COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Pikes Peak International Hill Climb weekend is bringing together drivers, fans, and car enthusiasts in Colorado Springs for one of motorsport's most iconic events.
The street festival stretches from Platte Avenue to Vermijo and features vendors, race vehicles, giveaways, a freestyle motocross show, and a car show with a DJ. Organizers say the event is bigger than last year, with some new additions.
"We have a new beer garden, so that's kind of fun!" said Pikes Peak International Hill Climb CEO Melissa Eickhoff.
Eickhoff said the festival is designed to give fans a rare level of access to the race and its competitors.
"This is really one of the best ways to, to engage and you can get up close and personal with all the drivers," said Eickhoff.
Eickhoff said the event has grown into something that extends well beyond motorsport fans.
"This is just kind of a multi-agency sort of coming together and that's a lot of fun and it's just really fun to give back to the community," said Eickhoff.
For those in attendance, the draw is personal. Fan Nancy Richards said the event has become a tradition.
"It's a sense of community and Colorado Springs. It's kind of a tradition now for me to do this," said Richards.
She said the race itself still leaves her in awe.
"The whole deal amazes me because just even taking a normal drive up there is so scary, and I don't know, I can't even imagine how they do it," said Richards.
Fellow fan 11-year-old Brock Villmow said his love of cars goes back to childhood and that the hill climb is a natural gathering point for people who share that passion.
"I got into cars when I was probably like 4. I saw an old '69 Dodge Charger driving down the road and I was like, I like that. I've been into cars ever since," said Villmow.
For Villmow, the race itself represents something bigger. He said he hopes to one day take on the challenge.
"You're driving a car that's like 700 horsepower plus, I mean you're going fast up a mountain. America's mountain, it's pretty cool," said Villmow.
The drivers themselves describe the race as an experience unlike any other. Race car driver Laura Hayes said the challenge is as mental as it is physical.
"There's a lot to remember 156 turns over 12 miles. The oxygen, right, you're deprived of it the higher you go. Fortunately we run it in the car, but it goes by really fast on race day. It takes around 10 minutes, and once you get up to the top, you're like, oh my gosh, it's already over. I want to do it again," said Hayes.
Hayes said the energy from the crowd adds to the experience.
"Seeing everybody so excited about the race, supporting the drivers, supporting the race is really special," said Hayes.
Race car driver JT Taylor said this year's run carries personal meaning.
"It's so much fun and then building my own car, a different car this time, this is the third different car racing out there and doing something vintage and an homage to the history of the hill climb," said Taylor.
For fans and drivers alike, it all comes back to the same thing. As Richards and Villmow put it, "the cool cars."
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