09 Jul Teams are Prepped and Ready for Raceday at Climb to the Clouds

Article originally written for American Rally Association here.

Gorham, New Hampshire (July 9, 2017)

Teams are set to challenge the full 7.6 mile length of the the Mt. Washington Auto Road today after practicing sections of the course on Friday and Saturday. Teams spent their previous days at Mt. Washington running separate, un-scored, timed practice sessions on the upper and lower half of the mountain.

So far, Subaru Rally Team USA has set the pace in their 600hp hillclimb spec Subaru STi rally cars. Travis Pastrana and David Higgins both set a pace that teases the absolute annihilation of the current 6 minute 9.09 second record on the Mt. Washington Auto Road. Adding up Pastrana’s times allows ARA to project Pastrana’s climb to the clouds at around 5:45s, undercutting the previous record by nearly 30 seconds.

Savage Dave Wallingford and co-driver Ryan Scott had a spectacular roll at the Signal Corps spectator area during yesterday’s second practice session. The unusual flip is known as a traction roll, once in which the outside corner of the car has too much grip and acts to pivot the whole vehicle onto it’s side. Fortunately Wallingford and Scott were unhurt and spent the rest of the practice session entertaining fans. The Team O’Neil drivers raced to the team’s rally school yesterday afternoon and picked up an older spare Fiesta R2 chassis, meaning that Dave and Ryan will be back in a car today, albeit without a turbo.

Lauchlin O’Sullivan is here in a purpose built hillclimb Subaru STi, not his normal rally car. He’s entered in one of the production classes, meaning that Scott Putnam is also not in the car with him. O’Sullivan spent much of yesterday fighting understeer and lifting wheels in several tight corners. The CPD Racing team is confident that suspension tweaks rendered last night will help them improve and that they have a shot to take the class.

The Subaru sponsored Climb to the Clouds takes place on Mt. Washington, the tallest peak in the Northeastern United States. CTTC is one of the world’s oldest motorsport events, dating back to 1904. Run once every three years, Mt. Washington sees competitors race full bore up the narrow dirt and tarmac summit access road, in the process climbing nearly a mile up the mountain to its 6288 ft summit. One hundred fifty twisting corners that challenge driver skills and countless sharp exposures, their nerve.

Mt. Washington is loved by many in the hillclimb community for its tight, technical, and twisting nature. First stamped out in 1861, the Auto Road is only 8-10 ft wide over the majority of its length and follows the contours of the steep mountainside. The road, built for horse-drawn carriages, is steep – an average 12{35d58eeb8b49444ad810a23b95fe22fb037ffcdad0061d8ef06091e66aa30395} grade and a maximum grade of 18{35d58eeb8b49444ad810a23b95fe22fb037ffcdad0061d8ef06091e66aa30395} sees drivers ascend 4,000 ft in only 7.6 miles of road.

The surface changes several times over the climb, starting on older, spalling, asphalt for its first 4 miles before transitioning to dirt. The unpaved section of the mountain goes for another mile before transitioning back to older tarmac. A mile later sees the road surface change to freshly laid asphalt, and with it, a slippier surface. The road transitions back to older paving one more time just before the summit.

Today’s start order is based on a reverse running of yesterday’s top finishers. Those who set the slowest at yesterday’s practice session will run first on the road, those who were fastest, last. Today is the only day that factors into the overall standings of the event. Friday and Saturday’s two practice sessions do not count towards a driver’s overall time.

Finishing order for the Climb to the Clouds will be based on the fastest of today’s runs. Driver’s get two attempts at the climb, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Competitors in the ARA sponsored Rally 1 and Rally 2 classes are allowed co-drivers, but are still scored based on hillclimb rules. ARA is sponsoring the Rally 1 and Rally 2 class, we have no affect on the competition and our rule set is not in effect this weekend.

The fight to be “King of the Hill” concludes today from the Mt. Washington Auto Road, who will win and more importantly, will a new overall record on the mountain be set? Join ARA live on our Facebook page starting at 9:30 EST to find out.

Be sure to check into the Climb to the Clouds and the ARA Facebook pages for stories and happenings from the event. Detailed information including standings and spectator information can be found on the Climb to the Clouds website.

Photo Credit: Alex Wong (Top, 1, 3), Matt Kalish (2, 3, 4)

About American Rally Association (ARA)

We are a member driven organization dedicated to the sport of stage rally by providing a transparent and inclusive sanctioning body. A 501 (c)(3) non-profit, ARA is lead by elected and appointed board members who deliver a framework for safety, competition, promotion, and educational forums for all aspects of the sport. The common goal of our members, volunteers, and organization is a thriving stage rally program in America.