Countdown to Race Day!

In 2011, the race will take place on Sunday, June 26, 2011,  with race related events all week long. Fan Fest, on Friday, June 24 in downtown Colorado Springs, will feature motorcycle jumpers, two beer gardens, a chili cook-off, live bands and the Denver Bronco Cheerleaders and is expected to draw over 35,000 spectators.

The race is run on a 12.42 mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit of America’s Mountain; Pikes Peak! As the drivers climb toward the summit, the thin air slows reflexes and saps muscle strength. The thin air also robs engines of 30% of their power at the summit. Competitors and vehicles must be in top shape simply to finish…let alone win!

This year the race has 11 classes and features a variety of automotive, semi truck, exhibition, open wheel, super stock car, pro truck and motorcycle classes with a field approaching 200 competitors.

Race Week begins Tuesday, June 21 with Tech Inspection at the Host Hotel – Crowne Plaza. Every vehicle undergoes a rigorous inspection with a concentration on safety issues. That evening there will be meetings for all the riders and drivers at the Crowne Plaza. Practice and qualifying takes place Wednesday through Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 am on Pikes Peak.

The current record is 10:01.41 and was set by Nobuhiro Tajima in 2007.

As challenging as it is, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb attracts no fewer than 11 classes of racers ranging from 250cc motors to 8,000 pound big rig trucks.

There is no other race course in the world like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. That is why it attracts race crews that are willing to spend several hundred thousand dollars and months of preperation to compete for the right to be the King of the Mountain.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb