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ASA/OFF ROAD: Pikes Peak Hill Climb to feature ASA Class

20 June 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Two Herzog Motor Sports Cars Among First Entries

PENDLETON, Ind. --As part of the 2000 Adelphia Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, held annually on the July Fourth holiday weekend, an ASA class, utilizing the same cars seen 20 weekends a year as part of the ASA ACDelco Series, will be featured for the first time. The first two entries for the event are part of the Herzog Motor Sports stable out of Wisconsin.

First scheduled just to be an exhibition run, General Motors was going to use the experience to showcase the Vortec ASA 5700 engines, the spec engine of the ASA ACDelco Series used by all competitors in the 2000 season. It is the first fuel-injected engine to be utilized in short track stock car racing.

The two cars to be fielded by Herzog Motor Sports will feature Holden Commodore bodies. The Holden Commodore is the Australian car that utilizes the LS1-V8 engine, the production line version of the Vortec ASA 5700 engine.

The entries will feature drivers Ricky Johnson and Lane Schranz. Johnson, who pilots the number 22 Nationwide Auction Systems Chevrolet for the Herzog team in ASA, is a several time off-road and motocross champion. Schranz, a veteran of the Pikes Peak races, has vast motorsports experience in motorcycles, quads and cars.

Recently, Herzog Motor Sports and Johnson fielded a fourth-place Chevy TrailBlazer operating a Vortec 5.0-liter I-6 engine in the annual Baja 500, an event which Johnson has won before.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb features a number of different classes running up a demanding 12.42-mile gravel course. The event dates back to 1916 and includes over 150 turns, finishing at an elevation of 14,110 feet.

The ASA class will essentially be the same car used during weekend events, with minor modifications to adapt to the hill climb course. The cars will also use a specific BFGoodrich Tire. BFGoodrich Tires joined the ASA circuit in 2000, marking the first time a radial tire has been used in ASA competition.

Text provided by Jeremy Troiano

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