2004 Pikes Peak

Local Time is GMT -6

Update Time	News
Wed 23-Jun-04 21:31	Rally America is live at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in Colorado Springs, CO. There are 30 cars entered in the SCCA portion of the event representing all of the ProRally classes. It was a beautiful day today while teams registered and were teched. The nice weather is supposed to last through tomorrow, but there is rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday. The schedule of events here has changed slightly, so here is the updated information. Tomorrow the teams will run Special Stage 1 with the first car scheduled to start around 8:30am. The actual start time will depend on when the motorcycles are finished with qualifying. The rally cars will run from the start line to Glen Cove, which is approximately six miles long. The teams will then be done for the day, but they will need to be up early on Friday! The start of Special Stage 2 has been moved back to approximately 3:00am with teams required to be at the gates at 2:00am....no, that is not a typo! This stage is going to be all Tarrmac, in the dark, and very fast! They will be running from the Tollgate to the Halfway Picnic Grounds for the stage then transiting to Cove Creek where there will be a service before Special Stage 3. The start of 3 is set to start about 5:30am and they will be running from Cove Creek to the Summit. There will be a reseed after Special Stage 3 and then cars will be started on Saturday in reverse order for the run up the entire mountain, which will happen twice as Special Stage 4 and Special Stage 5. Open class competitors have something new to strive for. PPIHC, along with Subaru, have created a special award to honor Mark Lovell and Roger Freeman. This award will be given to the fastest Open class car on Special Stage 5, which is also the stage that counts for the offical Pikes Peak record books. Look for live scores and notes from Special Stage 1 tomorrow morning!
Wed 23-Jun-04 22:06	Car 83, Utecht / Secor were scrambling this evening looking for an timing belt idler pulley and a timing belt. They have borrowed the parts from the spare motor of Car 88, Havir / Putnam. They were heading back to install them at 9:00pm. Hopefully they can sort things out and still get a good night's sleep. Utecht / Secor have entered every event in the championship series so far this season but have yet to post a finish.
Thu 24-Jun-04 07:37	The first car has started the 2004 Pikes Peak round of the SCCA ProRally championship. Car 374, Styles / Dillon is under way.
Thu 24-Jun-04 07:51	Good Morning! The sun is shining and it is a beautiful day on the mountain. We are at the start line getting ready to start Special Stage 1. The cars have arrived and are lining up. There are quite a few spectators here taking pictures and getting autographs from the teams. The first car should be starting shortly.
Thu 24-Jun-04 08:00	Some images from this morning. What a beautiful day to race up a mountain!
Thu 24-Jun-04 08:12	Car 374, Styles / Dillon report some clutch problems after arriving for the event. Luckily they didn't have to pull the clutch to make adjustments. They got things sorted out and are "ready to storm up the mountain" says Dillon.
Thu 24-Jun-04 08:18	Car 593, Pin / Greek the final car left the start of stage 1 at 8:15 am. We will post stage scores momentarily.
Thu 24-Jun-04 08:19	Car 88, Havir / Putnam is reported on the side of the road with mechanical problems. We will get more information as soon as we can.
Thu 24-Jun-04 08:20	Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo is reported off on the stage, the crew is reported OK. Again, we will get you more information as it becomes availible.
Thu 24-Jun-04 08:30	Some images of the start line.
Thu 24-Jun-04 09:17	Car 143, Whiteman / Paulin reports having overheating problems on Special Stage 1. Car 88, Havir / Putnam got towed back to service on the back of Car 584, Kintigh / Meyers. We didn't see any exterior damage to the car.
Thu 24-Jun-04 09:29	Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo stopped by to give us an update. The turbo blew on the third shift off of the start line. The team is going to pressure test the engine to make sure everything is OK and will hopefully be allowed to run the rest of the event. Jon really wants to run the Hill Climb part of the weekend!!
Thu 24-Jun-04 09:45	Car 62, Havas / Kean reports they had fun on Special Stage 1. They had a clean run despite some understeering. They would like to have a little more power though!
Thu 24-Jun-04 11:29	Special note: Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo are working on their vehicle next to the "Monster Garage" Bronco that will be the first car to start on Saturday in the exhibition class. Jesse James and company are here to finish the episode that will air on August 2nd.
Thu 24-Jun-04 11:36	Car 88, Havir / Putnam were stopped due to an engine fire that started about about 2 miles into Special Stage 1. Something in the motor broke causing it to dump all the oil starting the fire. The team used the on board fire system and a handheld extinguisher to put out the fire. The team has not yet decided if they will continue. The second car in the CPD camp, Car 584, Kintigh / Meyers, lost some time when they spun in a hairpin about halfway through the stage. The were stuck on the bank briefly and figure they lost about 20 seconds.
