North America’s Oldest Automotive Hillclimb Returns to the Mt. Washington Auto Road -AUGUST 2021

April 21, 2021, Pinkham Notch, NH — Officials with the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, organizers of the 2021 Mt. Washington Hillclimb, originally rescheduled last year for July 9-11, 2021, announced today that the event will take place instead on August 13-15, 2021 at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in Pinkham Notch, Gorham, NH. 

It was also announced that Subaru of America will return as the event's Title Sponsor and that Yokohama Tire will join the event for the first time as the Hillclimb’s Presenting Sponsor. “The Sports Car Club of New Hampshire is proud to welcome back Subaru of America as Title Sponsor of the 2021 Mt. Washington Hillclimb for the third consecutive event. 

We’d also like to welcome Yokohama Tire to Mt. Washington for the first time as the event’s Presenting Sponsor. Both Subaru and Yokohama Tire have a long history of success in motorsports across the globe," stated Rob Widdick, President of the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire. "In addition, the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire would like to thank the Mt. Washington Auto Road for once again hosting this world-renowned Hillclimb as well as the hundreds of volunteers who are crucial to the success of the event. 

Lastly, with the pandemic nearly behind us, we'd like to thank everyone, including the many competitors, for their patience and understanding as we've navigated this unprecedented situation to reschedule this historic Hillclimb." First run in 1904, the Climb to the Clouds took place as part of the famous Glidden Tour several months prior to the first-ever Vanderbuilt Cup on Long Island, New York that was first run in the Fall of 1904. The initial Mt. Washington Hillclimb was also seven years before the first-ever 500-mile race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis, Indiana which took place in 1911 and twelve years prior to the inaugural Pikes Peak Hillclimb in Colorado which first took place in 1916. The 7.6 mile “Climb to the Clouds” is without question one of the ultimate proving grounds for both drivers and automobiles anywhere in the world. 

The serpentine tarmac and gravel road is lined with trees, rocks and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak — Mt. Washington. “Subaru is once again thrilled to support the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in 2021,” said William Stokes, Motorsports Manager for Subaru of America. “The Mt. Washington Auto Road provides a challenge unlike any other, and the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire has done a great job in putting on the event. Subaru has been able to set new records every time the event has been run since 2011, so we’re looking forward to more fireworks in 2021!” 

 Set for Friday through Sunday, August 13-15, 2021, the Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire will serve as a multi-day motorsports festival filled with a variety of activities for all ages including the Yokohama Tire Fan Zone which will host antique vehicle displays, a variety of food and memorabilia vendors and an autograph session on Saturday. The 3-day weekend will be topped off with the return of the historic Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire event which takes place Sunday, August 15, 2021 on the 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road. “It’s great to see the legendary 'Climb to the Clouds' return,” said Fardad Niknam, Yokohama Tire’s senior director of product planning & product marketing. 

“We’re thrilled to be the Presenting Sponsor of the 2021 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire and be involved with such a historic race. We look forward to working with the Mt. Washington Auto Road and the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, as well as Subaru of America on this highly competitive, fan-favorite race. It will be a perfect venue to show the strength and versatility of our ADVAN tires.” Race organizers from the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire are expecting a full 80-car competition field this year with some of the most talented competitors from across North America. 

They’ll be driving an array of equally impressive hillclimb, time attack, road race and rally cars — all competing for “King of the Hill” honors in one of the most exciting events in all of motorsports. “Since 1904 we’ve had a long history of car racing on Mt. Washington. When the first ‘Climb to the Clouds’ was held, we took our place in racing history and became a proving ground for man and machine,” stated Tobey Reichert, General Manager of the Mt. Washington Auto Road. 

“We’ve continued with this great tradition off and on over the years and are thrilled to once again be getting ready for the Subaru Mt Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire in August 2021. We know that technology is changing year after year. Over the past several races we have seen an amazing skill-set behind these amazing machines. This summer we fully anticipate even more excitement and records to be broken.” Additional information regarding media requests, volunteering, spectating and lodging for the 2021 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire scheduled for August 13-15, 2021 can be found on the event’s official web site: mt-washington.com/climb-to-the-clouds.

