Well, I’m no photographer, and I was a little woozy from the thin air at the summit of Pikes Peak, but I still think I got some pretty good shots of the cars. Head over to our events section and check out all my pics!

While I was on the Bullrun, one of the guys on the film crew told me that you always wish you’d turned the camera on two seconds earlier or left if on for two seconds longer, and I completely agree. Moments before I shot the clip below, this chopper buzzed right across the top of the hill with a camera guy hanging out the window, and it was totally bad ass. That said, the clip I did manage to shoot shows just how close the whirly-birds were getting to the top of the mountain, and the footage of Paul Dallenbach’s open wheel ripping around the final bend is awesome. Remember: one mistake there, and you’re dead. Enjoy.

Randy Schratz ran his Cobra in the exhibition class, and it was the first car up the hill. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to chat with him about what the mean machine was packing under the hood—or even what kind of kit it was—but it was still one of my favorite rides in the lineup. Seriously, have you ever seen a more bad-ass looking Cobra? Have you ever seen one that looks anywhere near this bad ass? Ever? Because I sure haven’t—the rear tire/wheel combo just kills me! Three more pics after the jump.

Continue reading "One Mean Machine: Randy Schratz’s Cobra" »

After the Hill Climb, getting back to the hotel was kind of a hassle. After looking around in vain for the press bus, I just decided to hitchhike. Jeff, the guy who picked me up, had blown the motor in his KTM about halfway to the summit—he didn’t seem bothered by it—and he filled me in on exactly what it takes to get registered to take a bike up Pikes Peak. Basically, it’s an invitation-only deal. You have to submit a resume detailing your racing experience to the officials—they like a mix of dirt track, road and motocross—and if they like what they see, you can compete. Since all the guys were expert riders, I don’t think any of them was too impressed by the guy who took a shortcut across the rocks when they left, but I still thought it was dope. Oh, and sorry about the 180-degree pan, I was standing on a sketchy rock and had to spin to keep my footing.

After they scream up the mountain, all the cars do a slow caravan down the hill. While it’s not quite as exciting as watching them rip around the final curve in front of the continental divide, it’s still pretty interesting to get to see—and hear—all these bad boys roll past. Check it out.

Footage of finishes at Pikes Peak are seen all over the world. Of course, when most people watch, they probably don’t give much thought to the guy actually waving the checkers. But for the last 40 years, that’s been Art Walsh’s responsibility. In all that time, he’s never missed a single race or practice. And that sweater he’s wearing? It’s been behind that sturdy barricade for almost as long as he has—his mom made it for him 39 years ago. When I asked him about some of the wildest things he’s seen, one incident jumped to mind immediately. He said he was "astonished" when "Malcom Brazier and Larry Overholser rounded the final corner neck and neck, right in front of the continental divide." Given the chance of survival if you were to slide off that road, I don’t blame him! Bravo Art, keep on trucking!

Bobby Regester was running this 2004 Pontiac Sunfire in the Stock Car class, and I was completely floored by how bad ass it was. I mean, talk about presence! Do you think the fender flares are big enough? I looked for him a couple of times, and I probably should have just left my card under the windshield wiper. But there wasn’t a windshield wiper, and anyway, would you want to touch this thing without permission? That seems like a good way to lose a hand. Three more pics after the jump. 

Continue reading "Burliest. Sunfire. Ever." »

When I saw that big rigs were on the agenda for Pikes Peak, I was kind of freaked out. Now, I know that folks drag these behemoths and all, but that seems way more safe than piloting them up a steep, slippery incline with a burly drop in place of a shoulder. So I figured that the "Big Rig Exhibition" class would drive "exhibition" style, which I thought was kind of like parade lap speed. But like I’ve been so many times before, I was completely wrong. Check out driver Mike Ryan’s idea of an "exhibition." Yikes!

In 2007, Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima, and his Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special scaled the Peak in a record-breaking 10.01.408, the fastest overall ever achieved here. The previous record—set by Rhys Millen’s dad, Rod—had stood for an amazing 14 years, so hopes were high that "Monster" would break the ten minute barrier this time around. But alas, it wasn’t to be. While he was jovial when I talked to him after today’s run, his time of 10.18 was nowhere near record-breaking territory. Maybe next year? More pics of the Monster-Mobile after the jump.

