Competing in the 87th running of the historic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado; Rhys Millen drove his RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe equipped with Toyo Proxes R1R extreme performance tires to a Time Attack 2WD division win. Millen also set a new world record of 12:09:397 on the 156-turn mountain course, beating his own personal best by 22 seconds, and finished one minute and 23 seconds ahead of the next fastest car in his division. Notorious for extreme changes in weather, the race course begins at a 9,390-foot elevation, and then climbs to the summit at 14,110-feet.Â
“I chose to run on the Toyo Proxes R1R on race day knowing that its high grip level would get us to the 10 mile mark in record time,†said Millen. “During the 12.5 mile run I experienced slippery pavement with rain and hail at the start line, 95-degree weather in the middle and an abrasive upper two miles of crushed granite. A large contributor to the huge time reduction of this year’s record breaking run was due to the tires.â€Â
Millen’s heavily modified Genesis Coupe used off-the-shelf 245/40ZR18 Proxes R1R tires in … Details
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motor sports race in America and a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. First competed in 1916, this year marks the 87th running of the “Race to the Clouds.” The 2009 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the quad division began with practice on the lower section of the Pikes Peak Highway on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.
The race is run on a 12.42 mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit of America’s Mountain; Pikes Peak! As the drivers climb toward the summit, the thin air slows reflexes and saps muscle strength. The thin air also robs engines of 30 percent of their power at the summit. Competitors and vehicles must be in top shape simply to finish let alone … Details
In the spirit of Parnelli Jones, world-class rally aces Marcus Grönholm and Andreas Eriksson will scale Pikes Peak Sunday determined to crack the elusive 10-minute barrier.
Jones, one of America’s most versatile drivers, won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 1963 and 1964 in a Mercury Marauder set up as a U.S. Auto Club stock car. Grönholm, a two-time World Rally Car champion, and Eriksson, a four-time Swedish Rally champion, will tackle the 87th edition of “The Race to the Clouds†in a pair of supercharged Ford Fiestas.
Despite their impressive rally credentials, Grönholm and Eriksson have spent this week in and around Colorado Springs, Colo., adjusting to the serpentine 12.42-mile course and thin air as bonafide rookies. Jones, the 1963 Indianapolis 500 champion, suggested that was a wise approach.
“Those rally guys are pretty brave guys anyway, running on the circuits they run… Details
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motor sports race in America and a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. First competed in 1916, this year marks the 87th running of the “Race to the Clouds.” The 2009 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the quad division began with practice on the lower section of the Pikes Peak Highway on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.