Thu 24-Jun-04 11:38	Cel Cool Car 83, Utecht / Secor reports being way down on power for Special Stage 1. Utecht said he had his foot to the floor the first half of the stage and still finished more than 30 seconds behind Car 54, Richard / Richard. Car 54, Richard / Richard is also reported to be down on power. Richard said he wished he'd had more mapping time on the mountain last night.
Thu 24-Jun-04 12:09	Car 84, Niday / Johansson were down on boost for all of Special Stage 1. They plan to make some adjustments before Special Stage 2. Niday tells us that he felt really good on the Tarmac but he feels a little rusty on the gravel. It has been since Lake Superior ProRally in 2002 since JB ran on gravel.
Thu 24-Jun-04 14:23	The crew of Car 88, Havir / Putnam are changing the motor of their 2004 Subaru in the hotel parking lot at the moment. Their plan is to be ready to go for Special Stage 2 which will tenatively start at 3:00am.
Thu 24-Jun-04 14:42	Rally America will be signing off for today. We will be back early tomorrow morning.....or late tonight depending on where you are. Cars will run Special Stage 2 and Special Stage 3, they will then practice the top half of the mountain. We will be live at Cove Creek begining at about 2:45am until practice ends at 9:00am. The cars will start in the same order as they did today with the exception of Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo and Car 88, Havir / Putnam who will be placed at the back of the field. Please make sure to drop us a note on our Forums. We will check them often and do our best to answer all of your questions.
Fri 25-Jun-04 03:45	Good morning..or night. We are located at what will be the start of Special Stage 3. Cars should be starting Special Stage 2 at any moment if they haven't started already. We do not have communication with the start so we will be updating information as cars arrive here for service. Notes from the crews: Car 84, Niday / Johansson resolved their boost problem, their boost should be dramatically increased today. Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo replaced their turbo and have detuned the VW. They are excited to test things out today with the hopes of having things dialed in for the Hillclimb on Saturday. Car 88, Havir / Putnam changed to the motor in their Subaru last night. They will be running with less power, but running. Car 83, Utecht / Secor had one of their light pods short out this morning so they started with just one side working. The crew also had some trouble, the van wouldn't start. They did get it started and made it up the hill.
Fri 25-Jun-04 03:46	The first car has arrived at service.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:21	As you may have noticed by now, we are having difficulty getting a satellite signal up here on the mountain. Thanks for your patience.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:25	We have some additional news on Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel. They apparently went off and did some damage to the right front corner of the car. Everyone is OK and the crew will be making repairs in order to run the Hill Climb tomorrow.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:35	Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo made it through Special Stage 2 even though they were down on power and were having intermittent boost problems.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:38	Here are some service pictures, sorry they are a little fuzzy.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:42	Car 584, Kintigh / Meyers had a little spin at the end of a long straight in the middle of Special Stage 2. They stalled the car and took a few second to compose themselves before continuing.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:44	Some pictures of the beautiful but cold morning.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:45	Car 724, Korpal / Smith, sponsored by 7-24 Air X are having a great time! They were slow on the lower section of Special Stage 2, but can't wait for tomorrow. The car is running well thanks to some help from Phil Long Mitsubishi in Colorado Springs.
Fri 25-Jun-04 05:57	There are reports that there is some snow and ice on the roads higher up on the mountain. There is water in spots, but the roads are reported to be in generally good condition.
Fri 25-Jun-04 06:12	Teams have been informed that they will be starting Special Stage 3 at 6:30am. Teams are taking time to relax and do some final work on the cars.
Fri 25-Jun-04 06:57	Here is what we are trying to get a satellite signal through.
Fri 25-Jun-04 07:02	The cars are on Special Stage 3 right now. Here is the start area.
Fri 25-Jun-04 07:18	Jesse James and the Monster Garage crew are practicing on Special Stage 3 after the rally cars have completed the stage. They tried to sneak in but we got some shots of the truck and Jesse consentrating on the job ahead of him. We offered to get a co-driver for him, but Jesse and the organizers turned us down.
Fri 25-Jun-04 07:29	There has been a delay on Special Stage 3. The only information we have at this point is that a competitor spun.
Fri 25-Jun-04 07:53	Special Stage 3 was restarted and all cars are away from the start line.
Fri 25-Jun-04 07:59	Crew for Car 54, Richard / Richard reported the business this morning was due to tire/brake changes. He was running asphalt tires on Special Stage 2 and changed to gravel tires for Special Stage 3, causing the need for brake changes.
