Preview

Hillclimb

Rescheduled Pikes Peak International Hill Climb set to go

Edited: Aug 3, 2012, 11:51 PM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Nobuhiro Tajima

Race Week Opens Tuesday With Technical Inspections at PPIR

Colorado Springs, August 3 - The 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, forced to reschedule by the worst wildfire in Colorado history, will take off Sunday August 12, with 187 drivers and racers from 15 nations coming to Colorado Springs to challenge America’s Mountain.

Nobuhiro Tajima

Photo by: Monster Sport

The race, postponed from its original July 8 date by the horrific Waldo Canyon fires and the devastation it brought to the city, now has the unique chance to help deliver a message that is vitally important to the area’s economy and image – one used now often by Mayor Steve Bach, “Colorado Springs is open for business!”

Race Week begins on Tuesday, August 7, with Technical Inspections, presented by Scion, at the Pikes Peak International Raceway south of the city from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The public is invited, with no admission charge, to see the drivers, racers and their autos and motorcycles. There will be food, a beer garden and a chance for fans to get close to the competitors.

Fan Fest, presented by Budweiser, is set for Friday night, August 10 in downtown Colorado Springs from 5:00-10:00 p.m., with more than 30,000 race fans expected to attend. (Tejon St. between Colorado Ave. & Bijou St.) This event is FREE and features a large Budweiser beer garden, live bands, chili cook-off, Red Bull Skydivers and Red Bull Motorcycle Jumpers, presented by Colorado Springs downtown business owners Sam and Kathy Guadagnoli, as well as other live entertainment. Top race qualifiers will display their vehicles (cars, quads, motorcycles, etc.), give driver demos and be present for autograph sessions.

In addition, the PPIHC mobile museum will be on-site and exclusive PPIHC merchandise will be available for purchase. Tickets to the 90th running will also be on sale.

For the first time, the race will be offering a live stream at www.ppihc.com

It will include interview and footage from camera operators at the summit, start line and 16-mile, interviews with competitors done before the race, stagnant cameras along the race, and a feed from the helicopter footage during the race. The charge will be $5.95 for full access.

Reporters and broadcasters from more than 50 international news organizations will be here to cover the race, and the race itself has garnered massive attention already because of the postponement and the reason for it.

For the first time in the fabled history of the race, which began in 1916, the 12.42 mile course is fully-paved, with experts predicting that records will fall from start to finish, erasing the standard of 9:51.278 set last year by Japan’s Nobuhiro Tajima, the first ever under ten minutes.

The event’s stars will be on hand, including Japan’s Tajima, Paul Dallenbach, Rhys Millen, Greg Tracy, Carlin Dunne, Clint Vahsholtz, David Donner, Brianne Corn, Savannah Rickli, Dave Carapetyan, French drivers Romain Dumas and Jean-Philippe Dayraut, Randy and Layne Schranz, and Gary Trachy, among many former champions and new international talents.

The legendary race’s list of champions over the years includes Mario Andretti, Bobby Unser, Al Unser, Al Rogers, Rod Millen, Parnelli Jones, Leonard Vahsholtz, Roger Mears, and Eddie Mulder.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motorsports race in America and a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. The race is run on a 12.42 mile (and now fully-paved) course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit of America’s Mountain.

News and Notes

The “Battle the Blaze Fund,” a special fund that has been established by the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to support the many local fire, police, and other various departments that provided aid to the Colorado Springs and Woodland Park communities during the recent Waldo Canyon Fire, has garnered over $20,000 to date. Some $15,800 was collected by firefighters at the July 27 Olympic Downtown celebration alone. Donations are being accepted at www.ppihc.com

Sponsor Phil Long Audi is bringing in 150 fans for the Audi Club North America Rocky Mountain convention at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Thursday through Sunday. The attendees will not only enjoy the race, but visit the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Garden of the Gods, Cripple Creek, Fan Fest, a tour of Pikes Peak, and a car show with judging.

Race Day General Admission tickets are priced at $40.00, a ten-dollar savings on those tickets if purchased now. (Race Day ($50.00), as well as the Family Four-Pack of general admission tickets ($135.00) or $160.00 on Race Day. VIP tickets are sold out.

Advance tickets are available now at: www.ppihc.com

Round-trip bus tickets with a General Admission ticket are priced at $55.00 in advance only. The bus transportation begins at the Colorado Springs World Arena parking lot starting at 6:10 a.m., with a return after the race to the same location. Fans who have already purchased their tickets can still buy a round-trip bus seat on-line for just $20.00. The buses will take fans to the Crystal Reservoir site, just below the start line, and pick them up afterward at the same location beginning at 2:30 p.m.

2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb - By The Numbers

35,000-----Number of fans expected at the July 6 Fan Fest Downtown
6,500 ----- Race Tickets printed
2,500 ----- Souvenir Programs printed
2,000 ----- Credentials allocated
1,600 ----- Meals for volunteers from Famous Dave’s Legendary Pit Bar-B-Que
900------- Parking Passes
700 ------ Room nights already booked at the Crowne Plaza, PPIHC Host Hotel
300 ------ Volunteers
150 ------ Audi North America Convention attendees at Cheyenne Mountain Resort
187------ Race Teams
200 ------ Camping Passes Purchased by fans
175 ------ Accredited News Media
125 ------ Ducati Motorcycle guests
100 ------ Race Day technical course officials

4:00 a.m. –The time the toll gate opens on Race Day for spectators
9:00 a.m. – First division starts (250cc Motorcycles)

Source: PPIHC}

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Pobst Tops Practice Charts at Cadillac Mid-Ohio Grand Prix; Esayian, Herbert Lead Classes

Next article Luhr overcomes hot track to grab Mid-Ohio pole

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Phoenix II

8 min

Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix

Catching Larson in the NASCAR Chase has to start at track where 'I suck'

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup

Phoenix II

1 h

Catching Larson in the NASCAR Chase has to start at track where 'I suck'

Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth as GetSpeed wins Portimao GTWC finale

GT World Challenge Europe Endurance

WCEE GT World Challenge Europe Endurance 2 h

Verstappen charges from 24th to ninth as GetSpeed wins Portimao GTWC finale

Colton Herta “maybe underestimated the difference” from IndyCar – F2 boss

FIA F2

F2 FIA F2 6 h

Colton Herta “maybe underestimated the difference” from IndyCar – F2 boss

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts