Each year, thousands of people drive — well, white-knuckle their way might be a more accurate description of the cautious pace preferred when it comes to driving to the summit of Pikes Peak.
But once each year, the pace of that drive quickens to seemingly insane rates as racers see how fast they and their machines can do the “Climb to the Clouds.”
The Video of the Day provides a racer’s-eye view from a camera mounted on the helmet worn by Rhys Millen, son of rally star Rod Millen, in his ascent in 2017.
PS: As you watch, don’t forget to breathe. Oh, and if you want to have fun, try counting the number of times Millen shifts gears as he climbs to the clouds.
After viewing the drive, very exciting by the way, what is the shifting pattern or technique? I could not understand how he was shifting???
He is using a sequential gearbox. The only time the clutch is disengaged is before pulling away in first gear and coming to a stop with the car running. The shift pattern is pull down for upshifts and push forward for downshifts — similar to the old B&M Click Shifters. Sequential paddle shifters are now used in Formula One and IndyCars. Previous to paddles, those cars also had shift levers. hope that explains it…
I still miss American muscle. The wining of imported 4 bangers just doesn’t do it for me.
I guess the team budget didn’t allow 2-3 people at roadside filming the car from a distance on some risky, difficult parts of the course. Not even a shot of the entire car at the start area.