CLimb to the clouds

Talk about Hill Climb events here and watch this site for any last minute changes to the schedule.

Moderators: Rich Rock, Mazdahead, Matt Rowe

dspgti
Novice
Posts: 1363
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 9:35 pm
PHA Permanent Number: 7
Current Racecar: ITC Rabbit, G/Prod Rabbit, H/Prod Scirocco, GTL Rabbit, TR4, Formula SAE
Location: Reading, PA/ Hammonton, NJ

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by dspgti »

While I'm sure this will be a big hit for the Northeast people, one thing to keep in mind is they are scheduled for the same weekend as Pikes Peak. A lot of big names will go there. On the other hand a lot of people have been waiting for Mt Washington to run again.

Enter Early.
Dave Y
jerdeitzel
Novice
Posts: 431
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by jerdeitzel »

Thanks Bob! Thats the kinda stuff i wanna hear.

Matt, I have no expectations as to actually getting into this event. When i sent in my entry and they wanted pics of the car, i figured it might be very selective. Now, i did state in my OP that any strings that could be pulled would be great. 8)

I will wait and see what happens. It would save me a ton of money to not get into this event.
#88 SM
Mitsubishi evo 8
jerdeitzel
Novice
Posts: 431
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by jerdeitzel »

I actually wonder if they are going to get 70 people to run this hill. Like Dave said, with PPHIC going on, Im not exactly sure who all will pay the entry fee to run this hill.
#88 SM
Mitsubishi evo 8
User avatar
sdwarf36
Novice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:41 am
Current Racecar: mod-lite
Location: Moodus,Ct.

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sdwarf36 »

OMG! there isn't gonna be enuff Tickle Me Elmos to go around! Order now! :P
Paul Giblin does the PT Barnum thing rather well. I'll eat my hat if they get 70 cars. They never filled to capacity when the entry fee was $300? back the last few times they ran it. Getting the pre-entries is one thing-getting folks to cut the check for $850 may be something else. If you want to run it, enter-you'll get in. According to Don, as of last week when i talked to him, they had apx. 26 entries-and he listed about 5 more rally guys he knew were gonna be signed up.
The hill: wow! 150 turns. 7.6 miles. I would have a strange sensation when i ran-after a couple of minutes-the speed of the world around you changes-you get over the adreniline rush and get into a rhythm-your mind seems to work at normal speed but the scenery zips by soo fast. And once you get above tree line, its like racing on the surface of the moon. And remember-Mt Wash. is known for the worlds worst weather-your turn may come up and 1/2 the run may be totally fogged in. I'm not one into hyperboil but THIS ROAD CAN KILL YOU! There are places where if you are offline 1 ft, you fall off a cliff. (Of the few people I know that have run both Pikes Peak + Mt. Wash-they all say the Washington is WAY WAY harder. Don states that most of the pikes peak regulars would load their cars back on the trailer after they saw it.) With John Buffum being the hill chair-prepare to have things STRICTLY scheduled-1st car goes off at 7:00.00-have your car in line in the right place by 6am.

Cages: Don Taylor knows what he is doing when he writes a rule. Hes been hillclimbing + rallying for 25 years-been the tech guy for us + rallies for nearly as long. He also drives the wrecker-and has seen 1st hand every wreck we have ever had. Road race cages rules are one thing-you usually can find a nice run off before you find a tire wall to crash into. Our roads are about 1/2 as wide as the ones I've run with you guys-and the trees are right there to the edge. If he says you need a brace here, its because he has seen a failure in that area. I have never heard anyone ever say after a crash "gee-I wish I built less of a rollcage."

Which one am I running? Good question. I keep going back + forth. $30 a mile is alot to pay-and I was looking forward to the longer Pagoda. For $850, I could run Pagoda AND buy everyone running a lobster! :lol:
WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG

Our Safer barriers are the mossy side of the trees...
camaroz1985
Novice
Posts: 43
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2009 10:57 am
Current Racecar: 98 Subaru Impreza RS - SM

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by camaroz1985 »

sdwarf36 wrote:Which one am I running? Good question. I keep going back + forth. $30 a mile is alot to pay-and I was looking forward to the longer Pagoda. For $850, I could run Pagoda AND buy everyone running a lobster! :lol:
I like the sound of that :)
Ryan Hetrick
#308 SM
User avatar
s4racing
Novice
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:03 pm

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by s4racing »

I started the process of getting registered last fall. I even received an email a few minutes before the official posting. I was very excited about the event, until the rules were posted. I already knew I would have to make pretty big suspension changes to the yellow #06 Audi, but I am really not prepared to add restrictors and re-engineer the car. If you ask me the rules were written by and for Red Bull and Pastrana. Don't get me wrong I love competition, but it will be hard to compete against a car that was designed with these rules from the start. That's the one thing that I really like about running hills, if it's safe, have fun. I was very disappointed to see that this will not be the case Mt W.

