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Vol.13 : 21, July 2005
Travis Pastrana takes on Pikes Peak
- Young American tackles the country's most famous hillclimb -
SUBARU Group N runner Travis Pastrana has stamped his authority on one of America's most legendary racing events, the annual Pikes Peak hillclimb.
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Now in its 83rd running, the event has continuously attracted a growing number of competitors over the years. With the newly-introduced 'Rally' class having been added in 2001, a whole new league of fans and enthusiasts has been added to the already massive crowds who come out to Colorado Springs, Colorado to marvel as no fewer than 17 classes of vehicle tackle the 156-turn, 12.4 mile sprint to the summit.
Pastrana, already a household name in the U.S. and Canada due to his astounding success in both Motocross and Extreme sports (where he has scored multiple championships), is enormously popular with young North American fans, both male and female.
Television and the media have also shown a major interest in Pastrana's rallying activities. The young American is seen as a real catalyst in the burgeoning popularity of rallying in the U.S., and his success is keenly observed by a huge number of fans, broadcasters and teams alike.
Travis made the choice to run with SUBARU despite the availability of support from other manufacturers competing in the North American rallying scene. He is supported by SUBARU USA.
Where to get the best view:
From a spectator area called Devil s Playground (a huge open space, like a massive arena), fans can sit and view one-third to half of the entire hill. You can actually see the cars for that much of the entire ascent. Situated near the top of the hill, Devil's Playground overlooks the last two hairpins before a final blast up to the peak about a mile and a half from the summit.
The cars run at one-minute intervals, with the first of the machines coming up the hill at 9:30am, and the last ones blasting past at about 3:30 in the afternoon. Lunch break saw all the morning s vehicles come back down (the motorbikes, quads, sidecars, and some of the rally cars). Then the open-wheeler specials, the trucks etc. took to the hill in the afternoon.
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Among the rally car entries, most were Group N machines. They were surprisingly quick considering they've restricted Group N cars running at that altitude. Looking at the times; Travis, (DC Shoes' founder) Ken Block, and current USA and Canadian rally champion Pat Richard were all setting times in the low and medium 12-minute time bracket, (averaging over 60 miles per hour over the 12.4 miles). Competitors start at around 9,000 feet, climbing another 5,200 feet to reach the summit.
SUBARU runner Travis Pastrana finished third in class in his Vermont Sports Car-prepared IMPREZA WRX STI, with teammate Ken Block just behind in fourth. In an event where experience makes all the difference, Block's result on his maiden visit was a true testament to both the car and the driver.
The route up is a big, wide and fast road - though there are lots of hairpins. There are not that many straight sections, and the route is quite twisty overall. Many of the corners are taken flat, with the speed traps showing the cars at over 90 miles an hour. Some of the open-wheel specials and the motorbikes were crossing the timing beam at 125mph. However, even with those speeds, the rally cars were quicker as their cornering pace far exceeded that of the bikes and open-wheelers.
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At the summit, conditions can be quite harsh. Nearly three miles up, the wind can be bitingly cold, and altitude sickness can also be a factor. It is not an event for the faint of heart. Fitness is also of paramount importance.
George Donaldson: "From what I saw, the SUBARU Group N cars were handling the best. If WRC car wouldn't fit restrictor, the car which may have 700 horsepower, I'd imagine, obliterate everybody else on the hill. With the aero package currently used in the WRC and a top speed of 145 or 150mph, they'd be well ahead of everybody else. You'd need to have that much power to be quickest overall."
With Travis' 3rd place in class at this year's event, the rallying community here will be eagerly awaiting his next visit to this shrine of American motorsport.
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