WHAT IT’S LIKE TO GET TO THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN!

I’ve known about the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb for years, but what I didn’t know until recently was that it is the second oldest motorsports event in the United States (second only to the Indianapolis 500) and that the Pikes Peak mountain inspired Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the lyrics to “America the Beautiful” when she visited the Rocky Mountains in 1893. There are many beautiful mountains in America, and there are many wonderful hill-climb competitions in America, but there is only one Pikes Peak International Hillclimb! And this year I was invited to be the Grand Marshal of the 103^rd running of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb! And it did not disappoint!

While I would certainly have loved to have been a racer when I first experienced the mountain, after getting a “hot lap” with veteran Pikes Peak competitor and former Board member, Fred Veitch, it is something that gave me pause. The course is 14.42 miles up the mountain with 156 turns climbing over 4,700 feet start to finish. Practice and qualifying consists of dividing the mountain into three sections over the course of the week so the organizers can manage how the racers get access to the entire course leading into race day. There are six different classes for different types of vehicles, and qualifying is determined by the fastest time in the lower section.

One thing that made it even more special about attending this year was that the first and only woman to win the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb, Michele Mouton, was being inducted into the Hall of Fame! I remember following Michele in 1985 while I was racing in the IMSA Camel GT Series for Ford in a Ford Mustang in the GTO category. I was desperately working to earn my first professional race victory and when she won the PPIHC in July of 1985, I earned not only my first professional win in racing, but three victories: Road America in August, Watkins Glen in September, and Daytona in November! I genuinely believe her historic win at Pikes Peak was an inspiration to me!

Now let me tell you about my lap up the mountain (even as a passenger). For safety I had to be in full race gear (suit, helmet, gloves) so it felt “real.” Fred Veitch is passionate about the PPIHC, has competed in it numerous times, and he is also an accomplished road racer who’s raced at many of the same tracks around the country on which I have competed. He’s the former Chairman of the Board of the PPIHC and is a generous person who agreed to take me up the mountain in his 2016 Porsche GT3 RS early Friday morning (we launched at 5:15am) when they have their last “optional” practice before the race. Before we launched, Fred explained to me how the three sections of the course are divided into what he would describe: Section 1: “technical corners very similar to a traditional road course”. Section 2: “higher levels of speed and more technical corners. Section 3: “longer straights and high-speed corners” (this is where the race is won) were his words. After doing the run my opinion of section 3 was more like “this is where the race is lost!”.

My description after the run:   Section 1 is lower altitude (still over 9,000’) with plenty of trees and the corners are very much like a traditional road course. Section 2 is so crazy – blind corners, off camber, twisty switchbacks, insane drop offs. Section 3 is incredibly bumpy (due to the weather beating up the pavement) to a point where you have to constantly compromise how you would take a corner and consists of mostly high-speed corners with drop offs that if you get it wrong, you are gone! The last corner before the summit (at 14,110’) is a very tight corner called “Olympic”, which has a huge bump, so it at least slows you done enough before the checkered flag. My impression of what it’s like to do a lap of the course is that it encompasses everything I’ve ever experienced in racing: tight corners like on street courses, twisty sections and high-speed corners like many road courses, and long high-speed corners that are like threading a needle like Indy! All wrapped into one lap. The only thing missing are long straights.

The organizers of this event have their work cut out for them! Many of the officials and workers (mostly volunteers) have been doing this event for decades (and even some of them generational), so they know what they are doing and respect the history and safety of the race. I was extremely impressed. And everything has to be coordinated since the road to the summit is located in the Pike National Forest and open to the public, so the race organizers have to work with the city of Manitou Springs, the Pike National Forest, the sheriffs of El Paso county and the city of Colorado Springs (also where they hold the Fanfest), the military from Ft. Carson, and many other local volunteers and supporters.  Not an easy feat. They also bring in the motorsport’s expertise of USAC (United States Auto Club) for insurance and some timing equipment, GMR/AMR for safety support, and others. So besides managing all the competitors from all over the world, it encompasses many entities who are necessary to put on a world-class event! All of this falls under the direction of CEO Melissa Eickhoff and her staff, who did an amazing job!

After my fantastic ride up the mountain, it was back to the hotel in downtown Colorado Springs to get ready to moderate a panel discussion for Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA). On the panel were King of the Mountain/Hall of Fame honoree Michele Mouton, FIA Women in Motorsports Commission Chair Burcu Cetinkaya, and PPIHC racers Loni Unser, Emelia Hartford, and Tracy Gaudu. We had a lively discussion about their experiences on the mountain, their motorsports careers, the future of women in motorsports, and they answered questions from the audience.  Immediately following the panel discussion I walked a few blocks to where the Fanfest was taking place. There were an enormous number of people enjoying all the exhibitors and race cars on display for blocks of downtown Colorado Springs. I had a commitment to be at the Ford Performance display, and shortly after arriving there the Ford Mach E Mustang had to thread its way through the crowd to get to the display area. That was quite a site! To be honest, I was exhausted after being up since 3am and my body felt the effects of my ride up the mountain, so I was off to bed to be ready for Saturday/Sunday.

Saturday was an easy day. I visited the Penrose Pikes Peak Museum on the beautiful grounds of the historic Broadmoor Hotel. The museum was interesting and provided a lot of information about the history, including how Colorado Springs entrepreneur Spencer Penrose contracted with the National Forest Service to rebuild the old road up the mountain, and the incredible story of the Unser’s dominance. Louis Unser won Pikes Peak Hill Climb nine times between 1934 and 1953.  An Unser has 26 victories, including overall and class wins. That’s a legacy! And now Loni Unser continues to carry that legacy and was shooting to add another Unser victory to make it 27 (more on that in a few paragraphs). I had the pleasure of running into Lisa Unser (Bobby’s widow)  at the museum, with her friend Linda Daro, so after our visit we decided to catch a bite to eat at the beautiful Broadmoor Hotel. More stories to share between us!

Sunday is race day! That means up incredibly early again, but this time we met at the Broadmoor Hotel to gather with some others for a police escort to where the race will start (one of the benefits of being a VIP). It was great to reunite with Michele Mouton and her family as we followed the line of cars around the long line and to where we had parking spots available. Seeing the transformation of the relatively small area set aside as the pits prior to the start line was impressive. They got all 73 cars and their support vehicles parked where the spectators could see them. I still do not understand where and how the spectators are able to see the race, and learned there are viewing areas along the course. Other than some wind, the weather seemed quite mild. We learned that was not the case at the top of the summit, where winds were gusting at over 80 mph and blowing out car windows and blowing rocks onto the course. I had a moment when I was introduced at the driver’s meeting and felt so much appreciation from the crowd.

While they were deciding what they were going to do I was able to go around the pit area and tried to see (or meet) all six of the women racers and some of the others I knew. I was able to chat briefly with JR Hildebrand with his NASCAR legal 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix  and chatted with Romain Dumas  and got an inside look of the cockpit of the Super Mustang Mach E. An incredible amount of electronics!  I was able to see Kathryn Mead’s Porsche and meet her crew. I was able to see Kathryn Legge and get a photo with her and her Acura. I missed seeing Loni Unser before the start, but was able to watch her take off. I could not find the others.

After a 2-hour delay for the start, it was determined that for safety reasons they would have to shorten the course to an area called Devils Playground, which was a little over halfway at about 12,780’ altitude. It is the same spot they use for qualifying. There is a large spectator area there as well, which is great to celebrate the official finish! Having to race on a shortened course came as a disappointment for the competitors who are there to not only win their class, but who are also hoping to set a record in the class, and for a few to go for the overall course record, which is currently held by Romain Dumas in a 2018 VW I.D. R at 7:57.148. Romain was there this year in a factory-supported Ford Super Mustang Mach E with the goal of not only winning the Pikes Peak Open Division but setting a new course record and being 2025 King of the Mountain. With the shortened course that would not happen, but he did win the Pikes Peak Open Division class.

Even though in racing we often say, well it is the same for everyone, but other than the shortened course, you can’t say that at Pikes Peak, but between the constant weather changes and how each competitor takes the turns, every corner can change in an instant.

My “job” on race day was to wave the green flag for one of the competitors. I requested the Ford Super Mustang Mach E for Romain Domas, who was going off about 17^th in line. I was able to watch some interesting cars take off. The procedure is somewhat unique. You can either be pushed or drive to the start line where you will get the green flag, but the actual point where the timing starts is the “official starting line”, so they get a rolling start which helps tremendously with recorded time. When Romain was pushed to the point where I was standing with the green flag, as soon as the official starter gave me the signal to wave the green flag, I waved it, and Romain didn’t move. So, I just kept waving! Suddenly, he charged off the line in a flash. The electric vehicles are required to have some type of sound to know they are moving, and the Mustang has a siren sound. The official pulled me back and said “give me a wide berth” because he uses it. Luckily, I did and off he went!

We followed the times as much as we could as the race continued (remember, there were 73 cars going up the mountain). I had to leave to get to the Denver airport, but the memory will stay with me forever! I love racing and respect that every form of racing has unique qualities, but the one common denominator is passion! And because everyone in racing is passionate about it, it becomes a family! Although I will never race Pikes Peak International Hillclimb at this stage of my career, I feel like I’m now part of a new racing family.