Pikes Peak Hillclimb 1975 "Tame The Tall Mountain"

Lands End Hill Climb 2025 - Livin in America

 Welp, the biggest race of my year has come and gone. It was everything I have been dreaming about for a whole year and more. What do I have left in my teeth to chew on but the savory meat of enjoyment. While children starve to death, power mad dictators of the world spew bullshit, and the poor brain washed masses consume the bullshit being shoveled down their gullet every screen filled spoonful by soothing dopamine pixelated spoonful.

It rained friday night for the first time in the Grand Valley in a long hot dry windy blue moon of a burning summer. The track was wet and fast for saturday's practice/qualifying. The new motocross tread atv tires were hooking up like velcro. For the first time ever I felt I could get the car to turn when and where wanted with out the under steer that I have been trying to rid the homebrew hayabusa. On only my second run I ran a 4:22 on the 5.5 mile course. I was even yellow flagged on the run and slowed after catching the car in front of me, following for a couple corners, and then passing them. Getting me the 3rd fastest run of the day overall. 4WD rally turbos lancers, 800 hp open wheel cars and all. Not bad for a rage cage built here at home in the metropolis of Mack CO. amoungst a pile of ol dirtbikes and toddler trikes. The track dried out and the hero dirt turned to a slower but magically fun dry slick. The Peat brothers came from California with their proper European Semog cross karts. They are from the UK and have national rally championship experience and cars waiting for them over the pond. They raced Lands End last year and were smoking me. This year they had some problems including one of them having a massive scary crash off the edge into some trees. I managed to beat the other brother by 2 seconds with a smoking 4:20 -Duuude! In the Motorcycle class I struggled with times almost 20 seconds off my best. Lord Mick was pushing me like a pacific north west hobo with a shopping cart full of Colt 45 on roller skates. I managed to drop down to a 4:28 for a race run giving Mick 4 seconds and another year to think about de-throning me next year. I have won the Motorcycle class at every Lands End since 2016. I found myself thinking how much I wanted to trade my bike runs for another run in my car. I don't know what is happening to me but I knew from the get go that the two too many wheeled virus was not fucking around with me... I reckon it's not what you eat but rather how you eat it. It is not the size of the peanuts in the poop but the poop in the pants. The mysteries of the universe. The leftovers from the Indian restaurant. The warm last horse fly infested margarita after the ice melts. Yum.

Dog days

 

The Monarch hill climb was very fruitful. More winning and best of all was having my girls there with me. Even got our pit crashed by the lovable Warren who is keeping it real over on the Church of Choppers blog. Don’t tell his lady but I think I infected him with the race bug bad enough that he traded his ol widow maker YZ490 for a midget race car to come tear up the hill climbs! The guy I sold my old Pontiac to had a fun rookie race. Lost it after crossing the finish line but he already has the car back in good enough shape for the next race.

I came across another Hayabusa deal that was too cheap to pass up. Not sure what to do with it but I have a few ideas...

The old Goldwing had been put on mothballs since fatherhood. Unfortunately the carbs did not like the hibernation. After rebuilding the carbs I found the fuel pump not working. After replacing the fuel pump I found the fuel pump power supply circuit faulty. I pulled up my sleeves and soldered a new transistor onto the mother board inside the ECU. When the solder smoke cleared I took the family for a ride on the old Blue Whale.

Alex flew over from Norway to do some testing on Moped Dick. Good times were had and Bonneville looks promising this year. Although I am not going to be the piloting space monkey, or at least not the main one. Tomorrow I pick up Alex and his buddy Peir from the Airport. I might just sneak out there on the Goldwing if I can get the time off from work...

The little chip off the old block has her first couple of races under her belt. The pride I feel is out of this world. Her world is becoming a lot bigger and mine is becoming much more concentrated. The good stuff.

Here comes...

2025 PPIR Hill Climb Top 5

Rnd 1 and 2 of Colorado Hill Climb Racing update.

