Colorado Springs – Henry Bresciani, 67, a flagman at the top of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, was killed Tuesday morning during the first practice session when he was hit by a mini sprint car driven by Jay Stewart of Peyton.
Bresciani, a 10-year veteran official at the race, was the fourth person to be killed at the Hill Climb and the first race official to die in the history of the race, which was first contested in 1916. The drivers climb almost 5,000 feet over 10 miles, ending at 14,110 feet above sea level.
According to Hill Climb race director Phil Layton, Bresciani was in the proper flagman’s position, to the left of oncoming cars. According to Lt. Clif Northam of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department, Stewart was rounding a curve while Bresciani was in the roadway. Neither Bresciani nor Stewart expected the other to be in their respective positions, according to Northam. Stewart was traveling at approximately 65 to 70 mph and had no time to avoid Bresciani.
Northam said no charges will be filed.
During practice sessions, the mountain is divided into two sections. One section runs from the starting line to Glen Cove, which measures 5.5 miles; the other runs from Cove Creek to the summit.
Layton said Bresciani, of Colorado Springs, was killed instantly at approximately 8:15 a.m. Hill Climb safety crews and the Memorial Star Transport Helicopter Team from Memorial Hospital responded to the accident.
Stewart, 67, was not hurt. This is his 14th year of competing in the Hill Climb.
Based on a sequence of photographs taken by a Grassroots Motorsports photographer and another freelance photographer, Stewart was passed by Donner Billingsley between 16 mile and Boulder Park, about 90 seconds from the finish line. Billingsley was the last car scheduled to leave Cove Creek during that run.
“I don’t believe that there is any blame in this incident,” Layton said. “It was just a racing scenario. I think the safety plans we have in place work. This was one of those freak things, where the driver went one way and the official went the other way. We are going to continue (today) because I think Henry would have wanted us to continue.
“In his name, we are going to get through this week. Henry was one of the funny officials. If there was a test going on, he would be the first guy to be there. He always had a smile on his face, and anytime you needed anything he was always there. He was very much in love with that mountain.”
Practice was scheduled to continue at 5:30 a.m. today. The race is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday.
“We will pay specific attention to safety procedures to ensure our drivers, officials, volunteers and spectators will have a safe race,” said Mike Cimino, the chairman of the PPHC board of directors.
There have been three other deaths at the Hill Climb. There was a fatality in 1921, but the driver wasn’t identified in the race record books. In 1982, motorcycle racer Bill Gross was killed. On June 28, 2001, super stock car driver Chandler Bruning died during qualifying.
Layton said he talked with Stewart after the accident.
“I spent about an hour with Jay on the summit, and it would be difficult, as you all could imagine, for anybody to go through something like that,” Layton said. “But I think that Jay is ready to get back in the car (today) and race.”
Art Walsh of Colorado Springs, a 38-year veteran flagman at the Hill Climb, had kind words for Bresciani.
“When (Bresciani) first came up here, he was a gopher for me,” Walsh said. “He never whimpered and never complained. It is a dangerous job.”
Paul Dallenbach, the co-overall champion at the Hill Climb a year ago with Robby Unser, said he believes appropriate safety measures are used for the event.
“This is devastating, and it is the last thing you ever would have expected to happen,” Dallenbach said. “This was just a freak deal. It puts a damper on the whole thing.”
