Race to the Clouds

This year I shot the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The one where drivers go balls to the wall (some were chicks so they went ovaries to the wall) up 12.42 miles & 156 turns at an average grade of 7%. 

Hella-wicked! But they get to drive it in light, I had to drive it in the pitch dark in my 2003 Saturn Ion with foggy headlights and if I could have seen where I was going it would have been hella hella-scary! But I couldn't. So it wasn't. And I only got lost a couple of times on a road with zero exits and only one destination. So I suck.

Pikes Peak Highway. 'Tis a bit twisty.

Due to Socko (the Sky Sox wore their special Socko mascot jerseys on race day so I shot that and not the race. He is the greatest mascot in the history of sport so it was a no brainer.)...

Shoot me.
Don't freeze and die on that mountain!

...I only shot the practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. And after seeing that race day had rain, sleet, snow, hail, boils, frogs & locust I was not too crushed that I didn't spend 17 hours stuck on the Peak. Maybe next year. 

The practices were good enough. And except for the 3:00 am wake ups I really enjoyed my Hill Climb experience.

And now, here is my race week (click pics to embiggen):

Wednesday at dawn. Shot from the old ski area.
Altitude 10,900 feet.

It sure was pretty. I sure was tired.
Oh, and the ignition on my car broke and wouldn't turn off.
I had to stall it to stop the engine and
disconnect the battery to keep it from draining.
So, you know, that kind of sucked.

Here come the sun and I said, "Sure hope my car starts."

I was set up on a curve that would shine nice light right on the driver's face. There were a couple of other photographers there and what looked to be a homeless guy setting up GoPros to capture Monster Tajima's electric car. He set them up and passed on on a rock. He didn't stir. Even when very loud cars raced by. So we named him 'The Corpse'. He eventually revived and wandered up the road and disappeared into the woods. Never saw him again. God speed 'Corpse'.

'The Corpse' sleeping on his rock.

The sun was up, so here came the cars. That day I had the Electric, Exhibition, Pikes Peak Open, Super Stock & Vintage divisions. They were fast, and loud and pretty damn cool:

#476 John Groendyke in his Awesome-Mobile!

#18 Clint Vahsholtz smokin' 'em around the corner.

#230 Fumio Nutahara in his electric car.
Most of the electric cars had sirens or beepers
to warn of their approach. I think this was the one
that didn't. It just was on you with only the sound
of rubber on asphalt. This dude was the Batman!

#31 Rick Knoop. Winner of the Exhibition Division.

#47 Roman Dumas. Gummy Bear car!
Winner of the Pikes Peak Open division.

Wednesday was a good day. My car did start. I found out it needed the ignition re-keyed. The 'White Shadow' lives!

Thursday I was going to shoot from the Devil's Playground. WAS. I got stuck at the start line, altitude 9,390 feet, and my attitude stank and thus my pictures also stank. I don't want to talk about Thursday anymore. Except I think I found 'The Corpse'!

Sasquatch! I love you man!
We need to hang out sometime.

Okay. Friday. New day. Going to be an awesome day. I planned. I mapped out my spot. Mile 14. Just past Elk Park. Perfect spot to shoot cars, Open Wheel, Time Attack & Unlimited divisions. Perfect spot to shoot Colorado Springs. Just perfect! Except I got lost and ended up the switchbacks and just short of Devil's Playground at Mile 16, altitude 12,780 feet. Sometimes I suck. But sometimes when I suck, I don't suck. I didn't suck Friday.

Woodland Park and Divide in the pre-dawn.

Colorado Springs just before sunrise.
It was cold. And windy. And cold.
Up there at 12,780 feet.

Stupid clouds. Just ruin my sunrise picture you bastards!

Mile 16. Did I mention it was cold? And windy?

The middle practice leg goes from Glen Cove to Devil's Playground. And it's twisty. Damn twisty.

Looking down at Glen Cove from Mile 16.

Glen Cove. Ready to send some cars up to us.

The sun was up and you could hear the cars revving up below. It was cold and windy but there was hope that once the sun got a little higher it'd warm right up (it never did).

Flagman and fans await the cars in the wind and cold.

The Pikes Peak Highway is a not so long but very twisty road.

Sunrise welcomes the 1st racer to the course.

#2 David Donner tearing around a hairpin turn.

#43 Spencer Steele. Open Wheel division winner.

#44 Jimmy Olson. 2nd place Open Wheel division.

#67 Rhys Millen. Time Attack champion.
Fastest man ever up the Peak.

Heading back down the mountain for another practice run.

Thanks to race teams and fans that I hung out with. See you next year...except for 'The Corpse', your ride is here. (Click here for more pics from this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb).

Ambulance division winner. I think. Maybe I should research more.