Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: Pikes Peak: No Margin for Error Continue reading the Original Blog Post
It was a real treat when Wide World of Sports covered it annually in the 60's, Unser Mountain! Thanks J-B.
We used to sit at Devils Playground to watch. Went for years. Great event that was not well attended way back then
Ken Block is an amazing driver and his 65 Stang is retarded fast, I love the car even if it is Ford powered, He is a major competitor in Formula Drift as well. We do engines for Sikky who also run Formula D and he runs very well all the time. I watched that Video he tore that up.
Curtis Turner won the stock class in 62 in a Ford. I've seen a picture of him a little sideways with the big rooster tail behind him and no guardrail in sight. Now this wont mean a lot to most of you, but we had one of those cars when I was a kid, and the thought of running that fast on the dirt, up the side of the mountain, in that old car just gives a new appreciation to what some of those guys did with a car. Nice Post
I drove it for pleasure a couple times- actually got stopped for speeding once- I said I never went over 55 mph- speed limit on the Peak is 25 mph-
We are building a 62 Falcon, using Aaron Kauffman's 63 as inspiration. It's going yo be a blast plan is a drift inspired build. 4-link rear M2 front 302/T5 Subframe connectors Hydraulic hand brake Should be a blast Oh and the hideous wheels are going in favor of some Cragar Soft 8's. Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Other than Indy, Pikes Peak is the 2nd oldest annual race in the U.S. Was REALLY exciting in the old days, on dirt. Since it has been paved, I feel it has lost some of its glory.
Around 1980 I was on a motorcycle trip through Colorado and it included riding to the top of Pike's Peak. I had long been aware of the automotive race, but riding that road had a powerful effect on my admiration for the bravery and skill of the race drivers! It must have required awesome courage on their part........ Jive-Bomber.........thanks for posting the video!! Ray
1st the race was ruined when the road was paved. Next some cars run modern EFI systems that adjust for adtitude changes. Add in "airo" and modern "fat gumball tires" and it is a different race - ruined like so many others.
I disagree, you have to progress with the times at some point. They run much faster today than they used to. Sent from my XT1585 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Went to Pikes Peak 3 times with Ak Miller. Watched him run up the hill from 3 different vantage points. Scared the crap out of me at all 3. I asked him if it scared him. He said only when he got too close to the edge! Ak loved throwing the car sideways, he didn't get to do that on road courses.
My pops and his good friend and driver Thom Jamison raced the Pikes Peak in the early 60's. They started out with a 61 Corvette and in 1964 ran a brand new 1964 fuelie right off the show room floor with just 900 miles on the car. During a practice run rounding the corner at Brown Bush a race official was on the course when he should not have been and they hit head on. Thom was doing around 75 mph when they hit. Both survived the crash but that was the end of their racing in the Peak. the car was sold and hauled off. I recently learned that the Corvette was fully restored and was featured in 2013 in the Hagerty classic car magazine.
I raced Pikes Peak in 1997, it was the 75th Anniversary of the hill climb. I drove an off topic 5/8 scale 37 Ford race car. There was no room for error as I went off the mountain at Engineers Corner during practice and spent the next day rebuilding the car so I could qualify and race on race day. There was only a couple of places that were paved then but I know it's been paved since. I will say that of all of the racing I have done it was by far the most memorable race.
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