Ken Block "The Fastest, The Biggest Wreck That I've Ever Had In My Career"

February 17th, 2014 Park City, UT: 2013 was a hugely successful race season for Hoonigan Racing Division’s Ken Block, a driver who happened to have the most diverse and interesting racing schedule of last year.
Now, in preparation for the start of his 2014 race season, Block has released a video that shows and explains how he ended up 2nd overall in the Rally America Championship, after his chase at the title came to an abrupt, and brutal, end back in October at the final event, the Lake Superior Performance Rally.

Due to two simple letters (“in”) missing in his pace notes on one of the final stages of the event, Block and Gelsomino ended up cart wheeling down one of the final stages of the season, end over end, before coming to a stop against a tree.

The missing “in” allowed Block to go slightly wide around a very safe looking corner where his rear wheel went into the weeds and got caught up on a small clump of dirt, sending the Ford Fiesta HFHV into the air. While the crash was violent, the pair were fortunate to walk away from the championship-ending incident with minimal injury.

“This video is a tough one for me to watch,” said Block. “On the one hand, I’m proud of the fact that even after going through such a brutal crash, my first instinct was to try and get the car started again and press on. On the other, I’m still bummed that we were so close to winning the championship and that we lost it in such a spectacular fashion.

At the end of the day though, I’m grateful that the car did the job it was supposed to do and that I get to continue racing.” Block and Gelsomino’s run at the Rally America championship will have to wait another year however.

While the duo will be making their first competitive appearance of 2014 together at Rally in the 100 Acre Wood in Salem, Missouri—an event they’ve won six times previously—they’re unable to contest the entire season due to schedule conflicts with other race events. For details on Block’s race schedule for 2014, as well as seeing the debut of his all-new livery, stay tuned, as he’ll be dropping both on February 17th.

Source ; Hoonigan Racing

Subaru Of America steps up as Title Sponsor for Climb To The Clouds 2014

 

Officials with the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire and the Mt. Washington Auto Road make the announcement to the Rally community at the 2013 New England Forest Rally, that the Climb To the Clouds will return in 2014. Pictured from left to right: Paul Giblin, Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, Howie Wemyss General Manager at Mt Washington Summit Road, David Higgins, Subaru Rally Team USA, Rob Weir Motorsports Marketing Manager, Subaru of America. Photo: Neil McDaid / RallyWorldNews

 

Pinkham, Notch, NH – Officials with the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire and the Mt. Washington Auto Road located in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, announced today that the legendary Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be returning June 26-29, 2014, due in part to the generous help from Subaru of America.

Organized and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, the 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be a 3-day motorsports festival including a 75-car competition field filled with some of the best drivers from around North America and the world as well as a contingent of rare vintage race cars.

Also known as the “Climb to the Clouds”, the Mt. Washington Hillclimb is one of America’s oldest motorsports events, first run in July, 1904, seven years before the first 500-mile race at the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway and twelve years prior to the inaugural Pikes Peak Hillclimb in Colorado. The Climb to the Clouds was run sporadically from 1904-1961, then not again until 1990 when it was run consistently until 2001. Following a ten-year hiatus, the Mt. Washington Hillclimb returned in 2011 as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of the Mt. Washington Auto Road which first opened on August 8, 1861.

 

Originally referred to as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road due to the horse-drawn wagons that traversed the road to the summit of Mt. Washington in the late 1800’s, auto manufacturers believed that the Carriage Road would serve as the perfect proving ground for them to demonstrate the ability of their new “horseless carriages.” Promoted as “the greatest contest of motor vehicles ever held”, the inaugural Climb to the Clouds in 1904 included manufacturers such as Rambler, Mercedes, Oldsmobile, Stanley Steamer, Pierce and a high priced Daimler.

 

In the 1904 Hillclimb F.E. Stanley from Newton, Massachusetts, co-creator of the famous Stanley Steamer, drove his 6-horsepower, 800-pound steam-powered Locomobile to the summit of Mt. Washington only to be beaten by Harry Harkness from New York driving a 40-horsepower Mercedes that weighed 2,200 pounds. Harkness posted a winning time of 24 minutes, 37 and 3/5 seconds.

Since that first year of competition, many well-known drivers have competed and won the Climb to the Clouds including “Cannonball” Baker in 1928 & 1932 and the legendary Carroll Shelby in 1956. Driving a Franklin in 1928, Baker raced to a time of 14:49.6 seconds. Carroll Shelby, driving a specially prepared Ferrari roadster in 1956, posted a record-setting run of 10:21.8 on his way to victory.

 

In 1961 Bill Rutan from Connecticut drove his Porsche Carerra-powered Volkswagen to another new record time of 9:13.0 that would stand for the next 29 years – until the return of the race in 1990 when Champion rally driver Tim O’Neil from nearby Franconia, NH drove his 300+ horsepower all-wheel-drive Volkswagen Rally Golf to the summit in an amazing time of just 7 minutes and 45 seconds.

Following the return of the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in 1990, the event was run annually as part of the Mt. Washington Auto Road’s summer event schedule until 2001. During that time, several new course records were shared between 7-time Sports Car Club of America National Rally Champion Paul Choiniere from Shelburne, VT and multi-time Canadian Rally Champion Frank Sprongl from Mississauga, Ontario. Sprongl went on to set a record time of 6:41.99 in 1998 driving his 500 horsepower Audi Quattro S2 that would stand for 13 years.

 

In 2011, ten years after the last Mt. Washington Hillclimb was run, Subaru Rally Team USA driver and 4-time Rally America Overall Champion David Higgins from the Isle of Man came to Mt. Washington for the first time. Driving a Vermont SportsCar-prepared 2011 Subaru WRX STI all-wheel-drive rally car, Higgins set a new overall course record of 6:11.54 – smashing Sprongl’s previous record time by more than 30 seconds!

 

Following his record-setting run, Higgins stated “It was a very big challenge because the road was still wet in spots and would turn very slick suddenly. With the clouds the visibility was so low I could hardly see past the hood of my car,” explained Higgins. “Our Subaru was setup perfectly for a road like this but I’ve never raced here before and it was a lot of work to try to learn the course. It’s fantastic to have the record at such a prestigious event.”

Those racing in the 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb will be competing on the very same 7.6 mile road as the original 1904 event 110 years earlier. Of course these days the surface has changed with nearly 87% of the road now asphalt and 13% still gravel. The 7.6 mile Auto Road is one of the ultimate challenges for driver and automobile alike. The serpentine road is lined with trees on the lower half and dramatic drop-offs above halfway as it winds its’ way to the 6, 288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak – Mt. Washington.

The 2014 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb will take place June 26-29, 2014 and will be organized and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire – New Hampshire’s premier sports car club. For more information regarding the Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb, the Mt. Washington Auto Road or the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, visit www.climbtotheclouds.com.

David Higgins and Team Subaru Storm the Mountain and Smash the Record

Sunday June, 26th, 2011- The course record at the Mt. Washington Hillclimb, one of Americas oldest auto races, was smashed today in convincing fashion by professional rally driver David Higgins at the wheel of a Vermont SportsCar prepared 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI.  Higgins, from the Isle of Man, broke the course record, which stood for thirteen years, by over thirty seconds at the revived 'Climb to the Clouds', which was last held in 2001. The new time to beat to the summit of the 7.6 mile sinuous asphalt and gravel Mt. Washington Auto Rd. is 6 minutes and 11.54 seconds, nearly thirty seconds faster than the outgoing record.  The Climb to the Clouds featured nearly seventy competitors driving an eclectic mix of modern rally cars, purpose built hillclimb cars and a small group of vintage racecars steeped in motorsports history.

