Race day at Pikes Peak starts early, concludes with enthusiasm (with photos)

Andrew Phillips tows John Wood and Giorgina Gottlieb, whose sidecar ran out of gas

Andrew Phillips, on the #423 BMW, tows John Wood and Giorgina Gottlieb, on the #187 sidecar, back to the starting line after they ran out of gas coming down the mountain (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

If only 15 minutes of glory didn't require 12 hours of waiting. For racers in yesterday's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the time to be in place on the mountain was between 3 and 4 a.m. The cars were to start the program at 9 a.m. and if all went prefectly the motorcyclists could hope to start their heats around noon. Meanwhile, make yourselves comfortable.

For those merely there to watch, 7 a.m. was a good time to arrive, provided you wanted to find a place to park. The crowds were thinner at 8 a.m. but with every conceivable spot that could accommodate a car taken long ago, thank goodness for shuttle buses.

Shortly before 9 a.m., a driver's meeting was held up along the carnival midway that had gone up overnight to feed and cater to the racers and spectators. PPIHC Chairman Bob Gillis noted predictions of afternoon thundershowers and said he wanted to get all the cars off the start by noon, all the bikes off by 1 p.m., and have everyone back down the mountain by 2 p.m.

Meanwhile, down in the motorcycle pits, the race officials who handle the motorcycle part of the bill were drawing names and handing out schwag from a variety of sponsors. Soon the reverberating roar of mighty engines told everyone that the 88th "Race to the Clouds" had begun.

The four wheelers started running, one taking off from the starting line about every 4 minutes. All was fine until one car went off the road and 45 minutes passed before another racer left the gate. Shortly afterward another car went off the road and a second one suffered mechanical difficulties.

Noon was approaching with a lot of cars left to run. And ominously, the sky over the mountain was growing darker and darker, the morning's blue sky now long gone. Asserting their prerogative, the racers in the Unlimited division, who would be attempting to break the course's all-time record of 10 minutes, 01.41 seconds, moved ahead of the remaining cars. Each of them was allowed to reach the top before the next competitor launched, thus prolonging the wait as the clouds drew nearer and nearer.

Motorcycles, finally

At long last, Sonny Anderson, former racer and 19-year veteran race official, gave the word for the bikes to get ready and the pits broke out of their lethargy as racers donned leathers and fired up their engines. Now gathered on the Pikes Peak road, they waited while another 8 or 10 race cars took their turns, all the while gazing at the mountain summit, which was by now enveloped in clouds.

"I don't want to be on top in wet leathers, waiting," was a comment heard repeatedly. And as long as the wait had been down here, it was generally acknowledged to be better than being among the first racers, who had made their runs long ago but were now sitting up on top with expectations to be there for a good while yet.

Motorcycles head for the summit (Photo: Ken Bingenheimer)

At last it was time and after some exhibition powersports riders took off, Dave Hennessy, with passenger Jeremiah Owsley, pulled to the line in his 1000cc Suzuki sidecar rig. Next to them were John Wood and his passenger, Giorgina Gottlieb, in the 750cc Yamaha-powered Wasp they were racing. With a wave of the green flag, they were off, with the Suzuki and its larger engine quickly taking the lead.

Next, in order, came vintage motorcycles, 450 quads, 250 motorcycles, 450 motorcycles, 500 quads, and then the 450 supermoto, in which Andrew Phillips was racing. Heats 1 and 2 took off and then it Andrew's third heat. Knowing that it was a timed race based on when you cross the start line and the finish line, Andrew hung back momentarily to avoid the off-the-line congestion with the others, allowing himself to achieve a smoother, faster launch.

The rest of the divisions ran, with the last racer heading out at around 2:30 p.m. Fans who had hiked up the mountain a way with their coolers and lawn chairs and kid haulers started filtering back down, many continuing on to their cars, but many collecting at the start. An hour later, when the racers came back down the mountain en masse, they were greeted with high fives and handshakes from a cheering crowd. The 10-minute record still stood but a variety of division records had fallen.

How'd it go?

Dave and Jeremiah had done well at 15:32.706, but were 2 minutes off the record. Still, said Jeremiah, "It was amazing, and once I got up to the top I didn't remember 90 percent of the race."

Dave, who has been sorting out the set-up of the bike, said it was "physically so hard to steer. I got worn out and had to slow it down. But it was fun."

Giorgina summed it up in just a few words: "Tiring. Exhilarating. Exhausting. The way down (through the cheering crowds) was awesome."

John remarked that "We were really slow but didn't have any close calls. Gina did great considering it was her first race. And I'm glad I did it." Their time was 16:39.557. John's eyes are on the future, when the road will be fully paved. Then he plans to come race again in his roadracing sidecar rig.

Truth being stranger than fiction, on the way down the mountain John and Giorgina had run out of gas. Using a strap they had handy, they were towed the rest of the way down by Andrew, literally tying these two stories together at the end.

Andrew described his race experience as "Excellent. Much better than I had anticipated. At the top there was a huge feeling of relief, a very happy feeling. I went too slow on some corners; once I got around them I could tell I could have gone faster." Andrew had been shooting for a 15-minute run. His time was 14:50.997, and he finished 12th of 16 in his division.

For Dave one special moment of enjoyment was the ride back down.

"The kids love the monkeys (the sidecar passengers). Jeremiah made them squat clear to the ground to high-five--or low-five--him."