| Author | Message | ||
     Jammin_joules |
High Country H-D/Buell is going racing, again, and this time it is in our back yard! We have built a specially prepared Buell XB12TT and a KTM that will be entered in the 85th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Sunday 20UJuly. This race is second only to the Indy 500 for longevity and it is renowned around the world for its uniqueness. Buell uses a tag line, “Own the corners ” due to their innovative and superior cornering ability. Well, Pikes Peak runs from some 12 miles of twisty, turny switch-back miles from 9,200 feet, above the tree line, to over 14,200. It is part pavement, part dirt, all treacherous. There is a pre-race party on Tejon St in Colorado Springs on Friday night. Come down and hang out with us, meet the racers, Brian Anderson and Walker Pew. Brian won this race five times, and placed second ten times. Walker is a part of Cracker Boys Racing and rode our KTM last year in the 520 class. We will have some tent camping spaces with the Race Trailer and motor home at Rocky Top Campground on Hwy-24 past the entrance to the Race route. You might want to consider staying there Saturday night. Sunday is the race. You have to be at the gate around 7:00am or earlier to make your way up to where the action is. The further up you want to view the race, the sooner you need to be on the mountain. The real action and excitement is in the dirt sections, further up the mountain. If you are interested in staying over night, please contact Dave or Bones at High Country, 303.833.6777 | ||
| Jammin_joules |
2008 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb ** Press release ** The 86th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has received a record number of entrants for the cycle division, motorcycles and quads. Seventy two of them hale from out of state or country. Ten current and past record holders. Several things are of exceptional interest about the line up for this July 20, 2008 event: Most exciting is the entries of Joe Kopp and Johnny Murphree. Joe Kopp is currently winning grand national races and lies second in points for the series. Johnny Murphree is a past headliner in the grand national series. Further, Joe will also be serving as the Grand Marshal of the cycle division. Joe Kopp will be the highest ranking Grand National rider to have competed in the Race to the Clouds. They both are entered in the 1200cc class for the largest motorcycles which is the newest bike class on Pikes Peak. That class, which was all BMWs only last year will feature four brands a battling, Buell, Ducati, and KTM take up the challenge. The riders provide several more reasons for excitement. Of special interest will be the return of Brian Anderson, a multi past winner, on the American built Buell using a Harley-Davidson engine (built by High Country Harley-Davidson/Buell). Alexander Smith, son of the famous Malcolm Smith, is making a huge step-up from the 150cc exhibition bike he rode last year. Adding to Buell mounted Kopp and Murphree will be the Super Moto record holder, Greg Tracy, Ducati powered this year. The top class is full of top interest. All will be hoping to record a better time than our giant killer Davey Durelle on his 550cc Aprilia. From Europe comes a French team with an unlimited side car using a Choda Kawasaki engine. Marlin Bruno will pilot and Jeanfemange Sylvie, a lady, will be hanging on as the all important passenger. They will be aiming to break the side car record set by the flamboyant team from Sweden in 2005 of 13:17.16. Five other sidecar teams are entered but their "hacks" will be the smaller engined machines commonly used for cross country racing. The "monkeys" or passengers have the important job of shifting their weight for balance and traction that is entertaining to see. Italians have entered the 750cc class enmasse it seems. Marco Belli rode last year and returns. Three more Italians are entered, one a woman we expect, named Andrea Padovani. The Italian influence continues with Davey Durelle, the motorcycle record holder, entering on an Italian Aprilia, but of only 550cc capacity. Marco and local speedster Jeff Grace will give him a run plus possibly a dark horse. Davey the giant slayer is noted for getting great performance from smaller engines. Mickey Dymond, a popular winner in his rookie year, and a veteran racer, is back from a broken leg. He may be the man to beat in the 450cc class on his Husqvarna. The popular quads will feature the current record holder Canadian Jim Goertz. Of interest always is the popular Japanese racer Yoshimune Shirai who has the Pikes Peak Highway map tattooed on his arm. Both on Yamaha Banshees Of concern is Gary Trachy, the very fast Super Moto star. A spill during the pre-race practice left him with an injured right hand with a shortened finger. He was optimistic about still racing the 450 Super Moto class. Look for his number 357. Hall of Famer, Californian Eddie Mulder returns with his fast and artfully prepared Triumph for the vintage class. Racing now for over fifty years Eddie is the most colorful of racers on the mountain and the class record holder. Starting in groups of up to five racers, the cycle division provides the handlebar to handlebar action that puts the variety in the Race to the Clouds. No other race has such variety of racing machines. These armoured gladiators contrast with the fire suited gentlemen buried within their powerful race cars. All brave and eager to challenge America’s mountain. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I SO FRIGGIN' WANT TO DO THAT!!!! | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Sumna Bi@tch that is on my Bucket List | ||
| Jammin_joules |
Keep in mind, one of the Trachy brothers, fierce competitors who know the mountain, came of his ride coming down the mountain after time trials, usually an easy putt with no speed, and lost part of a finger slamming into a rock. I don't know about your bucket list, but mine doesn't include shortening the duration. | ||
| Hughlysses |
Pike's Peak looks amazingly cool, but there are some SERIOUS drop-offs (on the order of thousands of feet) on some of those curves. I sure would like to watch. | ||
| Cityxslicker |
Grew up in Colorado Springs, we used to get to ride the scooters up the hill before the race as an exhibition. (one of the few benefits of being a Cub Scout that I remember) That lil XR75 loved it. We didnt get to go all the way to the top, and it really wasnt a race, just a chance to ride the dirt and have fun. It was 1977, and it was an ultimate blast. We are all going to go sometime. But I wont be adding Sky diving to my list, that is out of my comfort zone  | ||
| Fastmag |
It looks like the two Buells came in 2nd and 3rd behind a Ducati. Way to go. BWM was fifth. | ||
| Jammin_joules |
Here, you can watch Walker Pew, our High Country H-D/Buell KTM rider, go up against the top four riders in the 550 class of this years Pikes Peak International Hill Climb's "Race to the Clouds". In the group, Davey Durelle, 11-time champion in a row, Nicky Diamond, current champion Super Mottard racer, an Italian pro and a guy I forget, but you see him get off his bike on the right shoulder about half way up the mountain. from 9,200 feet to 14,111, 156 turns, 12.42 miles in just over 12minutes - they battle it out. Walker was fourth in the end, but had third till nearly the end of the race. They started several groups of five in this class, Walker was in the top group based on qualifying times. There are sections they hit 115mph, and several sections, like “Razor’s Edge”, you get a nice view of some of the shear drops. The two in front of him are world class racers who do a similar hill climb in Brazil and the Andes. They finished first & second. The helmet cam is mounted on the third place finisher from Italy who was behind Walker most of the race, although you can see him figuring out how to make his move several times. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyGs8aEhYwA Our Buell XB12TT finished 2nd in the 1200 class. Ahead of Joe Kopp, Harley factory AMA GNC 750 dirt tracker, and behind only Greg Trachey, Ducati factory rider and current road racing champion and owner of fastest 1200 time up the mountain. Only in the paved straight-aways did he pull ahead of our rider, 46 year old Brian Anderson who has not run a race for 7 years until this year. Our efforts and success was mentioned at the Buell sessions of the dealer show last week. HOGr |
