Adrenaline rush: Racing up America’s Mountain

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Anticipation is in the air as top drivers from around the world will soon put their skills to the test at the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Founded in 1916 by Spencer Penrose, the race ensures the spirit of conquering America’s Mountain has passed down through multiple generations.

“This is a race on almost every professional driver’s bucket list, and to race Pikes Peak successfully takes a lot of skill, a lot of luck,” said Fred Veitch, an experienced racer and Chairman of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Board.

Referred to as The Race to the Clouds, this hill climb is a race like no other, measuring 12.42 miles with 156 turns and ending at an elevation of 14,115 feet.

“It’s so hard to describe and I’ve been in motorsports for quite a few years,” said Melissa Eickhoff, CEO of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. “A lot of other people come up here, with lots of years of experience in other racetracks or other venues, they come up here, it still blows you way, still can’t grasp. You can study all you want, but you really got to see it to believe it and feel it and understand it.”

Not everyone can take on the challenge of America’s Mountain, however. This year, there were around 100 applications and only 70 accepted. The selection committee reviews race resumes to ensure these drivers are qualified while also filling the race with a variety of car models.

“We want to make sure we have a good representation across all the different divisions and all different kinds of makes and models of car,” Eickhoff said. “We have professional teams with these multimillion-dollar efforts to the grassroots racers, and you’d be surprised how close their times will be at the end of the day.”

Describing the event is nothing compared to buckling up and feeling the thrill, Veitch explained, “You want to try to be calm in the car because you want to get input from the car on what the car is doing, and you can’t do that if you’re nervous and you want to be calm in the car while you’re driving.”

Before the big race on June 23, drivers have the opportunity to get in some practice runs. This allows them to understand the challenges of the course, and how the car can handle the twists and turns up America’s Mountain.

“Well, I think first you’re trying to do the best possible job you can, so you’re trying to figure out real early what the grip levels are like on the road and then trying to push yourself safely, as quickly as you can drive the car,” said Veitch.

The thrill of the race is shared not only between drivers, but also those who help make the event possible. Around 150 volunteers help make the event run smoothly, with some coming back year after year, like Dave Jordan.

“I came up here when I was younger with my dad, he won it in 1967,” Jordan said. “But I came up one day just to watch stuff, qualifying, and I raced cars on the oval tracks, so the gentleman that flagged out at the oval tracks was here and I helped him do something one day and he went to Nick Sanborn, who was the president of the race, and suggested that he bring me on as a race official. My first year, I was hooked after that.”

The racers know how special Jordan is–not only is he the one signaling them to conquer Pikes Peak, but he also offers words of encouragement to keep these racers going strong.

“Especially when you see a rookie in the car and they’re so excited to be on Pikes Peak,” Jordan said. “Your practice session, race day, it’s all the same. There’s just such an excitement in the air about the race and the history up here.”

Following the practice runs, racer Loni Unser shared her excitement: “I grew up around mountains, so I love mountains and I love race cars. So, to get to do this together and put those two things together, is absolutely amazing and I couldn’t be more excited to be here, and we are going to have a really awesome month ahead of us.”

Tickets are still available online and can be purchased here , but organizers say it is very close to being sold out. For those who cannot make the trip to southern Colorado, there is a livestream provided by Mobil 1 which can be watched here .

“We’ve been upgrading that with more cameras, more fun, more features, trying to get that and try to get the community behind it as well, because we know there’s people that can’t make it,” said Eickhoff.

Watch parties will also be taking place throughout the Pikes Pike Region. Several locations include Manitou Springs Heritage Center, 110 Reserve in Woodland Park, Mash Mechanix Brewing Company, and Overdrive Raceway, to name a few.

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