ Looks like an off shore hydroplane racer.

Steve · Jun 25, 2014

I think there are 2 of these Mitsubishi Motors entries.

Steve · Jul 2, 2014

Here's some onboard video from the E30 that finished 26th (time of 10:44.650).

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKyYcWamJCk"]2014 Pikes Peak Int. Hill Climb Tim Hardy #326 1987 BMW E30 Full Run - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Jul 7, 2014

One driver's perspective on the unfortunate evolution of the spectator experience.

Jeff Zwart's Pikes Peak diary â€“ Reflections on changing times at the Peak (racer.com)

Thursday, 03 July 2014

Last year was the "Loeb" year and with that came crowds I had never witnessed before. When I left the line last year and from the moment I crossed under the starting line, the course was lined on both sides with spectators. By the fourth turn, which is a slightly blind downhill left-hander, I turned in and I could not even get to my apex because fans were standing at the edge of the road. I must admit it threw me off for a little bit as I could not trust that the road would look like it did in practice. In the dirt days, I would get over 100mph maybe three times, now I see over 100mph nearly 20 times with speeds approaching 140mph.

I love this race and I want to see it continue to grow and thrive as one of the greats in the world of motorsport, but last year I realized that one incident with car and spectator could result in us not just losing the Hill Climb but it could actually change motorsports here in the U.S. and possibly the world. An example of that was in the year of 1955 when a car went into the crowd during the 24 hours of Le Mans. Even though that crash took place in France, it affected things all over the United States â€“ even right here in Colorado, the governor banned street race events immediately after that accident. Switzerland banned racing, Mercedes pulled out of racing completely... it was a changed world, because of that one incident.

This year, the organizers went all-out to bring the crowd into defined spectator areas. As a competitor, I could tackle the course without that second level of fear that someone would be standing in an apex or even worse, in an impact zone (the outside of a corner or the end of a braking zone). It cleared my head to some degree that I was racing the road and not human objects in or around the road. With the pavement of today's race we have to drive much more committed and with so many corners that are blind when we turn in, we don't always see the end of our arc. If we are driving up to that limit of adhesion, we can't suddenly have obstacles or distractions to take us away from that limit.

The mountain is a living organism â€“ it does constantly change but it seemed that one of our variables that we had to deal with last year was taken care of. I applaud the organizers for getting the fan side of our race day under control, because nothing would ruin this great event faster than for the fan and racer faction to somehow collide. I understand that the "free roaming" nature of the spectator experience was compromised this year, but for the event to comfortably go forward, something had to be done, not just to protect the Hill Climb but to protect motorsports in America. I am confident now that the concept of "crowd control" has been proven, that in 2015 the organizers can improve the fan "experience" in these spectator areas.

Ahh, the world of change. Yes the event is again at a crossroads, but this year as always, safety had to override everything, both for driver and fan. Every year, from the moment I cross the finish line I start 364 days of planning for the next climb. Its a magical place and I love the fans that line the road on our way down and congratulate us on our run up.

I was a fan before I was a driver, because this event is totally unique in the world of American motorsports. My cars have changed through the years, and we have gotten faster and faster, but this was a year for changes on the other side of the course and as I driver I thank the Peak for implementing those changes.

-Jeff
Click to expand...

BlimeyCabrio · Jun 23, 2014

I gotta go to this sometime. Hell, I gotta qualify and drive it sometime.

TheModFather · Jun 23, 2014

Anybody can enter as long as you can pass tech...

Crashton · Jun 23, 2014

TheModFather said: ↑

I might camp on the mountain this year! Got to see if I can get Monday off of work.
Click to expand...

You should do that. I've done that twice, what a great place to be. Love the Pikes Peak Hill Climb!

Steve · Jun 24, 2014

Apparently Monster Tajima's ride is attracting a lot of attention.

Monster Tajima Returning To Pikes Peak In 2014 (gas2.org)

Monster Tajima is returning to Pikes Peak in 2014 for another shot at electric vehicle dominance in Americaâ€™s second-oldest motorsports race. After successfully piloting his custom EV to the seventh-fastest time ever recorded at the Peak, Tajima is returning this year with dreams of ultimate glory.

Tajima is no stranger to Pikes Peak, having taken nine first-place finishes in the Unlimited Class before making the switch to an electric drivetrain. In 2012, Tajimaâ€™s first electric effort fell short when his race car caught fire early on, forcing him to retire. Last year he made a triumphant comeback though, knocking down a record-setting 9.46:530. Thatâ€™s the first sub-10 minute time for an EV at the peak.

In short order, electric vehicles have quickly become the top contenders at the Colorado mountain race, with Lightning Motorcycles taking home top honors in the two-wheeled class last year. Tajima has some major ground to make up on the heels of Sebastien Loebâ€™s ridiculous record-setting run, but the Monster of the Mountain surely hasnâ€™t returned to settle for second place.

He wonâ€™t be the only EV on the mountain though, as Yokohamaâ€™s zero-emissions racer will be returning to do battle. There will also be plenty of contenders boasting traditional drivetrains, though the advantage of electric motors in thin air canâ€™t be overstated.

Can the monster bring an EV to the top of Pikes Peak in record timeâ€¦again?

Source: PPIHC
Click to expand...

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