This year marked what was sad news for many, as it was the last year the event will be held with a dirt section. All 12.42 miles of the hill climb will be paved over by the end of this year.
Although much of the legend of Pikes Peak is centered around the mountains uncommon combination of loose terrain and thousand foot drop offs, I believe future events will be entirely as entertaining, and just as dangerous, as those held in the past. With a 100% asphalt course competitors will no longer have to run cars with compromised setups. Gone are the days of open wheel exhibition class dirt terrors, many believe that the future of competition lies in F1 technology.
Pikes peak is legendary, being one of the oldest races in America, second only to the Daytona 500. Racers have to sprint up the famed mountain starting at the base elevation of 9,390 feet and reaching the summit at 14,110 feet, piloting through 156 corners on a mix of gravel, dirt, and tarmac. The conditions on the mountain are harsh; air temperature can drop by as much as 25 degrees from the base to the summit and the weather can change from sunny to snowing in a matter of minutes. Not to mention that the air at the peak is 30% thinner, making both the car and driver have to fight for each gulp of oxygen.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuacaBdUJKE&feature=player_embedded"]PPIHC Camaro1.mov - YouTube[/ame]
Even though we were easily among the first 50 people up the mountain, many of the corners were already occupied by people who had camped out the night before.
Lots of people kept coming up the mountain later in the morning, many were out of luck and were forced back down the mountain. We decided to post up on the roadside and keep watch out for anything cool. There was nothing cool.
Right around 9 AM they announced that the pace car was on it's way up, so I found a good spot to shoot from. Gotta get low to get the shot! The gravel in your face is just an added bonus.
The pace car was driven by
the Paul Walker! I know, I was bummed out too.
This Honda Fit was on the only entrant in the Exhibition class, and finished with a time of 15:46.609
Ikuo Honawa proved that their is a future for competitive electric vehicles in motorsports with a time of 12:20.084.
This is the Nissan's Leaf, I spoke to some of the team who told me that the only modifications to the car were the required safety equipment and to make the suspension more capable. Surprisingly, the car did absolutely fine doing back to back all-out runs during practice without a single recharge! Driver Chad Hord had a final time of 14:33.429
This beautiful Vintage Barracuda finished with a time of 13:20.657, piloted by Jesse Neal.
Bobby Regester and his Super Stock Pontiac Sunfire went off course just before Devil's Playground. Fortunately he crawled out and walked away!
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rVdS8Qnvb8&feature=player_embedded"]Bobby Regester Crash - Pikes Peak 2011 - YouTube[/ame]
This Super Stock Chevy Lumina finished with a very respectable 11:22.500
Rhys Millen and the RMR PM580 finished with a time of 10:09.242. Millen was expecting to break the 10 minute mark this year as the conditions on the mountain were absolutely perfect, unfortunately the car was having some issues with the brakes which caused him to fall short of his mark.
Rod Millen came back to the mountain this year, driving his son's drift car to beat out Jeff Zwart's GT2 RS with a final time, and new 2WD record, of 11:04.912
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRcyPsoFmag&feature=player_embedded"]Rhys Millen - Pikes Peak record attempt 2011 - YouTube[/ame]
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima did spectacularly with a final time, and new world record, of 9:51.278 crushing his 2007 record by a full 10 seconds.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VAJaZAV-gQ&feature=player_embedded"]GoPro HD: Monster Tajima's Record Breaking Run Pikes Peak 2011 - YouTube[/ame]
Jim Hodgson finished with 14:52.030
David Kern and his AMS prepped Evo finished with a 4th place class time of 12:12.630, which is amazing considering how their car looked after the race.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxGkd5gwPb8&feature=player_embedded"]VIDEO0020.3gp - YouTube[/ame]
Roy Tomkins finished 5th in 2WD with a time of 13:04.231 in his Corolla.
Ralf Christensson finished with a 14:18.881
Formula D drifter Stephan Verdier looked very promising during practice, but entered a corner a full speed on race day, wrecking the car.
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXEwC-7XmY8&feature=player_embedded"]Pikes Peak 2011 Crash - Zenkai Motorsports - YouTube[/ame]
Douglas Mockett finished with a very respectable 13:01.997 in his Oldsmobile Super 88.
Randy Shcranz and his kit Cobra took first place in the Open class with a respectable 11:55.132
Renault's Dacia Duster piloted by Jean Philippe Dayraut completed it's first ever trip up the mountain with a time of 10:17.707, very impressive for a first timer!
Privateer Valentin Ivanitski finished last in the 4WD Time Attack class with an underwhelming time of 14:48.358. During the practice stages the car was having some overheating issues, even with the cool morning air. This was Valentin's first attempt at summit so I'm hopeful to see him return next year with a fully functional cooling system.
Richard Hockert went off course in his Austin Healey and did not finish, thankfully the car appeared unharmed later in the day.
Kris Antal and his wild turbocharged Celica finished 8th in 2WD.
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