Fri 25-Jun-04 08:00	Further reports on Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel have come in. The car rolled over a bank tearing the right front corner off the car. The Vermont SportsCar crew should be able to change out the damaged right front and bang out the bodywork to be ready for Saturday's Hill Climb.
Fri 25-Jun-04 08:19	Some more speeds from Mr. Coughnour. Car 85, Barnes / Thomas 103 mph Car 111, Lloyd / Pauline 104 mph Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino 101 mph Car 83, Utecht / Secor 82 mph Car 593, Pin / Greek 66 mph
Fri 25-Jun-04 08:37	Cars are returning to service and co-drivers have some information for us. Car 111, Lloyd / Pauline lost their clutch and stopped just before the finish. In a true rally community moment, a bunch of competitors got together and pushed the car over the finish so they could get a time for Special Stage 3. Car 88, Havir / Putnam was sitting at the side of the road and has just coasted (not running) by the RA truck going to see their service crew. Car 374, Styles / Dillon reported an interesting last half mile of Special Stage 3. Due to a communications error, the crew did not bring any gravel tires today. Dillon said with the ice at the top it was "very scary". Car 367, Byford / Olson was caught by Car 593, Pin / Greek on the stage and let them pass but stayed close to the finish. A little head to head racing up the mountain. Car 103, Gubelmann / Pace is out due to a lost imput shaft. They lost all forward gears but plan on doing repairs and runinng tomorrow's hill climb. J.B. Niday was reportedly looking for where they sold skirts at the top of the hill. We understand that he believes he's driving like a girly-girl.
Fri 25-Jun-04 09:04	Car 62, Havas / Kean had some trouble with their windscreen fogging on Special Stage 3. They were having fun with bigger turbo and more boost than last year.
Fri 25-Jun-04 09:04	Car 83, Utecht / Secor loved their Hakkas on Special Stage 3. With the ice on the last half mile they felt it was their strongest run so far. Competitors are having trouble getting their practice time in because of broken cars left from the running of Special Stage 3. Organizers are working with the Highway Department to see if time could be extended.
Fri 25-Jun-04 09:06	The truck will be packing up and heading down the mountain, we will be off the air for a little while. Hopefully we will be able to get our hands on the scores for Special Stage 3 so we can update you shortly.
Fri 25-Jun-04 09:16	Car 429, Foust / Crouch had some trouble earlier today on Special Stage 2. They came into a hairpin left "way too fast" and ended up putting the car off into a fifteen foot ditch. This was the same corner where Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel went off. Fortunately the damage was minor. Even though they DNF'd Special Stage 2 they were able to continue and run Special Stage 3.
Fri 25-Jun-04 09:51	Here is the result of Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel's roll.
Fri 25-Jun-04 10:42	Car 33, Millen / Beavis The mean sounding Pontiac GTO at the end of Friday's activities.
Fri 25-Jun-04 11:25	The scores have been posted through Special Stage 3.
Fri 25-Jun-04 11:34	We are signing off for the day. All of the teams have made it down from the hill and are doing what they need to do to prepare for tomorrow. Car 103, Gubelmann / Pace, Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel, and Car 429, Foust / Crouch have all told us that, even though they DNF'd the rally today, they will be back tomorrow. We do not know if the other non-finishers from today will restart. Special Stage 4 is scheduled to start at 10:30am. Please check in tomorrow morning for all the latest information.
Sat 26-Jun-04 08:01	Good Morning, it is the third and final day of the Pikes Peak International Hiill Climb round of the SCCA ProRally series. It is a beautiful day and they expect record attendance on the hill . The start order for today is as follows for Special Stage 4: Car 367, Byford / Olson Car 593, Pin / Greek Car 60, Davis / Sorenson Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo Car 724, Korpal / Smith Car 101, Brown / Holter Car 232, Tabor / Poirier Car 584, Kintigh / Meyers Car 84, Niday / Johansson Car 650, Adkins / Lutz Car 143, Whiteman / Paulin Car 429, Foust / Crouch Car 62, Havas / Kean Car 432, Nelson / Montgomery Car 83, Utecht / Secor Car 424, Moberly / Moberly Car 43, Akaba / Akaba Car 103, Gubelmann / Pace Car 323, Verdier / Walker Car 711, Zwart / Eppenson Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino Car 85, Barnes / Thomas Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel Car 374, Styles / Dillon Car 52, Shepherd / Gladyz Car 111, Lloyd / Pauline Car 33, Millen / Beavis Car 11, Choiniere / Krolikowski Car 54, Richard / Richard
Sat 26-Jun-04 08:31	After a walk through the "pits" this morning we noticed an almost even split between asphalt and gravel tires. Reports from the picnic area say that it's slick and mucky. It will be interesting to see how things dry now that the sun is out. It will also be interesting to see how the asphalt tires perform on the ice at the top and how the gravel tires perform on the asphalt at the bottom. There is also talk that Special Stage 5 may be cancelled if the road gets too ripped up for the rest of the hill climb competitiors. Many are okay with that, but Cindy Krolikowski was very excited to go up the mountain twice. She and Paul Choiniere are having a great weekend running second overall in their front wheel drive Dodge SRT 4.
