Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race

The Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, also known as the Climb to the Clouds, is a timed hillclimb auto race up the Mount Washington Auto Road to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire.[1] It is one of the oldest auto races in the country, first run on July 11 and 12, 1904, predating the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.[1][2][3] The event was revived in 2011 and was held again in 2014[4][5] and 2017.[6]

History

The Mount Washington Hill Climb Auto Race was held off and on from 1904 to 1961, then not again until 1990, when Howie Wemyss, manager of the Auto Road, Robert Brotherus, a Finnish rally driver, and 11-time Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) ProRally champion, John Buffum, brought the race back.[1]

Originally created by early auto manufacturers to showcase their vehicles, the Auto Road was chosen to prove the ability of these "horseless carriages".[1][2] The inaugural "Climb to the Clouds" featured many makes of cars including Rambler, Mercedes, Oldsmobile, Stanley Steamer, Pierce, and a single Daimler, which were placed in categories based on their price.[2] Although the Daimler and the Stanley Steamer driven by F. E. Stanley were favored, Harry Harkness drove to victory in a Mercedes, which ascended the 7.4-mile (11.9 km) course in 24 minutes, 37 seconds.[2] This was quite impressive compared to the 2 hours, 10 minutes it took the first automobile to climb the Auto Road in 1899, a Stanley Locomobile.[1] The course runs from an altitude of 1,604 feet (489 m) at Glen House to 6,260 feet (1,908 m) at the summit, for an average gradient of 11.8%.

The event was won by Erwin "Cannonball" Baker in 1928 with a time of 14 minutes, 49.6 seconds, driving a Franklin.[2] Ab Jenkins won in 1930. Baker won again in 1932. Carroll Shelby drove a specially prepared Ferrari roadster to a record run of 10 minutes 21.8 seconds on his way to victory in 1956.[2] In 1961, Bill Rutan drove a Porsche Carrera-powered Volkswagen to set a record time of 9:13.0, which stood until the race returned in 1990.[2] Upon the race's return, Tim O'Neil set a time of 7:45, driving a VW Golf rally car.[2] The current record is 5 minutes, 28.67 seconds, set in 2021 by Travis Pastrana driving a Subaru WRX STI;[7] this broke his previous record of 5 minutes, 44.72 seconds set in 2017.[6] The prior record holder was David Higgins of the Isle of Man, also driving a WRX STI, with a time of 6 minutes, 9.09 seconds set in 2014. The fastest speed ever clocked was 113 mph (182 km/h) by 6-time New England Hillclimb Champion Jerry Driscoll of East Randolph, Vermont, driving a 600 hp "Hillclimb Special" in 1999.[1] This record held until 2011 while driving the same car, he broke his own record clocking 114.6 mph (184.4 km/h) 2 days before his 69th birthday. Travis Pastrana reached speeds of 130mph.

In 2004 the event was restarted as a historic event, with emphasis placed on vintage cars.[8]

Prior to the event's return in 2011, the last fullblown hillclimb race was in 2001, won by Paul Choiniere with a time of 4:59.73 on a weather-shortened course in his 500 hp methanol-fueled, all wheel drive Hyundai Tiburon.[8]

The 2014 running of Climb to the Clouds included the first electric race car to compete in the history of this event. EVSR, the fully electric racecar created by Entropy Racing, was piloted by Tim O'Neil, former overall hill record holder, to a time of 7:28. O'Neil bested his previous overall hill record by 16 seconds and put his mark onto Mt. Washington once more by setting the fastest electric record.

