Nine-Sixty-Eight

In the book, Fast Women: The Legendary Ladies of Racing, Todd McCarthy noted that the heyday for women automobile racers came in the 1950s. McCarthy referred to the period between 1953 and 1958 as "a privileged moment in the grand sweep of American automobile racing, a small window of time when the sport was accessible to virtually anyone with a desire to pursue it; if you had a car and were good enough, you could drive it to a track and race."

Today, however, women represent a disproportionally small demographic in the racing world, and this appears to be especially true in motorcycle racing. Take the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, for example. Participation is open to anyone, but only 3% of the competitors are women in the motorcycle divisions. The fact is, there are more umbrella girls on the grid than there are female racers.

I am not trying to make any political statements here. Racing is what it is. And there is good news; women are competing, and more women have been entering the fray. We were pleasantly surprised to learn that Brianne Corn was competing in the 750cc motorcycle division this year. The 750cc division is an exceptionally competitive class and attracts a lot of top riders.

Brianne Corn is the motivated, humble, and remarkable woman who was scraping pegs alongside top racing talents such as Davey Durelle and Gary Trachy. She's 40 years old, and she's only been racing for the past five years. What got her started? It was a trip to Italy, and a casual encounter with a couple of fully caged rally cars, power sliding though narrow mountain passes in the shadow of a castle.

We shot this interview with Brianne as she was preparing to race the Peak's grueling 156 turns -- starting at 9,000 feet and finishing at 14,100 feet -- on a bike she put together herself. Brianne was not racing in some powder-puff exhibition class; this was the real deal.

The Art of Perseverance: Glen Cox

We spoke with Glenn Cox on July 18, 2009, during a Pikes Peak International Hillclimb practice session held at Devil's playground. 2009 marks the 8th year he has competed at PPIHC, and he readily admits being addicted to the second oldest race in America.

Last year was his first attempt in the 1205cc division, where he rode a KTM Super Duke 990. He reflected on his crash that likely cost him second or third place. Despite his crash, and through sheer perseverance, he still finished the race, passing several riders on the way to the finish line.

You might expect a rider to be gun shy after crashing like that, but Glenn seemed relaxed, smoother, and faster. He said he was determined to make it to the top, and was setting his sites on a top three finish.

Glenn also discussed improvements to his KTM Super Duke, namely the Motobox intake system which added an additonal 15HP to this already potent motorcycle. And of course, he talked about "the skateboard mod." We think he should have left the wheels on...

Interview: Glenn Cox, "Lucky 13"

[Slow Connection? Click to view the YouTube version.]

Glenn Cox is a motorcycle racing privateer who is a seven-time competitor in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. This year he was racing a KTM Super Duke in the 1200 Class, alongside top racers such as Greg Tracy, Joe Kopp and Alexander Smith. The 1200cc motorcycle class is new at PPIHC. "It's not whiskey throttle, grab it and go," explains Cox, "You really have to play it finely, with a lot of finesse."

Handling a four-hundred pound street bike in the dirt sections is quite a challenge. Cox says that he can be doing 80mph in 4th gear and the rear wheel is still spinning from lack of traction. The bike is most at home in the paved sections, where Cox excels.

Cox's qualifying time put him on the front row at the 86th running of the race. Cox got the hole shot and ran the fastest pace he had ever carried up the mountain -- for about a mile and a half. After a perfect start, he led the race until Greg Tracy, as Glenn described it, "put a beautiful pass on me." Cox was determined to stay in front of the rest of his pursuers. He held the throttle open about a second too long while rocketing up the Picnic Grounds straightaway. When he finally grabbed the binders to break his 120 mph pace, it was too late. He couldn’t make the left-hand corner he was attempting to negotiate. Cranked over and sliding under full braking, he stood the bike up at the last moment and drifted off the pavement. Cox crashed into a 10 foot ravine and flew over the handle bars like a man being hurled into outer-space.

Waving like a beserker Viking, Glenn motivated eight spectators to help him drag his KTM up the embankment and back onto the course. Through sheer determination and a healthy dose of control, he managed to pass two other racers. Glenn finished in 9th place with a time of 14:38.

Glenn said it was ironic that he had been most worried about the dirt sections, and yet it was a paved section that bit him in the end. He admits that over-confidence on the pavement was the reason behind his mistake. Always the optimist, Glenn says he be a little wiser in next year's race.