Sat 26-Jun-04 08:50	Some pictures of the other cars competing in the Hill Climb today. Everything from motocross bikes to semis. At the end of the day there will also be a exhibition of drifting cars.
Sat 26-Jun-04 08:52	Car 199, Pastrana / Fennel got things put back together for this morning. Only some bodywork blemishes as evidence of their Special Stage 2 off.
Sat 26-Jun-04 08:56	The Dallenbach Open Wheel car. They have been competing in the Hill Climb for many years.
Sat 26-Jun-04 09:37	Road conditions were reported at the driver's meeting. It is snowing at the top. It's windy and muddy at the series of hairpins they call the "w"s. The puddle at the bottomless pit is full which is on the inside of a long sweep right. On the up side, the gravel portion is reported to be smoother than it has been all week. Many of the competitors are switching from asphalt to gravel tires after this report. Car 83, Utecht / Secor is changing to their snow tires which they have been the most confident on this week. Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo and Car 232, Tabor / Poirier are keeping their asphalt tires on hoping to make as much time at the lower altitudes as they can, then not taking chances at the top where they are slow anyway. Car 52, Shepherd / Gladyz is grooving their slicks as much as they can to try and get the best of both worlds.
Sat 26-Jun-04 09:51	The Star Spangled Banner has been sung, the event is under way!
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:03	Pikes Peak Hill Climb is officially underway. The number 69 Blazer of Jesse James and the Monster Garage team has started their climb up the mountain.
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:05	The rally cars will be following the Exhibition class (2 entrants) and Pike Peak Open class (3 entrants). We expect them to be starting in the next fifteen minutes.
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:07	Randy Schranz and his team prepare for their run.
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:17	Car 367, Byford / Olson is away!
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:32	The rally cars have started, we will have times and speeds up shortly.
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:35	There are reports that there is a rally car being passed on the course, it sounds like it was Car 367, Byford / Olson being overtaken. They were reported going about 38mph through the Halfway Picnic Grounds.
Sat 26-Jun-04 10:36	Car 143, Whiteman / Paulin was recorded at 83.6mph through the picnic grounds.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:08	Car 54, Richard / Richard is on the start line ready to make their run. As the fastest qualifier, Richard was able to choose if he wanted to start first or last. He chose to run last on Special Stage 4, but has chosen to be the first car out for Special Stage 5.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:22	The officials have decided that Special Stage 5 will be postponed until after all the rest of the Hill Climb competitors have started. This shouldn't hold things up too long though. They will run the 4 cars in the unlimited class (including Stig Blomquist) and the 3 semis before the Rally cars instead of after.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:24	Car 33, Millen / Beavis blew a power stearing pump on the third turn but seems to have continued to the top.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:29	The SCCA officials were checking that competitors harnesses were tight at the start of Special Stage 3.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:37	Fans gather for the start of the race. The rally cars lined up and ready.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:38	The mountain looms ahead.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:45	Car 232, Tabor / Poirier had a little off. They reported to their crew via cell phone from the top that they bent a control arm and may have done some suspension damage along with some minor body damage.
Sat 26-Jun-04 11:54	Car 54, Richard / Richard time up the hill. 12:46.4
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:18	Car 62, Havas / Kean is reported to have mechanical trouble, they are off and OK at Devil's Playground.
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:30	The Drifter cars left to drift up the hill, they will go up to the Picnic Grounds and drift back down hill. The rally cars and the rest of the competitors will be heading back down to the pit area shortly. It may take the teams quite awhile to get back due to the fans on the sides of the roads. People stream onto the road to congratulate and high-five the competitors as they head down the mountain. Al Kintigh and Heidi Meyers aren't ignoring their Rally America duties this weekend even though they are competing. The team took a camera with them to take picures at the top and on the way down. Thanks guys!!
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:41	Cars are coming down the hill soon. Once they get here we'll have more information for you.
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:45	Report from the top of the mountain, IT'S SNOWING!
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:51	A new Group N record has been set. Car 54, Richard / Richard got up the hill with a time of 12:46.4. The old record was 13:23.6.
