Crawlin Column 15.4
By Rich Walker
Just when I thought things couldn’t get any busier, they did. The shop (Family Glass) has been busy (and getting busier), the backyard construction has been moving along, AND Kelly and I will be welcoming two little girls into the world sometime this November. Needless to say, various steps need to be taken in the mean time to prepare for them. I can’t wait to teach them how to drive racecars (with a little help from my friends).
So, what’s be happening in the racing/crawling world?
There was a big announcement not long ago about the Ultra4 National Championship. Dave Cole posted on the Ultra4 web site that the 2013 Nationals (presented by Nitto Tires) will take place in Las Vegas on the Moapa Indian Reservation. Dates are; September 26th and 27th and with what Dave likes to do to these racers, you won’t want to miss it. I will be rolling down with the rest of the Canadians and I will be sure to cover the race.
Matt Nieman and Rocco Baldassarre traveled to Tooele, Utah for the American Rock Sports Challenge at the Miller Motorsports Park. Miller is quite a unique race course. The mix of short course action teamed with the man-made “Spray Crete” rock crawling section forces the competitors really think through their race. WERock has used the rock sections for their comps in the past years. It was a remarkable race because this was the first time Rick Mooneyham was able to pull off a first place finish in an Ultra4 race. Rick is a regular in the Ultra4 and KOH races and always seems to finish 2nd or 3rd. This time he finally got his first……first. Congrats to him and to Rocco and Mario Baldassarre. They were able to finish in 12th place, which qualifies them for the King of the Hammers next February.
I know it’s not just off road racing, but I would like to mention Pike Peak International Hill Climb (they do have a class for off-road Ultra4 style cars). This race started in 1916 and has been run 91 times to current day. Like any style of racing, technologies advance and people/teams strive harder to go faster, push the limits, and break records. Back in 1916, the best time was just over 20 minutes by Rea Lentz. Since then, times have been getting faster. In 2011, it was remarkable when Monster Tajima set the Pike’s Peak world record and finally broke the 10 minute mark. Then in 2012, Rhys Millen broke the record again with a 9:46. Just this past June, Sebastien Loeb drove his purpose built racecar to the top of the hill in a blistering 8 minutes and 13 seconds (even though it started raining on his run) becoming the current record holder.
Now I know this is all just numbers and stats, but let me try and put it into perspective for you. Pikes Peak is 12.42 miles long, has 156 turns, starts at 9,390 feet and finishes at 14,110. As drivers climb towards the summit, the air thins robbing them of their muscle strength and slowing their reflexes. The thin air also steals 30% of the oxygen from the vehicles - hindering their performance. It truly shows how in shape mentally and physically you must be to compete in some of these races. It also explains why it is dubbed “The Race to the Clouds”.
I highly recommend you Google this race or search YouTube for Sebastien’s race from this year. The in cab video is absolutely unreal and will show you exactly what I am talking about. There are also quite a few spectacular crashes from past years.
I have two things on my list for next year. Crandon for a Lucas Oil race and Pike’s Peak.
Stay safe and see you on the trails.