If you’re a racing fan and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb isn’t in your bucket listing, it needs to be. But when you want convincing, right here’s a video that ought to change your thoughts, courtesy of a man who is aware of a factor or two in regards to the occasion: Rod Millen.
In 1994, Millen set a brand new file up the 12.4-mile course on the wheel of his iconic yellow Celica, again when the Pikes Peak course was totally filth from flag to flag. He additionally claimed the quickest time yearly from 1996 by means of 1999. Toward the tip of that span, Millen campaigned the Race to the Clouds in a Tacoma — the exact same Tacoma he belted himself into final weekend for the a hundredth working of the Race to the Clouds.
The footage above comes courtesy of photographer and videographer Larry Chen, who mentioned he was “so blown away” by Millen’s onboard that he determined to easily publish the entire run, unedited, from begin to end. No voiceover, no cuts, nothing — simply the thunder of a turbocharged 2.1-liter four-cylinder out of an Eagle IMSA GTP prototype, an enormous expanse of grey beneath and Millen’s fast fingers, for 11 minutes straight.
And Millen wanted these fast fingers, as you’ll be capable of see at across the 2:45 mark. I gained’t spoil the shock for you, however time hasn’t softened this Taco’s widowmaking methods, nor Millen’s capability to tame them. The thick-as-pea-soup fog in all probability didn’t assist issues, both.
While the Tacoma would’ve needed to ascend the mountain on a mix of surfaces again in its day, Pikes Peak has solely gotten sooner and in some methods extra harmful with the passage of time. The asphalt close to the summit is vulnerable to cracking from repetitive freezing, making for a really bumpy and unpredictable trip — one thing 2019 champ Robin Shute advised former Jalop Matt Brown not too way back. The mountain could change, however its thrilling hazard is ever-constant.
Source: jalopnik.com