 The count down to the beginning of the 2025 race season went from months, to weeks, to finally days. Having finished the past two races with a 3rd and then a 2nd had me eager. The first practice run had the car feeling a bit like a ride on Elvira's vibrator from hell at anything over 4th gear. An inspection found the rear center spool axle was wearing out. It had lasted most of the 2024 season after the first one wore out quicker than a pair of flea market chuck taylers. (After only one race.) It sure would have been cool if it had failed at the end of the 24 season with time to re-engineer a better rear end but me and my honky ass pto tractor shaft rear end... Im sure there is a pun there somewhere... Anyhoo, I skipped a practice run on the motorcycle and found a nice fella with a welder to tack weld the rear end back together with a hope and a prayer. It managed to do the job and I ended up getting my first Super Sprint class win. Even better yet I got the Motorcycle class win on the ol trusty XR650R tracker, setting a new class record and the only record set that weekend. One month later and I had a new rear end put back in the Hayabusa Homebrew with parts from Protolite Racing, my first car sponsor. Woo-hoo! Rnd 2 was at Pikes Peak International Raceway where I ended the season last year. It is not so much a proper hill climb on an actual road but a 3.5 mile dirt road race style course. It is very tight and seems to cater to the small cross karts and dirtbikes. In saturdays practice/ qualifying runs I managed to break the Motorcycle class record twice and first in class in Homebrew by only a couple seconds in fornt of an Aussy engineered Baracuda cross kart and a very poper put togethter cross kart driven by Ryan Cheek who was in the neighbor hood getting ready for Pikes Peak. In Sunday's first run I broke the Super Sprint class course record and on my second Motorcycle run I managed to break the course record again. Two class wins and 2nd overall vehicle a few seconds behind the legend Spencer Steel and his V8 powered Wells Coyote. Leaving me on father's day with my daughter feeling more proud than fat bastard leaving the pie eating contest.

The Rangely hill climb course is my favorite with it's high speed flowing sections.

Imagine something I engineered and built failing...

Racing is loud. I love sharing it with my little one. She loves her race friends. The Colorado Hill Climb Association is like our 2nd family.

For Rnd 2 at Pikes Peak International Raceway. I opted to race my good ol trail bike Molly.

I love flogging Molly

Building this car from scratch and finishing 2nd overall is a huge accomplishment for me. Time to find some sponsors and go tackle Pikes Peak Hill Climb on four wheels....?

Meow Meow Massacre 2025

 Over a month ago many great friends made the pilgrimage to what has become an annual damn mighty fine fun time. This year there were not even any casualties, bikes or bodies. The prayers to the moto gods were granted. We even had a cute little kitty cat pinata that we didn't end up smashing so next year we will sacrifice it. Until then I will fill it with various paraphernalia. Mark your 2026 calendars now around the first of May and may all your dreams be fruitful.

Meow

Age and the lack of wisdom that comes with it.

 In 2010 I almost won the Pro class overall championship. Almost only counts with horse shoes and hand grenades though. With my deflated head and empty tank of motivation I took a break from hair scrambles. I raced the occasional one, mostly the fun Grand Prix ones like the Oklahoma Gold Rush or the Florance Grand Prix in Kansas, But I thought it might be fun to return to the WEBE Racing series that I chased with such vigor nearly 15 years ago. Why not the sand whoop strewn season opener in Farmington New Mexico. It was always one of if not always the toughest track in the series. Maybe a soft return in the  open A class or hell why not the 40+ class and bring my big ol XR650R for laughs. After a whiskey and a brief talk with my wife about not being a sand bagging bitch I found myself signed up in the Pro class but somehow I was still thinking I was going to race the big red pig. I have just recently got the ol beast back in order after it was last raced in 2006 in the Baja 1000 where we finished after 32 hours. It was then left derelict  and disassembled outside for many years before finding its way into my care. So there I was lined up on the front row with all the young fit pro riders on a bike/rider combo with 100+ pounds over the rest of em when the green flag waved signaling the start of the dead engine start. By the time my big ol kickstarter was through it's stroke most of the electric start modern zippity do da pros were off in front of me but I took a wide line on the first turn swooping across a 30 yard wide flat groomed sand wash and passed a handfull and then I sent the big red pig into orbit: smashing whoops, galloping across the rock gardens, and completely  engulfing the large sand dune hills. Of course I did some big fat spread eagle no-footers over the jumps near the spectators as usual. The 30 minute lap times had me planing to make a pit stop on the 3rd lap. I had fitted my ol quick fill dry break fuel tank receiver into the stock XR650R tank, requiring much mesaging with a heat gun and my big fucking hammer (Just the handle). This is a mod I have always wanted to do since I hate the the feel of the big oversize tanks on the allready oversized BRP.  My out of shape and over eager ass found a rhythm after the stomach cramp side ache went away I was in the top 10 over all at the half way point about ready to make my much awaited pit stop when I felt the dreaded rear end slug squirrel wiggle that can mean only one thing; A flat tire....  10 hours of drive time, weeks of anxious, race prepping, only to have a failure that could have easily been prevented. I knew that rim lock was not holding but I hoped the new rear tire would not let it slip. As Mr. Know-It-All used to say: "You really should have known. " 

It was pretty fun though.

Not this time Jesus

FAME!

 

After 15 years of tiresome word belching and random self involved rants this blog has finally hit the big time! I made the "Top 30 Dirt Bike blogs"! I am tearing up. Ok now I better give them money...

Pikes Peak Hill Climb | Full TV Show

2007. I started in 2008. It was a good time to be there.

Lands End Hill Climb 1941

Now known as the 3rd oldest continuing race in the USA behind Pikes Peak and the Indy 500, The Lands End Hill Climb was a big deal. And it still is; to people like me it is the highlight of my year. Not just because of all the Motorcycle class wins or the champaign spray podium celebrations alongside legends like Zwart and Dallenbach. It is in the decomposing volcanic gravel, the dust, and the twisting turning road itself. It is the best race course I have ever known. Unlike Pikes Peak and the Indy 500, there is very little material about the race. I have found zero info at the local Grand Junction Museum of the West. Despite being won by Louis Unser, there is little to be found on Google. The race was a huge race but WWII put it on hold and the Colorado Hill Climb Association didn't bring it back until the 1980's. My good buddy Peter told me he had a friend who had some old photos and programs. I asked and was so very fortunate enough to have them lent to me. Today peter dropped off a manila envelop with these photographs inside, along with the 1940,1941 programs and other interesting bits. I will scan them and share them here with all as I hope to not only preserve such outstanding history but hopefully inspire a younger generation to build some race shit and keep this awesome past time alive.

The owner of the photograph's grandmother posing next to the 2nd place finisher car. Check the penmanship written on the back of the photo below. Amazing. These building's concrete foundation's still stand at the start line. No more big cottonwood trees though.

 

Age cage, caged rage

 This weekend was the one year anniversary of bringing this Wells Coyote serial number 13 home. If you remember I traded a bike from my boneyard for it about the time my homebrew race car was completed. I have managed to keep it under tarp and out of mind (for the most part), but unlike a catholic altar boy; its been untouched. Though the car has a vast history of being fondled, flogged, and unfortunately even molested; I rescued it from a trailer park in arizona from some wheeling dealing cousins, where it was being sold for dune buggy sand rail scrap. before that the O'Maley brothers Rodney and Earl bought it for cheap only to rob it of all of it's good bits for their own Coyote cars. The Johnson brothers raced it in CHCA before that but they never did well and are no longer on talking terms with one another. Ownership before that is not clear but it was raced at Pikes Peak in brilliant shape by the one and only Martini Racing Steven. And more that several others before that.  I will have to post some pictures because it was a beautiful car. Anyhoo, It is just another refugee project in my yard among many but worthy as all hell and get up and go. Especially after taking my homebrew out to my back roads yesterday and having a proper go at driving the Homebrew Hayabusa car. I saw 165 mph on the highly inaccurate speedometer, I floated connecting corners like a drifter's dream, and probably lived more in 15 minutes than the I have in the past few months. The chase of thrill and ability to harness a machine is something that fails to dwindle in my increasing age. The excitement of driving a vehicle of construction more or less of my own is beyond words. It is my life's manifest from an early age. A dream chassed many an entry fee over. Many miles and broken down vans, sponsor paid air fair, bride's maid to a championship, and dreary daunt of task completed no matter the danger at hand. I live the life best liven given my place in this universe. Best I know to anyhow. I often wonder what for and I don't know any answers but I know it sure is fun seeing my little one wonder what she will do...