Pikes Peak rescheduled

Organisers of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, one of the world’s most anticipated and distinctive motor sport events, have been forced to postpone this year’s race, following firestorms that have wreaked destruction on nearby Colorado Springs. The fires, centred on the suburban enclave of Waldo Springs, have been deemed the worst in Colorado’s history.

The event was originally scheduled for July 8, but in recent days the fires have swept over Colorado’s second biggest city, forcing more than 32,000 people from their homes and destroying more than 350 houses. They’ve yet to be fully brought under control.

The event, meanwhile, has been rescheduled for August 7-12 – assuming, of course, the fires and all associated threats to safety are contained. The main event will run August 12.

Shifting an event of this scale is no small task, requiring the help of 211 entrants and their entourages in one of the region’s biggest sporting drawcards.

Since announcing the postponement on July 3, organising chief Tom Osborne and his crew have found themselves working 24/7 to completely rewrite the schedule and sort out who among the participants can work with them, along with local hoteliers, Pikes Peak International Raceway administration, the Downtown Development Authority and the countless other agencies on which the event depends.

The response from competitors has been ‘tremendously positive’, Osborne said in a statement. Although some have been claimed by scheduling conflicts, the majority of registered competitors remain in the running, including Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, French drivers Jean-Phillipe Dayraut and Romain Dumas, NASCAR racer Clint Vahsholtz, six-times Pikes Peak winner Paul Dallenbach, local hero David Donner and Ducati racers Greg Tracy and Carlin Dunne.

“The drivers and racers have been sensitive and compassionate toward our residents and their struggles and loss,” Osborne said, adding that a number of them have suggested expressing their support by establishing a charitable fund for the benefit of the firefighting and other agencies who have gone so far out of their way to support the continuation of the race, even after facing considerable hardship with the fires.

Plans are afoot to get the fund active ASAP, to facilitate donations from participants, sponsors and the public. 

In addition to teams from up to 25 states, organisers are expecting competitors from 15 nations including Australia, Japan, Germany, France, the UK, Russia and Sweden, Italy and Canada. They’re also expecting teams to

Although dropouts are yet to be confirmed, it will field up to 89 local teams plus 26 from California, and 15 from Texas.

Aussie team Skelta (pictured) has confirmed it remains in the running, regardless of the added cost of flying home and back over again in August.

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