Weather conditions had been less than ideal throughout the two practice days on Friday and Saturday, with intermittent rain showers that blanketed the Auto Road in clouds.  The weather kept the competitors from having a chance to practice on the upper half of the course thus adding to the challenge.  On Sunday however the weather cleared and two full course timed runs were held, although dense fog engulfed the summit for parts of the day.

Higgins was the last driver to launch off the start line which helped to build the anticipation of a possible record breaking run amongst the fans in attendance.  Higgins set a blistering pace on his first run, breaking the record by over twenty seconds, but had even more speed on tap on his second run where he lowered his new record by a further eight seconds. The previous record of 6 minutes and 41.99 seconds was set by Mt. Washington Hillclimb ace Frank Sprongl in 1998. 

"It was a very big challenge because the road was still wet in spots and would turn very slick suddenly. With the clouds the visibility was so low I could hardly see past the hood of my car," explained Higgins. "Our Subaru is setup perfectly for a road like this but I have never raced here before and it was a lot of work to try to learn the course. It's fantastic to have the record at such a prestigious event."

In second place was Todd Cook of Tempe, Arizona in an open-wheeled TCE/Wells Coyote hillclimb car and in third place was Paul Tingaud in his crowd favorite Audi "Super Chicken" Hillclimb Special.  Tingaud held off former Mt. Washington Hillclimb record holder Paul Choiniere, driving a Hyundai Tiburon all-wheel-drive rally car, by just one-second for the final podium position.

A new speed record of 114mph, measured at the Quarter Mile section of the course, was attained by veteran hillclimber Jerry Driscoll at the wheel of "The Patriot", his bespoke hillclimb car.  Driscoll, of East Randolph, Vermont, set the outgoing Speed Record of 113mph on the Mt. Washington Auto Rd. course in 1998 driving the very same car.

The Mt. Washington Auto Road welcomed for the first time a truck to race up its narrow serpentine course as daredevil Mike Ryan of Santa Clarita, California raced his purpose-built Freightliner Cascadia  race-truck, with an amazing 1,950HP, in the Hillclimb Special Class. Ryan was an impressive 27th Overall and commented that, "it was a terrifying and challenging ride to the top and at the finish I truly felt like I accomplished something."

Winning the all-wheel-drive Rally class (R1) was Robert Martai with his co-driver Fabian Sannet in their 2008 Mitsubishi Evo X.  While the two-wheel drive (R2) class was won by local rally driver Chris Duplessis and his co-driver Sarah Trask, both of Littleton, New Hampshire in their 2011 Ford Fiesta. 

Of the four Hillclimb classes, meant for regional hillclimb racers and their cars, the Hillclimb-1 class was won by Sherman Baumen, while the Hillclimb-2 class was won by Jamie Melhuish in his 2003 BMW M3. Melhuish, of Newtonville, Massachusetts finished an impressive 7th Overall.   The Hillclimb-3 class was won by Tim Mather in a Nissan Sentra and Hillclimb-4 class was won by Nick Wheelock at the wheel of his 2004 Subaru STI.

The Vintage Class featured a lineup of prestigious racing cars from the 1930's and 1950's. Although all the entered vehicles are steeped in motorsports history none as much so as an extremely rare 1933 Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 that won Le Mans with legendary Grand Prix driver Tazio Nuvolari at the wheel. The 8C was shipped across the Atlantic, and in 1937 it raced and won the Mt. Washington Hillclimb.  It was raced on Sunday by current owner Peter Sachs.   Also competing was a 1934 Reuter Special known as "The Old Grey Mare," and a 1951 Jaguar XK120 known as "The Beast" which Sherwood Johnston piloted in the 1953 to a record-breaking run of 10 minutes, 47.6 seconds. The Vintage Class roster also featured a 1931 Studebaker factory Indy car, one of only three that were built, that won the pole at the 1931 Indianapolis 500  as well as raced and won the Pikes Peak Hillclimb the same year.

