Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
6/17/21 11:54 a.m.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/sxgXYpVnOwc

Watch Bergsteiger, BimmerWorld’s 1000-plus-horsepower hill climb monster, attack the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb for the very first time during its initial practice session.

Eager to see it run the course for real? You won’t have to wait much longer, as the 2021 …

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pinchvalve (Forum Supporter)
pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) MegaDork
6/18/21 7:56 a.m.

I LOVE Pikes Peak, but seeing in-car of the top sections makes me realize I would never have the stones to race there. Not in a 100hp Civic, and certainly not in a 1,000hp monster BMW.

Colin Wood
Colin Wood Associate Editor
6/18/21 8:01 a.m.

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

Not to mention the added pressure of only having one run up the mountain until the next year's event.

Marjorie Suddard
Marjorie Suddard General Manager
6/18/21 8:17 a.m.

Takeaways:

1) Not a lot of turbo'ed engines I would accuse of sounding gorgeous, but that one does;

2) No to Pikes Peak, even a vacation cruise up to the top;

3) James Clay is great on video--and loves Combos. Must somehow leverage these two facts to get more James and Bimmerworld on GRM video.

Margie

Kevin_at_BW
Kevin_at_BW New Reader
6/18/21 12:42 p.m.

In reply to pinchvalve (Forum Supporter) :

Middle section is far more sketchy with farther drops.  The upper section is WAY more bumpy, but it almost seems less dangerous than the middle.

Footage from the middle coming very soon - maybe later today to the BimmerWorld YouTube.

slowbird
slowbird UltraDork
6/18/21 6:55 p.m.

I don't think I could race there, but I would love to be able to drive the whole thing. When I went in 2019 I was there for the race and obviously didn't get to go all the way to the top. And they were doing construction then too so I wouldn't have been able to even if it wasn't during the event. And of course there was all the other spectator traffic. I'll have to go back someday when it's just open for regular tourism.

JoeTR6
JoeTR6 Dork
6/18/21 8:37 p.m.

I drove up Pikes Peak in April of 2018 just before they closed it to the public.  It's not for the faint of heart.  Some of the curves past half way up just feel like you are driving off a cliff and there is very little in the way of points of reference.  Looking ahead means out the back quarter and up.  How anyone races up that amazes me.  Those are some talented and self-confident drivers for certain.

I'm not sure they will ever open the road back up for general use.  Maybe once the construction at the top is done.

Edit: Apparently Pikes Peak Highway is open to drive, just not the new Summit House quite yet.  The new cog railway is also now open.

David S. Wallens
David S. Wallens Editorial Director
6/21/21 12:34 p.m.

We've been to Pikes Peak twice and, yes, it's a bucket list event (even though I hate that term). 

Note that I'm also not a fan of heights. 

Kevin_at_BW
Kevin_at_BW New Reader
6/24/21 4:12 p.m.

Here is one of our runs from the middle section - WAY more dramatic turns and sketchy drop offs.

 

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