Year Driver Vehicle Time Notes
1904 Harry Harkness Mercedes 60 h.p. 24:37.6 sec [9] July 11/12.
1905 William M. Hilliard Napier 60 h.p. 20:58.4 sec [10] Passenger Frank Townsend
Stanley T. Kellogg Indian motorcycle 3 hp Twin 20:59.2 sec [11] July 17/18. Event held during Glidden Tour
1923 Ralph Mulford Chandler 17:00.0 sec [12]
1928 "Cannonball" Baker Franklin 14:49.6 sec [13]
1930 Ab Jenkins Studebaker President 8 14:23.0 sec [14]
1932 "Cannonball" Baker Graham eight 13:26.0 sec [15]
1934 Al Miller Hudson eight 13:20.6 sec [16]
1935 John C. Reuter Ford V8 Special 12:46.4 sec R [17] July 7
1936 L. Quimby Willys 77 13:45.0 sec July 26
1937 B. Collier Jr Alfa Romeo 8C 2300 14:50.5 sec July 11
1938 Lemuel R. Ladd Ford V8 Special 12:17.6 sec R July 28
1939 John Ewell BMW 12:53.1 sec August 26
1940 Lemuel R. Ladd Ford V8 Special 12:34.4 sec August 25
1953 Sherwood Johnston Jaguar XK120 Special 10:46.6 sec R August 15/16
1954 Sherwood Johnston Jaguar Special "C" 10:44.8 sec R [18] August 15
1956 Carroll Shelby Ferrari 375 GP 4.5-litre 10:21.8 sec R [19] August 14/15
1961 Bill Rutan Porsche Special 9:13.0 sec R
1990 Tim O'Neil VW Rally Golf 7:45.0 sec R
1991 Paul Choiniere Audi Quattro 7:09.61 sec R
1992 Frank Sprongl Audi Quattro 7:08.61 sec R
1993 Paul Choiniere Audi Quattro 6:46.62 sec R
1995 Paul Choiniere Hyundai Elantra 6:45.22 sec R
1998 Frank Sprongl Audi Quattro 6:41.99 sec R
2011 David Higgins Subaru WRX STI 6:11.54 sec R [20]
2014 David Higgins and co-driver Craig Drew Subaru WRX STI 6:09.09 sec R [21]
2017 Travis Pastrana Subaru WRX STI 5:44.72 sec R [6]
2021 Travis Pastrana Subaru WRX STI 5:28.67 sec R August 13-15 2021.[22] Postponed from 2020 due to COVID-19.[23]

Key: R = Course record

See also

References
  1. "Climb to the Clouds Cancelled for 2002". rallyracingnews.com. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  2. "History of the Climb to the Clouds Event". climbtotheclouds.com. Archived from the original on 2007-12-16. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  3. Other sources note that the Eagle Rock Hill Climb was first held on Thanksgiving Day 1901 on the Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, New Jersey (Joseph Fagan, Images of America, Eagle Rock Reservation. Arcadia).
  4. J. Trask, Mount Washington Summit Road Company, Board of Directors
  5. "Climb to the Clouds ™". climbtotheclouds.com.
  6. "Watch Travis Pastrana Shatter the Mt. Washington Hillclimb Record". 24 August 2017.
  7. Toma, Sebastian (2021-08-16). "Watch Travis Pastrana's Full Record Run on the 2021 Mt. Washington Hillclimb". autoevolution. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  8. "History of the Climb to the Clouds Race (continued)". climbtotheclouds.com/. Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  9. Boston Journal, July 17, 1904, Page 1; International Motor Cyclopaedia, Year Book-March 1908 to March 1909, Page 101, Publisher: E.E. Schwarzkopf, New York.
  10. Boston Journal, July 19, 1905, Page 1.
  11. Wilkes-Barre Times, May 27, 1907, Page 7.
  12. Wilkes Barre Sunday Independent, February 17, 1924, Page 35.
  13. New York Times, October 7, 1928, Page XX17.
  14. The Washington Post, September 16, 1930, Page 11.
  15. Times-Picayune, July 24, 1932, Page 22.
  16. New York Times, July 22, 1934, Page 12XX.
  17. 1935-1940 derived from John C. Rueter, American Road Racing, 1963, Appendix.
  18. New York Times, August 16, 1954, Page 2.
  19. New York Times, July 16, 1956, Page 27.
  20. "RESULTS". climbtotheclouds.com. Archived from the original on 2013-04-23.
  21. "CTC2014 Sunday Race Results". Archived from the original on 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
  22. "Results - Mount Washington Auto Road, Gorham NH". mt-washington.com. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
  23. "'Climb to the Clouds' auto hillclimb pushed back to 2021". The Conway Daily Sun. Retrieved 2021-08-16.
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