Full results can be found here: http://climbtotheclouds.com/general-info/results/

About the Mt. Washington "Climb to the Clouds"  Hillclimb:

First opened in 1861 as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road, the Mt. Washington Auto Road, located in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire is the country's oldest man-made attraction. The 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road is one of the ultimate challenges for driver and automobile. The serpentine tarmac and gravel road is lined with trees and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast's tallest peak. Considered to be one of the oldest motorsports events in the United States, the Climb to the Clouds was first run in 1904, seven years before the first 500-mile race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis and twelve years prior to the inaugural Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in Colorado. The last time the Climb to the Clouds was run was in 2001.

Organized by Vermont SportsCar and sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire,  the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb  served as one of several  events to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Mt. Washington Auto Road as the nation's oldest man-made attraction.

Source: Climbtotheclouds
Photos: Lars Gange

David Higgins Takes Mt. Washington Record.

Sunday June, 26th 2011- David Higgins made Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds History as he crossed the line in 6 minutes 19 seconds during his first full-length timed run of Sunday morning. Higgins was just over a second faster than his Subaru Rally Team USA teammate Travis Pastrana who ran the Mt. Washington Auto Road in a similar car to promote the return of the hillclimb last fall. The prior record set by Frank Sprongl in 1998 is 6:41.99 and has stood for 13 years.
Jon Kemp followed at 7:06.82 and Todd Cook has the 3rd fastest time with a 7:07.33, less than a second back.
The Mt. Washington Auto Road is one of the ultimate challenges for driver and automobile, the 7.6 mile serpentine tarmac and gravel road is lined with trees and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak.  The Mt. Washington Auto Road’s history goes well beyond just this Hillclimb as it celebrates its 150^thanniversary this summer.
Source: Climbtotheclouds.com
Picture: Lars Gange

Higgins Sets the Pace on Mt. Washington

June 24, 2011- The Mt. Washington Hillclimb, known affectionately as the "Climb to the Clouds" is making a comeback this weekend after a nearly ten-year hiatus. The event, one of Americas' oldest auto races, features a strong 70-car competition field with some of the best drivers and cars from around the world competing for "King of the Hill" honors. The first day of practice, on the lower half of the 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road, was conducted this morning with Subaru driver David Higgins, from the Isle of Man, toping the time sheets nearly twenty seconds faster than his closest challenger in rainy and challenging conditions.

The entry list includes two of the past course record holders, former and current rally champions, high-powered open-wheel cars, a vintage class filled with cars steeped in motorsports history and a first for the event; a purpose-built race-truck.

"What a road! Really good fun," said Higgins, who has never competed on the auto road before. "The conditions were really slick and challenging plus I'm still trying to learn the road." Higgins is driving a Vermont SportsCar prepared Subaru Impreza WRX STI rally car.

Former Climb to the Clouds record holder Tim O'Neil of Whitefield, New Hampshire, who last competed here nearly twenty years ago, was sixth fastest on the morning practice session. "I don't think the auto road has changed much in twenty years but my memory has gotten worse!"

The Mt. Washington Auto Road will see a truck race up its narrow serpentine course for the first time in its history as daredevil Mike Ryan of Santa Clarita, California takes his purpose-built Freightliner 14.7 liter, 1,950HP turbo-diesel-powered race-truck up Mt. Washington in the Hillclimb Special Class. Ryan was an impressive 31st fastest on the morning practice session.

Evening entertainment kicks off tonight with the Jim Devlin Band performing at 8pm on the Climb to the Clouds stage at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road followed by a Fireworks show. A second practice is scheduled for tomorrow and at 8pm Boston-based TAB The Band, who recently toured the US and UK with the Stone Temple Pilots, will perform on stage. Race day is Sunday where all teams will have two full course attempts to the summit.

Grandstand seating will be available for spectators at the start area while several on-course spectating areas will be available. Tickets and schedule information are available at http://www.climbtotheclouds.com/.

Fans will also enjoy car displays, vendors, food and a beer garden. All festivities are located at the base of the Mt. Washington Auto Road in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire.

Photo/ Mike_Proulx-WorldRallySport