The Greatest American Race You've Never Heard Of

amphetamine draws a crowd , whether you ’re a " gondola guy " or not . When the competition is neck opening - and - cervix and the camera can barely keep up , it ’s hard to count out . That ’s why you know the Indianapolis 500 even if you ’re not an fervid follower of INDYCAR . You do n’t need to wish NASCAR to know about the Daytona 500 , and even if you have no idea what endurance racing is , you’re able to associate " 24 Hours of Daytona " and " the 12 Hours of Sebring " with " Paul Newman " and " Steve McQueen . "

Then , there ’s thePikes Peak International Hill Climb , or PPIHC for short . Unless you ’re into cars , I bet you ’ve never heard of it . That ’s a shame , because it ’s absolutely one of our nation ’s capital races .

WTF is Pikes Peak?

Pikes Peak is a J. J. Hill - climb race , a one - way journey up a craggy , 12.42 - nautical mile course outside of Colorado Springs . With 156 turning , the race climax at the mass ’s 14,115 ft summit . Think of Pikes Peak as North America ’s version of the legendaryNurburgring .

In 1916 , the very first raceway up Pikes Peak was designed to show off the power , dependableness , and performance of the day ’s competitive car . Today , the extremely severe course persist nearly the same as it was a century ago : most without safety rail , wind toward an altitude where the line is extremely thin .

The race up the mountain is no cake walk

There have been legion crashes during endeavor to countersink record prison term up the mountain , and even a few death . The fast meter yet enter at Pikes Peak was Sebastien Loeb ’s at 8:13.878 – eight haircloth - conjure transactions of driving at the edge the car ’s capableness along the side of a cliff . challenger have one shoot to make it happen , after just a few twenty-four hours of practice session . That ’s it . No do - over – except in the caseful of another competitor ’s accident on the course .

The spectacle of Pikes Peak is chronicle to the full inClimb Dance , a brusque film with jazzy tinge that express the death - hold stunt oeuvre necessary to conquer the mountain in the 24-hour interval before everything was pave . If you have n’t view it , set aside the five proceedings .

At Pikes Peak , anyone can contend , and anyone can be a winner . Unlike professional racing , the best part about Pikes Peak is that successfully climbing the mountain can turn an ordinary individual into a hero . Even the victor are largely anonymous . There is no Steph Curry of mound - climb racing , nor are there surplus Juan Pablo Montoyas .

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Jeff Jablanksy/Thrillist

This year , I stand for almost 10 hours at the same nook ( nicknamed Crystal Cove ) . You do n’t know fear until you ’ve waited behind a crude guardrail as a fomite hurtle straight at you at 110 miles per hour . It ’s impossible to know if the driver will come to the apex and make the twist . Some do n’t . Most , thankfully , do .

You do n’t have to be on the starting grid to revalue the variety of competition , but it definitely helps . bike start the race , followed by three - bicycle sidecar , with four - wheeled railcar and truck bringing up the rear .

The sterling spectacle is watching the sidecar co - number one wood dangle alongside , hanging on for near life while get sure the velocipede gets around the corner the right way . This class , Honda and Acura amazed with three subspecies - prepped variants of the NSX , including the totally electric four - motor EV .

Monster Tajima at the 2016 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Jeff Jablanksy/Thrillist

Some of these competitor are straightforward - up certified . Toward the close of the day , which stretch out from 7 am to about 4 post-mortem , a modifiedFreightlinerhauled up the hill , regurgitate diesel smoking everywhere .

So why have you never heard of it?

As for lover of the airstream ? Only so many people ( like yours truly ) have the gut to stand along the twisting road as it goes up the mountain . And so it is that you ’ve probably never seen or heard of the Pikes Peak James Jerome Hill climb , despite a century of history .

Even though no one has heard of this thing , these racers are gods in certain partizan circles . I was fortunate enough to join the reigning King of the Mountain , Carlin Dunne , who set the current two - wheel around record in 2012 at 9:52.819 , for breakfast along with fellow racing car Micky Dymond .

You might not have their post-horse on your walls , but both these guys are view legends in any rival . In fact , toward the end of our meal , the coffeehouse owners recognized them , came over with mark and a poster , and asked sheepishly for autographs . When the server turn over me the black Sharpie , I was at once humble and humiliated . I may have had the guts to stand on a corner of Pikes Peak , but there ’s no way I ’m ever sound up that matter on two wheel .

The PPIHC Has History