Samstag, 30. Juni 2012

Alternativtermin?

The first two dates are definitely not possible for me. I am now working on the third :-(

--> So what? I will be there. Regardless when!  :-))

Freitag, 29. Juni 2012

Good News!

A Message To The Competitors of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

 

June 29, 2012

 

TO:  Drivers, racers and crews of the 90thPikes Peak International Hill Climb

FROM:  Tom Osborne, Chairman of the Board, the PPIHC

ABOUT:  New dates for staging the race

 

The 90th running of America's second oldest motor sports race will be conducted and the tradition you have helped us build will endure!

Our community has been hit hard by the wildfires that have threatened parts of the city, forced evacuations of more than 32,000 people, and brought pain and suffering to many, including the loss of more than 345 homes. Hundreds of brave firefighters and others are battling this blaze, and we are pulling together as a city and state.

As you know, we have had no choice but to postpone the race.

To stage the race, we need your participation, along with the multitude of people, our sponsors, systems, hotels, timing and scoring, the fans, media, and most importantly, America's Mountain itself.

Please let me know as quickly as possible which (or all) of three proposed Race Weeks below would permit your participation.

Tuesday, July 31-Sunday, August 5  (Race Day)

Tuesday, August 7- Sunday, August 12  (Race Day)

Tuesday, September 4 – Sunday, September 9  (Race Day)

Our Board will meet next Tuesday to choose a new date, and your input is a critical component of the important issues we will consider in making the decision.

Please let me know as soon as possible which of the dates are open and practical for you and your crews.

We value your support, and hope for your ability to come to Colorado Springs and be part of this historic event.

Let us know your plan, we are standing by all weekend and on Monday and Tuesday of next week:

tom@thesportscorp.org  (Tom Osborne)  (719) 634-7333, ext. 1001

 

 

Donnerstag, 28. Juni 2012

Verheerende Waldbrände verhindern Pikes Peak Hillclimb 2012 – Das Rennen zu den Wolken


Zum fünfundzwanzigsten Jubiläum seiner Rekordfahrt auf den Pikes Peak sollte der zweifache Rallye-Weltmeister (1980, 1982) Walter Röhrl wieder an den legendären Berg im US-Bundesstaat Colorado zurück kehren.


1987 stellte Röhrl beim Pikes Peak International Hill Climb einen vielbeachteten neuen Rekord für die 19,99 Kilometer lange Bergstrecke auf den Gipfel des Pikes Peak auf. In einem rund 600 PS starken Audi Sport Quattro S1 benötigte er für den damals noch mit einer durchgängig unbefestigten Fahrbahndecke versehenen Pikes Peak Highway 10 Minuten und 47,85 Sekunden. Er war damit der erste Fahrer, der die Strecke in weniger als 11 Minuten bewältigte.


Das Pikes Peak Bergrennen wurde bereits 1916 zum ersten Mal organisiert und ist damit das zweitälteste Motorsportereignis in Amerika. Die Strecke umfasst 156 Kurven. Der Start liegt auf 2.862 Meter Höhe und es werden 1.439 Meter Höhenunterschied bei durchschnittlich 7 % Steigung der Straße bewältigt. Auf dem Weg zum Ziel, das sich auf dem Gipfel in 4.301 Meter (14.110 Fuß) Höhe über dem Meeresspiegel befindet, verlieren die Fahrzeuge mit Verbrennungsmotoren durch die dünne Höhenluft rund ein Drittel ihrer Leistung. 2011 erreichte Nobuhiro Tajima als erster Fahrer eine Zeit unter 10 Minuten. Auf der mittlerweile zu rund 75 % asphaltierten Strecke gewann der Suzuki-Pilot in 9:51 Minuten. Seit August 2011 ist die gesamte Rennstrecke asphaltiert. Somit sollte das 90. PPIHC am 8. Juli 2012 erstmals über eine vollständig befestigte Strecke ausgetragen werden und natürlich wurde ein neuer Streckenrekord erwartet.


Aufgrund der katastrophalen Wandbrände in Colorado musste die Veranstaltung am 28. Juni kurzfristig abgesagt werden. Alle Ressourcen vor Ort werden benötigt um die Feuer unter Kontrolle zu bringen.
Neben Walter Röhrl war 2012 mit Gerhard Pegam ein weiterer deutschsprachiger Teilnehmer gemeldet. Nach der erfolgreichen Teilnahme an der legendären „La Carrera Panamericana“ in Mexico 2011, wollte sich der in Bad Feilnbach lebende Österreicher heuer auf dem „Pikes Peak“ mit einem 450 PS starken 65er Ford Mustang einen weiteren motorsportlichen Traum erfüllen.


Nach der Absage/Terminverschiebung des Rennens bleibt nun wenigstens die Erinnerung an eine faszinierende Testwoche Anfang Juni, als Pegam vor Ort Berg und Auto kennenlernen konnte. Pegam: „Das Pikes Peak Bergrennen ist mit nichts in Europa zu vergleichen. Typisch Amerika, hier ist alles größer und spektakulärer. Es war ungemein beeindruckend. Dieses Erlebnis werde ich sicher nie mehr vergessen. Es war großartig, dort gewesen zu sein. Es gibt auf diesem Berg keine Schikanen, kaum Leitplanken. Man glüht mit 180 kmh sprichwörtlich an der Tischkante entlang. Nachdenken darf man hier nicht anfangen……. Es ist natürlich schade, dass das Rennen abgesagt werden musste, aber angesichts der dramatischen Ereignisse vor Ort ist das völlig unbedeutend. Unser Mitgefühl gilt all jenen, die bei den Bränden ihr Hab und Gut verloren haben.
Das war's dann wohl für heuer :-((