In this video interview, conducted by Girl Wonder the day before the race, Glenn Cox shared his excitement and anticipation about running in the 2008 PPIHC on a KTM Super Duke.

Interview: Eddie Mulder, Racing Legend

[Slow Connection? Click to view the YouTube version.]
This year marked the 86th running of the "Race to the Clouds." We travelled to Colorado Springs to produce a series of video podcasts that would capture the buzz of this unique and exciting event.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) is the second oldest motor sports race in America. This annual automobile and motorcycle hill-climb, also known as The Race to the Clouds, starts at 9,390 feet and ends at the 14,110 foot summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado. The course covers a distance of 12.42 miles on paved and dirt/gravel sections. Racers must negotiate 156 turns -- many of which are lack guard rails -- as they climb nearly 5000 ft to the finish line.

The air density thins as racers approach the summits, slowing both man and machine. The reduced oxygen level robs engines of 30% of their power at the summit, and slows reflexes and strength of the participants.

I spoke with Hall of Famer Eddie Mulder in the first episode of this series. Eddie is one of the most colorful racing legends I've been able to kick back and chat with. Eddie was a leading TT Steeplechase and desert racer of the 1960s, and he's been racing for five decades. We talked about his early days as a dirt racer, his work as a stunt double for Clint Eastwood, and about his uncertainty in racing PPIHC because of altitude-related health problems he experienced last year.

Interview: Team MAX BMW at PPIHC

[Slow Connection? Click to view the YouTube version.]

The 86th running of the “Race to the Clouds” took place in Colorado Springs on Sunday, July 20, 2008. Hundreds of competitors on motorcycles, quads, sidecars, cars and trucks raced to the 14,110 foot summit in this event.

BMW Motorrad Motorsport sent a factory team to participate at the Pike's Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) last year. The five-rider team of Gary Trachy, Casey Yarrow, Micky Dymond, Greg Tracy and Markus Barth secured the top five 1200cc class positions on the HP2 Megamoto.

For 2008, BMW Motorrad Motorsport decided not to participate. TEAM MAX BMW took matters into their own hands. MAX BMW principal Max Stratton and his brother Ben, along with two customers, decided to take on the PPIHC themselves. We interviewed this grass roots team of dedicated riders at one of the early morning practice sessions.

Interview: Alan Heffernan, Desert Racer

Alan Heffernan is primarily a desert racer, but he has been competing in the Pikes Peak International Hill climb the past two years. Last year he came with Faulkner Livingston Racing. This year he came on his own, armed with a 1997 CR500, which has been grandfathered into the 450 Class. “It’s like bringing a gun to knife fight,” explains Heffernan. This analogy is especially spot-on when he talks about his secret weapon: Holtzman Engineering’s innovative carburetor compensator, used to combat the horsepower-robbing effects of altitude.

What’s next for Heffernan after Pikes Peak? A little vacation, and then he’ll return to Costa Rica to do a little surfing and fishing. Heffernan runs a motorcycle and surf camp in Costa Rica during the winter months. Then he will begin preparing for the Baja 1000.

As you will learn in Girl Wonder’s video interview, his “vacation” will likely include a few cold compresses to help him recover from the race.

Interview: Paul Adams, PPIHC Motorcycle Mechanic

Profiles in Vintage Racing: Keith Speir

Keith Speir grew up with a passion for motocross and desert racing. His father wanted him to ride flat track, but Keith wasn't interested at that time. Keith's father died at a fairly young age due to a heart attack. He was only 50 years old.

A number of years later, perhaps fueled by a bit of nostalgia, Keith was browsing through a Cycle Trader magazine and spotted a Triumph 500 flat-tracker racer for sale. He drove over to the sellers house and bought it. The seller asked Keith if he was going to race at Ventura that weekend? "Ventura," Keith asked?

The seller told Keith about a vintage flat track race taking place at Ventura raceway. Ventura was close to where Keith lives, so he showed up and placed third -- catching the attention of Eddie Mulder. Eddie is known for being a mentor to many riders over the years, and he took a liking to the 48 year old first-time flat tracker.

And that is what this month's webisode is about; racing, mentoring, and the vintage connection.