They are having a ur Audi gathering so I may take my 85 and just hang out. Not really sure how I will handle that when the racing starts. LOL If you need any help Jer I will certainly be willing. I would love to see you kick some Red Bull ass !
User avatar
sdwarf36
Novice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:41 am
Current Racecar: mod-lite
Location: Moodus,Ct.

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sdwarf36 »

""If you ask me the rules were written by and for Red Bull and Pastrana.""

Again-I have no active part in any of this with the exception of running the event in the past--and knowing the parties involved-but this is a bit harsh. When Don was trying to come up with a set of rules (which he was working on for many months) and with insurance companies wanting to know about what safety measures we going to be in place, to attract Rally America cars to the event, the logical thing to do was us their rules. If JUST these rules were in place-none of the other cars would pass. So to attract the NEHA hillclimb cars-there is a class to run them--using their rules in place(and to be honest-it messes up a few of our guys too). And I'm sure the vintage cars are using whatever rules they are running in other events. I know he tried many ways to make it as open and fair as possible.
WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG

Our Safer barriers are the mossy side of the trees...
User avatar
neonracer193
Novice
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:40 pm
PHA Permanent Number: 193
Current Racecar: 95 Neon ACR
Location: Morgantown, PA

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by neonracer193 »

Hmmmmm, i still have the Rally America stickers on my car.......
User avatar
s4racing
Novice
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:03 pm

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by s4racing »

I certainly do understand insurance issues. I deal with them all the time. I kind of find it hard to believe that the insurance company knows the difference or cares about the difference between 400 and 500 horsepower, but maybe they do. I was just very disappointed when I saw the rules, because I really was looking forward to the event. I did consider taking my 1.8T Rally car with the mandatory restrictor in place, but it is so stinking slow I don't think it would make it up the hill. Maybe it's my own fault, but I just didn't want to spend all that time and money to be in the middle of the pack. Sorry to have been harsh in my last post and I do wish the event well.
jerdeitzel
Novice
Posts: 431
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by jerdeitzel »

Yes, i'm not exactly happy about the rules either. It will end up costing me about $500-700 more just to run with the restrictor. I'm really not sure how much it will actually effect the car. I imagine the tq will still be pretty insane andi will just loose some top end. What i don't understand is the whole H class thing. If your car is eligible for any of these classes why can't we run them? Stupid IMO! Its only eligible to the NEHA folks, How is that getting real compitition? And, then it pretty much throws everyone else in open or a rally class (if your eligible for that).
#88 SM
Mitsubishi evo 8
User avatar
s4racing
Novice
Posts: 93
Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2005 7:03 pm

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by s4racing »

You will be surprised what a difference the restrictor makes. In the 1.8T Audi motor it is huge all across the board. The open class rally guys have designed engineered and built these cars with the rules in mind. Don't get me wrong they are playing by the same rules, they just aren't reverse engineering. Things like timing, water injection, knife edged cranks and anit-lag all help keep power levels expectable with these limitations. There is a lot more involved than just adding the restrictor if you want to be competitive. At one time I considered building a full 1.8T Rally motor to the limit of the open class rules and figured I would easily exceed $20,000. The sad part is when you’re done you still have an Audi 1.8 with no torque. lol A stock 2.7TT with engine tuning would still kick the crap out of an insanely expensive 1.8. I was planning on having to change the suspension in the yellow car for the dirt section, but the driveline changes just seemed too much for one event. One advantage you have is the market for Evo and Sub rally stuff. As you know Audi fans are at a huge disadvantage when it comes to rally parts or theory.

Let me know how things progress, because if you are participating this will play into my decision of going as a spectator or not.
User avatar
sdwarf36
Novice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:41 am
Current Racecar: mod-lite
Location: Moodus,Ct.

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sdwarf36 »

Actually, the dirt sections are pretty smooth-they drag + groom them.I seem to remember worse tar sections. The one place where there is a "jump" in the dirt (where you see photos from) is a 10 ft section of tar in the dirt-some run off thing. Note: you don't want to jump it-twitch to the left + its sharp ledge-twich right + it 2000ft down without anything to hold you back. :shock:
I wouldn't let what class you get put in change anything-payout for 5th open is the same as 1st in SP1.
And i really don't want to hear about what car in your class might be quicker than you--me in my little 1000cc toy is gonna be up against Gerry Driscoll's 468 cu in open wheel hillclimb car-built FOR mt. Wash. He hit 113mph on the straight while Sprogel was only in the mid 90's! :lol:
WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG

Our Safer barriers are the mossy side of the trees...
jerdeitzel
Novice
Posts: 431
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by jerdeitzel »

Im really just complaining about classing because its going to cost me money. I could run H4 for alot less $, and it might actually be a faster car then if i run the restrictor.