90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Postponed Because of Safety Concerns And The Fires Near Colorado Springs – New Date Will Be Sought For This Summer

Colorado Springs, June 27---------Faced with epic conditions and safety concerns related to the wildfires threatening Colorado Springs and nearby communities, the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, scheduled for Sunday, July 8, is being postponed until later in the summer.
“We have been informed by the U.S. Forest Service that conditions are so extreme, along with the inability to forecast the future of the fire, and with access to Pikes Peak in jeopardy that the agency can’t permit the event to go as scheduled, “said Tom Osborne, Chairman of the Board of the PPIHC and President & CEO of the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation.
Osborne said that the iconic event, the nation’s second-oldest motor sports race behind the Indianapolis 500, will be staged later this summer, and that a new date will be set within a time frame that allows the option of rescheduling of a new Race Week for drivers, racers, support crews and the multitude of agencies that are required to support the race.
“The 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be run,” said Osborne.
“This race began in 1916 and it has earned its place among the world’s greatest motor sports events, and it is an important part of the sports heritage of Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region,” said Colorado Springs Mayor Steve Bach. “We are committed to making sure it takes place this year and that we carry on the tradition. We are disappointed, but our first concern is our city, its residents, their homes, businesses and public safety.”
Sports Corp and PPIHC officials met with officials from the Forest Service and numerous agencies tasked with the safety and support of the race this afternoon that included a wide-ranging discussion and review of the possibility of staging the race on July 8, along with the numerous ancillary events that go with the event. Those include the arrivals of the 211 race crews and competitors starting this weekend, the Technical Inspections on July 3 at the Pikes Peak International  Raceway, the July 6 Fan Fest downtown, and practice and qualification times for all competitors on July 4-5-6.
“At the end of our meeting today, it was clear that we would not be able to go as scheduled,” said Osborne. “Our deepest concern is for the safety of the public and the competitors, and it was obvious that several agencies charged with public safety would not be able to commit the resources and manpower required to ensure those requirements because of the critical need for their resources at this time. Our city is in an unprecedented struggle right now and we are deeply sensitive to it.”
The race organizers will meet quickly to begin the search for the new date and it is a goal to announce the replacement date within two weeks.
Notification of the 211 competitors, some of them from 15 nations outside the United States, news media organizations traveling to cover the race, and fans has begun.
Tickets already purchased will be honored for the new date and the events for the fans and competitors will be rescheduled. All sponsor, vendor and supplier agreements will be fulfilled, according to Osborne

Mike Moran
Senior Media Consultant
The Colorado Springs Sports Corporation
1631 Mesa Ave., Suite E
Colorado Springs, CO 80906
(719) 634-7333, ext.1011

Dienstag, 26. Juni 2012

Statement from the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation Regarding the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, - June 25, 2012

From: President & CEO Tom Osborne, Chairman of the Board of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
We are cautiously optimistic concerning the running of the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on July 8 after an informative and thorough meeting this morning with Mayor Steve Bach and officials from the City of Colorado Springs. We are in consistent touch with these officials, and monitoring the constantly-developing situation related to the wildfires.”

“We are grateful for the support of the City and for the efforts of the agencies involved in protecting our community from the fire. Our constant thoughts are with the hundreds of men and women who are in the air and on the ground giving us their best, and with our residents and neighbors.”

“In the meantime, our systems for the staging of the race and the ancillary events connected to it are fully operative.”

Mittwoch, 13. Juni 2012

Pikes Peak Testing Weekend June 9th/10th

find more info's, pictures, videos on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/gpstratos

e.g.:
https://vimeo.com/43968139
and
https://vimeo.com/43970521

Ein gutes Motto !

Pikes Peak Testing Days June 9th/10th


With only 4 weeks to go to the "Race to the Clouds", I used the opportunity to participate in the testing weekend on June9th/10th in order to familiarize myself with the car and with the mountain. It was a great experience! This is a fantastic mountain, a fantastic race track! (sometimes even a bit scaring....). A tremendeous experience. Todd Landon, his wife Kristin Stewart and John Kollars did a great job in perparing everything and in supporting me and my team mate Ralf Christensen from Sweden (unfortunately the Unser deal did not work out due to lack of sponsoring support). It was strange to discover, that Ralf and I where racing last years Panamericana rigth behind each other (I was car nr. 361 and he was nr.362!) and we haven't really talked to each other.....Ralf was second placed overall in the 2006 Panamericana and had won the Historic C category that year. On Pikes Peak he drives a powerful Mustang Shelby and he did set some impressive times......











Got up at 3:00 a.m. This morning. Left the hotel in Manitou Springs at 3:45, checked in at the Pikes Peak Highway tollgate at 4:15. First training session started at 5:30. We did 2 short runs for warming up and 5 runs from the Starting grid until Glenn Cove. Car handles nicely, and runs well. No issues at all. Building up confidence in tires, brakes, handling and Road conditions. It's a marvelous track......I am glad to be here! Tomorrow - same place, same station - we will be in the upper section, from Glenn Cove to the summit.






2nd day testing on Pikes Peak: Upper section, from Glenn Cove to the Summit. Beautiful and scary....I did 5 runs (because I run out of fuel just at the start of run 6). The upper section is partly extremely fast and you go through blind corners in 4th gear and the are no guardrails, but a cliff where you could crash down several hundert meters.....maybe need a brain surgery in order to get faster? ;-)












I was happy with the test - the car handles very well - but probably I still need to find some time in order to assure qualification for the race.....There are lots of powerful cars and well experienced racers at the start......I am looking forward to come back for the race!