For decades, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb stood apart in an ever-increasing motorsports scene crowded with stock car circuits, open-wheels, dragsters and motorbikes. The race – which adds its 85th running Saturday near Colorado Springs – has always been one of the most original, most daring competitions in the world.
It’s the second-oldest race in North America, behind the Indianapolis 500. It’s a dusty, dangerous sprint to the summit of a 14,110-foot mountain. The climb requires drivers to navigate 156 turns on a 12.42-mile course, with hairpin turns on cliffs that drop thousands of feet.
Imagine the free-for-all desert auto race Hunter Thompson writes about in “Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas,” except substitute the potential death involved with Pikes Peak for the boring, flat Nevada desert.
But the once-proud race has fallen on hard times in recent years. Sponsors pulled out, the purse cheapened, big-name drivers left and politics got ugly. The race this century has fallen short of tradition.
But one driver this weekend could restore the race’s former glory. Japan’s Nobuhiro Tajima will race unopposed in the unlimited division. Nicknamed “Monster,” Tajima might best be known for appearing with his V6 Suzuki Escudo in the PlayStation video game “Gran Turismo.”
Tajima, though, is all real. He has a legitimate chance of breaking the race record of 10 minutes, 4.06 seconds, set by Rod Millen in a Toyota Celica GT in 1994. Saturday’s start is the latest the race has run in its history and the course will be in unusually peak condition. And Tajima, set to start around 11 a.m., likely won’t be hindered by rain, hail or snow.
The “Race to the Clouds” starts at 9 a.m., with gates opening at 4 a.m. Check for more information.
THE COUCH
ON: We had three-digit, record-setting summer temperatures in Colorado this week. But did you see Thursday’s start of the 136th British Open at Carnoustie Golf Club in Scotland? Everyone was bundled up like it was the middle of January. Chilliness aside, the tournament got off to a rousing start, with big names battling. Sergio Garcia, Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Retief Goosen all were near the top of the leaderboard. Woods, though, is the only golfer in the pack seeking a third consecutive British Open championship. The final two rounds should be as entertaining a major as the PGA will see this year. On Saturday, check TNT from 5-7 a.m. and KMGH-7 from 7 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for coverage. On Sunday, the tag-team coverage continues on TNT from 4-6 a.m. and KMGH-7 from 6-11:30 a.m.
OFF: The degree of difficulty will be in the red the next three days for weekend warriors. Three lengthy events are, literally, not for the faint of heart. The Bob Cook Memorial Mount Evans Hill Climb and the Colorado Hill Climb Championship cycling races ride 28 miles up a mountain beginning in Idaho Springs at 7:30 a.m. Saturday (303-322-3420); the 18th Children’s Hospital Courage Classic is a 157-mile bike trek which starts in Leadville and rides through Summit County and back from Saturday through Monday (couragetours.com); and the VRD Teva Vail Mountain Trail Run Half Marathon will be just that, a mountain-area halfie full of gasping runners (vailrec.com).
AROUND TOWN
A crowd favorite at most rodeos, mutton bustin’ normally is relegated to the opening day, as a sideshow. But the Arapahoe County Fair this weekend will increase the stakes, running what it calls “World Championship Mutton Bustin'” through Sunday. All kids ages three to six, weighing less than 50 pounds, are eligible to enter the open-style competition. For the rest of us, it means extended viewing of one of the best reasons for a county fair, short of Buick-sized turkey legs and powdered sugar-covered fried dough. The fair runs 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the fairgrounds in Aurora. Check for photos and video.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE …
Pirates pitcher Ian Snell whined Wednesday after his team’s 5-3 loss to the Rockies that Colorado was stealing signs. Boo-hoo. The Rockies, who swept a three-game series from the Bucs, steal signs no more and no less than any other team in baseball. Snell after the game said, “I know who it was (stealing signs) and I will kill that dude. If I pitch against them, I will get fined big time.” Go ahead, Ian, buddy. Put as many runners on base as possible. Great Coors Field strategy.
WEAK IN REVIEW
Michael Vick this week was indicted on federal charges of dog fighting, and alleged to have approved gruesome treatment of dogs. The NFL on Thursday made a point of saying the beleaguered Falcons quarterback is innocent until proven guilty and he won’t face any league trouble until the law takes its course. And yet the league had no problem suspending Adam “Pacman” Jones for his off-field troubles. The hypocrisy mounts.
