I heard there are a couple of spots left in the vintage historic cl*** for the hillclimb. This would be the last chance to run on the dirt before its all paved to the top. Its only 14 miles how hard could that be?
Well, thats the end of that!! 100 odd years of history, up in Tar. what are they going to call it?? The Procession to the Clouds. easy Climb Drive. You would think a little civil engineering to build some traps for the gravel, keep it out of the creeks and allow it to be re-used back on the road would be a better enviromental solution than building a bitumen road. Perhaps you have poli***ions with interests in Civic Projects and/or Construction??
More than likely, the last person to enter British parliament with honest intentions was Guy Fawkes...
All but the road is owned by the Federal Govt. The road its self is owned and maintained by the city of Colorado Springs. They were sued by the Sierra Club and forced to pave it.
I guess you can have the "Pikes Peak Uphill Drifting Compe***ion", you know, with points for style and angle & duration. None of the legal, insurance & enviromental issues ***ociated with a 'real race'. Or use Formula One & Indy cars & GP bikes, (not my idea of "Real" racing either) just a compe***ion of sponsorships & advertising budgets. ( sorry...no disrespect intended to the drivers or riders) NOT HAPPY!!
WTF is the Sierra Club? Maybe we could just bulldoze and pave a drag strip dead straight up the side? No worries about the sudden drop at the top, isn't that what parachutes are for? Doc.
I think the real issue is going to be keeping the pavement in suitable condition for high speed racing. Afterall, the summit is almost 3 miles above sea level and suffers some of the most extreme weather on the planet. It wouldn't surprise me to see future hillclimbs running at about half the distance, ending at Glen Cove. JMHO.
Having raced it back in the mid 80's and also having done the Virginia City Hillclimb (Both in Rally Cl*** cars) I can tell you that while I'd love to see what hasn't already been covered in Pennsupress (the weird asphalt like stuff that they had previously paved some of it with) remain dirt, it is still very challenging to drive and literally takes your breath away - partly from the skills and view and also from the extreme al***ude, we actually put a small medical oxygen bottle and mask in the car!
I believe the Pennz Suppress stuff was deemed not permanent enough and they are paving it with asphalt, like any other road/highway. This is the reason it has taken so long to complete. Due to temperature and weather they only have a very limited window of opportunity to do the paving, not to mention the logistics, terrain and keeping the road open as much as possible for tourist traffic. Realilistically they can only do a few miles each summer and the closer they get to the top, the smaller the window.
Why would the Sierra club want it paved? That makes no sense, they are about preserving nature at all costs, not paving over it. I am surprised that they just havent gotten the whole road shut down instead. Damn eco terrorists.
Why would the Sierra club want it paved? That makes no sense, they are about preserving nature at all costs, not paving over it. I am surprised that they just havent gotten the whole road shut down instead. Damn eco terrorists.
Good point. It's a done deal and all the ******* and moaning about it won't bring it back. Could be a good opportunity to return it to its former significance of 40-50 years ago, although in a different form.
The new vintage historic cl*** allows cars that in the past were not allowed. If you have a race ready 60's mustang, Camaro, or hot rod, sports racer, etc. I'm thinkin' the historic cl***, is the new direction for the entire event, and to me a lot more interesting. I can appreciate a 5 million dollar Suzuki as much as the next guy ,but I'd really rather see something like Ak Miller's El Caballo or an old yellar clone, etc. goin up the hill.
Perhaps we should also wonder if the race will go on at all? And if it does, will they completely take the thrill out of it and install guard rails, too? Gary
I guess what I'm saying is the race appears to be in flux, transition, and there is no other way to say it, hot rodders wake the f%&k up!
The Sierra Club didn't want it paved. They wanted the road to be closed and sued the city of Colorado Springs over erosion issues. The city decided it was worth paving to keep the road open. It's a lose-lose issue. Pikes Peak is changed, the city has to pay for paving, and the Sierra Club didn't do squat. Change of topic - I'll be up there crewing for my girlfriend. She'll be racing a motorcycle up the hill. We'll be there all week for the practice days, Fan-fest, and then race day. Say hi if you see us. It's always nice to connect a face to the words. I'm pretty recognizable: Here's Brianne and her Pikes Peak bike:
hey, if you run into a tech guy named dusty kohl (if he still techs ), tell him tom keedle sez hi (haven't talked to him in years, like 20+)
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