American Woman Motorscene

AWM: When was your first try at motorsports?

KE: That would have been 1990, around February. [Now husband] Bob asked me out; on our first date he took me to an autocross event. I'd been competing on motorcycles prior to that.

AWM: You were racing motorcycles?

KE: Motorcycle trials. It's a sport that requires tons of practice. Really a full-time sport.

AWM: That's a sport of real precision.

KE: Yes, and it can be intense. After your difficulty level increases, the kind of obstacles you have to negotiate are intimidating.

AWM: So you got into autocrossing, and from there progressed to the SCCA Pro Solo circuit?

KE: Yes. Bob had been running Pro Solo and repeatedly told me how much fun it was. It's my favorite solo competition format. Plus, since Bob and I both work for American Honda, I'm proud to compete in the Honda Women's Challenge.

AWM: In a Honda, of course.

KE: Of course!

AWM: Was this experience what landed you the Pikes Peak Hillclimb ride?

KE: Well, one of the executive vice president's in my division, Chet Hale, was the driving force behind this whole project. He knew that I drove autocross. And he knew about the project that was being undertaken by a group of young engineers in Japan, to build a competitive electric hillclimb car. So Chet approached me about driving the car. My experience, combined with my light weight, made me a good choice. Plus it was an employee project, so the team wanted the driver to be an employee.

AWM: Define what you mean by "employee project. "

KE: Honda Motor Company in Japan sponsors an all-Honda idea contest every other year for its employees. Some companies have company picnics, family days, sack races...Honda gets a bunch of employees together to develop something new and innovative. As an offshoot of this idea contest, a group of young engineers made this their project The Pikes Peak Hillclimb is really a big deal in Japan, much more so than here. They wanted to enter an electric Honda at Pikes Peak, so they designed it in a couple of hours. The company gave them the shell of a car, and they received more support in the form of various parts, but mostly it was their own time and money. It wasn't a factory effort per se, but rather an employee club project.

AWM: Did you have a hand in design or setup of the car?

KE: No, all I did was drive. I got the easy job. They did all the designing, then got the car over here to the States.

AWM: Tell us about the car.

KE: It looked like a Civic wagon except it only had two doors.

AWM:And the power?

KE: It was capable of about 100 horsepower, but they actually detuned it a bit to make sure I wouldn't use up all the batteries before I made it to the top. At full power it was capable of 105 mph. It was detuned to a top speed of about 85 mph for the race. It weighed in at about 2800 pounds with all the batteries in place.

AWM: So the game was "momentum management. "

KE: Exactly

AWM: What other cars did you compete against in your class?

KE: There were a couple of custom-built sand-rail-type cars. And there also was an electrically powered Geo.

AWM: The sand-rails must have been a lot lighter than your car.

KE: They sure seemed like it.

AWM: So you must have really out drove them.

KE: I think we out-engineered them. All we really had to do was finish to win.

AWM: You mean they didn't finish?

KE: No, they finished. But the closest one was behind us by about seven minutes. As long as we finished, we were pretty sure we were going to course?

AWM: How long is the Pikes Peak course?

KE: It's 12.42 miles. It starts at about 9000 feet and climbs to 14,110 at the summit. Fast showroom-stock cars can run it in the 12-minute bracket. The third-place showroom stocker was in the 14-minute range.

AWM:And you?

KE: Well, our goal was to run it in 18 minutes, but we were really hoping for something around 17:30. All the way up I just felt as if I wasn't going fast enough, like I was crawling up the hill. Then when I got to the finish, the officials handed me my time slip. It said 15:44.71. I couldn't believe it when they handed me that time.

AWM: On that twisty, dirt road, that's pretty fast.

KE: In practice, we were actually running as fast as several gas-powered cars on the upper third of the course. Remember, the top third runs from 12,780 feet at Devil's Playground, to 14,110 feet. The gas cars just can't get enough air. [Gaspowered engines lose abundant horsepower at higher altitudes due to the thin air.] Our electric car, of course, never even noticed. We were clocked just past Devil's Playground at over 75 mph.

AWM: Was it easy to drive without an engine sound?

KE: At first. But it does make a sound; it makes this high-pitched whirring noise. Like a ride at Disneyland-Tomorrowland, maybe. So you get used to hearing that.

AWM: Is there an electric Honda in tomorrowland for all of us?

KE: You bet. It will make a good little commuter-type car. But it probably will look more like the Civic hatchback than the wagon I drove. And, of course, it will have a little less performance.

AWM: So what are your upcoming plans?

KE: I really don't know if I'll defend my title at Pikes Peak. I'll be doing some regional SCCA Club Racing. I'll also continue to focus on the Valvoline Pro Solo circuit and the Honda Women's challenge. And, of course, I'll finish it all off at the SCCA Solo II and Pro Solo National Championships in Topeka.