PIKES PEAK: Ten minute barrier still up for grabs
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
June 26, 2001The 10-minute barrier still looms for drivers participating in this weekend's 79th Adelphia Pikes Peak Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, Colo. Rod Millen continues to hold the ultimate record time of 10:04.06 which he set in 1994.
Two divisions of the annual event are sanctioned by the United States Auto Club, the Pikes Peak Open and Unlimited and this year's entries include drivers from Japan, Sweden, Monte Carlo and Colorado.
There is no defending winner in the Unlimited division, since last year's two participants failed to reach the summit due to mechanical trouble! The 1995 winner, Nobuhiro Tajima of Japan returns to face Japanese rookie Yatawa Awazuhara and Colorado's Butch Hardman. Hardman is a three-time runner-up in the Pikes Peak Sprint Car division (1978, 1984 and 1999).
Defending winner Per Eklund of Sweden and 1999 winner Jean Pierre Richelmi of Monte Carlo will be challenged by Japan's Koichi Horiuchi in the Pikes Peak Open division. Horiuchi finished third in 1998 and will drive a Mitsubishi against Eklund's Saab and Richelmi's Toyota. Eklund holds the division record for the 12.5-mile climb to the 14,110-foot summit.
Saturday's race is scheduled to start at 9:30 am and qualifications are slated for Friday.
Text provided by Dick Jordan
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