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:54	Car 62, Havas / Kean broke a drive shaft on Special Stage 4 and is out.
Sat 26-Jun-04 12:58	The rain has just started as the cars come into the service area. Looks like we're gonna have some muddy service crews.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:26	The local radio station that is broadcasting live from Pikes Peak is having some trouble, they were evidently hit by lightning. We are under a delay for about ten minutes here due to the storm, hopefully we will be able to get underway soon.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:34	Quite the storm has rolled in and lightnening is becoming an issue. They are discussing whether or not to continue running. Only once in 81 years they have not been able to race to the summit and even they they ran up to Devil's playground (2/3 of the way up).
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:36	Car 232, Tabor / Poirier pulled into service with minimal damage on their Acura. They were on the gravel and lost control on a 90 right. They think they lost about 10 seconds in the off.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:39	Car 83, Utecht / Secor reported that they didn't anticipate the conditions on the stage and drifted into a ditch at 80 mph off the edge of the tarmack. They are changing to heavily grooved tarmac tires for Special Stage 5.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:41	The cause of Car 84, Niday / Johansson stage time was an overheated clutch. They were towed back to the service area and are still deciding whether to continue.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:43	Car 60 co-driver Lee Sorenson was changing a tire at the top and got his finger pinched in the jack. With no one near, he had to jack the car back up himself and then went to find help. Kintigh/Meyers rendered first aid.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:49	Pea sized hail just started falling at the start line. It's looking less and less likely that Special Stage 5 will be run.
Sat 26-Jun-04 13:55	Car 54, Richard / Richard said they were overheating on the way up the hill. To cool the engine off once they got to the top they packed their engine with snow so it would cool off in time for them to come back down. They also said they lost their brakes on the way up and used the hand-brake for the rest of the stage.
Sat 26-Jun-04 14:00	Car 72, Hamilton / Sabo had a fabulous time competing in the Hill Climb today. They said the tarmac tires were the perfect choice for them dispite not being able to test with them. They set a new record for the fastest diesel car up the hill, even after being slowed while passing 2 cars. He turned the boost back up and trimmed the turbo and "everything clicked". Congratulations guys.
Sat 26-Jun-04 14:05	Car 84, Niday / Johansson decided under the conditions they were done for the day. Car 83, Utecht / Secor are doing the tire shuffle and changing back to their snows now that the hail has started.
Sat 26-Jun-04 14:20	Official word has come down that Special Stage 5 is cancelled. Competitors are turning in their transponders. We will have results finalized for you as soon as possible.
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:18	The rest of the Hill Climb classes will be making a partial run. They will only be running to Cove Creek due to road conditions and time constraints. They have sent a plow up the hill so the road can be cleared and the workers and spectators can make their way down.
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:24	A shot of the "W"s post snow/hail. Don't fall off!
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:27	Car 429, Foust / Crouch makes their way back down the hill.
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:28	Doug Robinson checks restrictors after Special Stage 4.
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:31	A shot of Car 124, Workum / Gelsomino by request.
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:32
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:42	Al and Heidi in "the zone" before Special Stage 4 Where can I get a Parker head for my antenna?
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:47
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:50	The Ford Focus pacecar
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:50	Since we are stuck at the start line until the end of the day we will post some random pictures for your enjoyment.
Sat 26-Jun-04 15:56	Libra Racing's camp, Car 584, Kintigh / Meyers in the first turn, and the bikes line up to start.
Sat 26-Jun-04 16:17	Some shots of Stig Blomquist running in the Unlimited class.
Sat 26-Jun-04 16:37	Some teams wished they would have been able to run the final stage, like Car 54, Richard / Richard who thought they could have made up 10 seconds in the wet conditions on Car 374, Styles / Dillon. Others, like Car 84, Niday / Johansson who were not going to be able to finish due to their clutch, were happy to see it end when it did. Overall, the teams had a fun and safe rally!
Sat 26-Jun-04 16:37	The last car, actually truck, has started up the mountain. The scores are up to date through the final stage and most teams have already headed out. We will be packing up and heading home too. As soon as Morgan can make his way off the mountain we should have more action images. It may be quite some time since they have to plow first! Make sure to check back later.
Sun 27-Jun-04 10:38	Good Morning. It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in Colorado Springs. The scores are final, the competitors are at the awards brunch and we have just finished posting Morgan's last images of PPIHC. Thanks to everyone for tuning in. Please let us know what you think on the forums page of the rally-america.com web site. Our software will be updated for future events so hopefully the problems we had here will be fixed. Thanks to everyone for their feedback during the event. Our next event will be Maine Forest Rally Rumford Maine July 30-31, 2004 we'll see you there!