Either way, i don't really car in the end.

Bill, i will keep you updated. I reallly do plan on running this if everything falls into place.
#88 SM
Mitsubishi evo 8
User avatar
sdwarf36
Novice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:41 am
Current Racecar: mod-lite
Location: Moodus,Ct.

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sdwarf36 »

Ok-just got off the phone with Don Taylor. To answer a few questions:
Yes--the insurance company does know the difference between a 400 hp car + a 500 hp. They did put extra restrictions in--like the turbo restrictor-and some cage update stuff to the submitted IT style cage and Hans devices. (one place there were checking with for Ins. wanted them to have everyone have a FIA cert. on the cages!) But what i see, you'll need the restrictor whatever class you run.

The "H" classes: If they dont fill soon, they WILL be opened up to other cars not running with us. It was put up for us to get 1st dibs. I think he said 3 is full-the others wern't.
WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG

Our Safer barriers are the mossy side of the trees...
User avatar
neonracer193
Novice
Posts: 60
Joined: Thu Jul 17, 2008 12:40 pm
PHA Permanent Number: 193
Current Racecar: 95 Neon ACR
Location: Morgantown, PA

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by neonracer193 »

So, there is no co-driver right, this is a hillclimb not a rally stage? Why did Travis have a co-driver then in the taped run? So how the hell do you memorize a 7.6 mile course, can you drive it months/weeks/days prior in street cars to learn it?
Jeremy this is one hell of an event, i may have to come support you for this one.
jerdeitzel
Novice
Posts: 431
Joined: Wed Feb 07, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: Pittsburgh

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by jerdeitzel »

Sherman, I didn't read the rules far enough down into H4. It looks like all turbo/AWD cars are running a restrictor. At least i'm not the only one scrambling to figure out how to get this restrictor stuff done.

I just spoke with Alex from Dent sport garage. They had a big Climb to the clouds meeting to discuss the event with the organizer. A few big things that sound kinda crazy/ cool. They will be having a jumbotron at the bottem ,with cameras on course and plenty of other big publicity stuff happening. It sounds like they are trying to make this a big publicity event.
#88 SM
Mitsubishi evo 8
User avatar
sdwarf36
Novice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:41 am
Current Racecar: mod-lite
Location: Moodus,Ct.

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sdwarf36 »

The hill is open to the general public everyday theres no snow on it. During the event, when the hill isn't being used its open to the public. (and the racers can drive up + down it as much as you'd like for free.) So you'd have all day thurs-Fri after 11am-Sat after 11am.
I remember back when the last time the event ran, Someone asked Sprongl about not have a navigator--"For what? its ONLY 150 turns!" :lol:

Its was 5 years between me racing it + just taking a bike ride up with the wife --I still had 80% down to memory. Not every corner is life or death--and you remember those that are.
WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG

Our Safer barriers are the mossy side of the trees...
User avatar
sdwarf36
Novice
Posts: 54
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2009 10:41 am
Current Racecar: mod-lite
Location: Moodus,Ct.

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sdwarf36 »

Yea--PT Gibby. :lol: Some of our discussion around here--how about we DONT have bands-jumbotron + meet+ greets fireworks--and cut the price in 1/2. It was nice when Audi was flipping the bill.
WWW.HILLCLIMB.ORG

Our Safer barriers are the mossy side of the trees...
dspgti
Novice
Posts: 1363
Joined: Wed Nov 16, 2005 9:35 pm
PHA Permanent Number: 7
Current Racecar: ITC Rabbit, G/Prod Rabbit, H/Prod Scirocco, GTL Rabbit, TR4, Formula SAE
Location: Reading, PA/ Hammonton, NJ

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by dspgti »

Why don't you just copy to CD the audio of the co-driver notes that Travis used and play it back during your run with head phones. Use an activation button on your steering wheel to pace yourself. How about a heads up overlay projected on the windsheild. That's legal right??? Might work??? :shock:

Dave Y
sachilles
Novice
Posts: 18
Joined: Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:49 am
Current Racecar: 99 Subaru 2.5rs
1961 Morris Mini

Re: CLimb to the clouds

Post by sachilles »

Relative to the dirt section, it's more smooth than some of pavement sections. Though I'm not sure if that will stand up over many runs. For the most part the dirt section is fairly straight forward, the turn at the crag is where I think you MIGHT get rutting. Overall I think suspension for bumpy tarmac is what will work best.
For what is worth I was there the day Pastrana ran up the hill. His timed run was his first at speed run up the hill, so the co-driver was pretty critical...but it was also the first time he worked with that person. I certainly think there was time left on the table, but mother nature didn't seem to want to give him another chance at the hill.
I'm excited for the event, it's a hill like no other. It's certainly worth attending, whether you are entered or not.
Post Reply