Continue reading "Monster a Little Less Scary This Year" »

Last week in Vegas, Rhys Millen crashed his Red Bull Pontiac Solstice after a differential failure made the car uncontrollable. But today, that nasty business was ancient history. Not only did Millen take first place in the Time Attack 2WD class on Pikes Peak, he crushed the previous year’s record by a whopping 14 seconds. From the way he looked coming crossing the finish line, it’s clear that the car was running perfectly. Check out this clip of him taking the checkered—doesn’t he look a little close to the edge?—and don’t miss him talking to me about the win below. Five pics of the Solstice after the jump.   

Continue reading "Rhys Millen Takes First in Time Attack 2WD!" »

This morning, I woke up at ten minutes to four to hop a bus with the other media folks to Pikes Peak. The trip from the hotel to the 12,000 foot summit took about an hour and a half, and it was dark as we wound along the 12 miles to the top. At times the big van struggled with the grade, but we arrived just as the sun was beginning to rise. The Hill Climb wasn’t due to start for hours, and after the van left, we were on our own. Now, this is the only event that I’ve been to where the press material includes descriptions of hypothermia, heat stroke and altitude-sickness, so you can imagine that the wait wasn’t particularly pleasant. In addition to the temperature—it was a brisk 34—and the thin air, the area is just loaded with bees, which seemed to throughly enjoy buzzing around everyone. I didn’t even think bees could survive when it’s that chilly out. Bonus fact? I’m allergic to bees. But the scenery was unquestionably gorgeous. After all, this is the very spot that inspired Katharine Lee Bates to write "America the Beautiful," which I personally think should replace the too-hard-to-sing Star Spangled Banner as our national anthem. Check out more pics from the summit after the jump.

Continue reading "Sunrise on Pikes Peak: Pretty, Unpleasant" »

Thanks to a delayed plane, I got to the hotel just as the media credentials staff was packing up. Fortunately, they were totally understanding and hooked me up with my press badge, and they also got me a spot on the media bus that’s heading up the hill tomorrow morning. The bad news? Said bus leaves at a mind-bendingly early 4:15AM. Ouch. After I found out how little sleep I’ll be getting, I walked out to see if I could find any cool rides in the parking lot, and I wasn’t disappointed. I spotted an EVO, an Audi, and a Subie, but the sickest cars were vintage machines wearing La Carrera Panamericana livery. Along with a burly ‘64 Falcon and a ‘54 Lincoln Capri with a gorgeous patina, there was a ‘54 Corvette and ‘54 Oldsmobile Super 88. I actually got to talk with the Super 88’s driver, Doug Mocket, and his crew chief Oscar Casilla, and they filled me in on some of the car’s details. The motor is a modern Chevy 350 mated to a Jericho racing gearbox, and the sheet metal is riding on the chassis from an ’80s Camaro, so it’s an "Olds en Nombre Solemente," or "Olds in Name Only." Apparently the car has been bashed up pretty badly a few times, so it seems fitting that the under the driver and co-driver names painted on the doors, their blood types are listed. Let’s hope nobody needs to use that info. I’ll try to get the scoop on the rest of the cars tomorrow, for now, check out a bunch of pics after the jump.

Continue reading "Pikes Peak Hill Climb: Parking Lot Heavy Metal" »

There are a lot of videos of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb floating around on the web, but the Peugeot-produced Climb Dance is the best one I found. The combination of perspectives—I love the overhead shots—gives you a real sense of how difficult and treacherous this twisty 12.4 mile course is. Just watch the driver’s hands as he wrestles the car through the turns! I’m getting ready to head to the airport right now, but I’ll be in Colorado Springs by early afternoon. Stay tuned for full coverage from America’s Mountain!

Tomorrow morning, I’m going to hop a plane to Colorado Springs to cover the famous Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, and I’m super stoked. The stats on this race are insane: 11 different classes, 12.42 miles of pavement and gravel, 156 turns, and an elevation change of almost 5000 feet. Everything from motorcycles to big rigs—yup, big rigs—competes in this event, and teams come from all over the world to challenge "America’s Mountain." The current course record of 10:01 was set last year by Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima in a hyper-modified Suzuki XL7, and the big question is whether anyone will break the ten minute mark during Sunday’s race. Of course, the previous record of 10.04 stood for an impressive 13 years, so there’s no guarantee that anyone is going to take the title away from ‘Monster’ anytime soon. And while the competition is sure to be awesome, since the race is held on National Forrest Service property, the scenery will be amazing. Just check out the gorgeous photo below! Stay tuned, I’ll start posting updates just as soon as I can.