Infamous Crashes
at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
The Race
A history and overview
The mountain was named after Lt. Zebulon Pike who discovered it in 1806. When he first saw it, he described it as the “mountain that would never be conquered by man.”
"The mountain that would never be conquered by man." -Lt. Zebulon Pike
The road to the top was built in 1900; and to advertise the new road, the builder planned an automobile race to the top in 1916. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) is the second oldest motorsport race in the country. The course is 12.42 miles long, has 156 turns. Starts at 9,390 feet and ends at the top which is 14,115 feet. The ‘race to the clouds’ as it has been coined goes through such a fast change in elevation, drivers can often experience sunshine at the bottom and before they make it to the top, they have raced through rain, thunderstorms, hail, and snow. Although the track is now fully paved, many of the corners do not have a guard rail. The combination of the weather, the tight turns and the sheer speed the drivers carry makes this one of the most dangerous road courses in the world.
The Crashes
Start Line
For over 100 years racers have launched from this point to experience one of the world's most dangerous race courses.
Marty Roestenburg, 2008
Marty Roestenburg slid his Mitsubishi Evo 8 off a then unpaved section of the course known as the Bottomless Pit corner. He ended up colliding with a massive boulder and flipping upside down. Luckily, he was uninjured.
Paul Dallenbach, 2012
Paul Dallenbach sent his racecar like a missile right into the trees at 130mph after his throttle stuck in 5th gear at the beginning of the race. He escaped with only bruises and stitches.
Bobby Regester, 2011
Bobby Regester crashed his Pontiac Sunfire after sending it over the edge of one of the unguarded turns on the track. The car flew in a flat spin until it stopped on a bolder. Bobby climbed out unharmed and waved at the crowd.
Gary Lee Kanawyer, 1993
Gary Kanawyer was on track to break the PPIHC record when the 50mph winds blew his car sideways off the mountain in the final turn, just seconds from the finish line. His car flipped several times and stopped just short of a 1,000-foot cliff. He walked away from the accident without a scratch.
Jeremy Foley and Yuri Kouznetsov, 2012
Driver Jeremy Foley and Navigator Yuri Kouznetsov lived through what is now the most infamous crash to take place at PPIHC. Their Mitsubishi Evo 8 went hurling off the road at the turn named “the Devil’s Playground,” flipping 14 times and losing nearly all its body panels. The crash looks deadly. Luckily, their only injuries were scratches, bruises, and Yuri’s dislocated shoulder.
Finish Line
At the end of "the race to the clouds," drivers are welcomed with a beautiful view that stretches as far as the eye can see.
Safety
All these drivers survived these horrendous crashes mainly due to PPIHC’s strict rules on safety. The special rulebook for this race features a 23-page section on safety that covers everything from the construction of the cars, to include welding specifications on the roll cages, to where the spectators are supposed to be positioned. In over 100 years of racing, PPHIC has only had 7 fatalities, 4 of which were on motorcycles. To reduce risk of death, PPHIC 2020 will be held without a motorcycle division. Thankfully, drivers from all over the world can continue to test their skill against this daunting course in a relatively safe manner, and still have fun while doing it.
