Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/164130
24 www.bigrigowner.com September 2013 a time of 10:00.694 on his 2013 Lightning Electric SuperBike in the Exhibition Powersports class. France's Bruno Langlois set a record on his 2013 Ducati Multistrada in winning the Pikes Peak 1205 class with time of 10:21.323, while Jeffrey Tigert's 10:32.964 mark on his 2013 Honda CRF450 established a new Pikes Peak 450 class record. Michael Coburn's 11:05.874 time on his 2013 Walsh 450R was a Quad Modified class record, and Codie Vasholtz set a Pikes Peak 250 record with a time of 11:24.792 on his 1996 Kawasaki KX 250. However, the race was delayed twice in the morning wave after a pair of motorcycle riders were injured after crashing off the course. These delays would prove to hurt the afternoon racers who were hoping for records of their own. Sadly, after a week of near perfect conditions (by Pikes Peak standards), Mother Nature also began to put a damper on the Race To The Clouds. Heavy storms rolled in and created further delays, but race officials were determined to get the remaining racers on the course. Among the vehicles left to ascend Pikes Peak was Mike Ryan's Freightliner. Gale Banks shared his thoughts about the weather as Mike Ryan approached the starting line. "Pikes Peak is the most dangerous race I've ever encountered and that's on a calm clear day, but this was a day that pegged my danger gauge. Mother Nature was not happy with us, and after a few relatively good hours with records being set, she sent hail, snow and rain...lots of rain to ward us off," Banks said. "But, Mike Ryan is one who must delight in twisting the tail of the Devil. As destroyed cars were coming off the mountain and rain squalls drenched the starting line Mike suited up and sat in the racer, determined to climb that mountain!" Knowing Ryan's competitive nature, Banks continued, "I opened the door and told him that I knew a record was not pos- coverstory 0913.indd 5 Cover Story sible and not to risk his life trying; just get it to the top. I knew the mountain had already defeated some pretty experienced guys. He just looked down at me and said, 'thank you for that Gale.' The rain had degenerated to intermittent showers and sprinkles. Mike fired the engine, got the flag and was gone. As I watched his segment times pop up I realized that he was faster than at least half of the BMWs, Mustangs, and Porsches that had run earlier. Then as he approached the Radio Broadcast crew covering the race, the scream of the supercharger and roar of the exhaust coming out of the speakers was so extreme that the announcers were yelling to be heard as he ripped up the straight in front of them." Ryan did indeed make it to the top of Pikes Peak, narrowly missing his record time by a few seconds. When interviewed just after crossing the finish line, Ryan said, "That was a wild ride. I had so much horsepower, but no place to put it. The road was just too wet, and with sediment washing across the course in places, the truck skated everywhere." Banks added: "I knew the course was wet, but I never thought of the rocks and sand washing onto the road. Let me tell ya, the on-car video tells the tale; when the going gets tough, Mike Ryan gets going!" Both Ryan and Banks know this machine is powerful and perfectly built to tackle Pikes Peak, and weather permitting, Ryan will definitely demolish his record is this truck one day. "Mike's straightaway speeds were still huge. Unfortunately 156 turns and the flooding prevailed today," Banks stated. "Next year we eat the Bear!"• For additional 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race results and photo galleries of Mike Ryan's Banks Super-Turbo Pikes Peak Freightliner, please visit www. ppihc.com, www.bankspower.com/pikespeak or www.mikeryanmotorsports.com. 8/7/13 11:52 AM