Pike's Peak, June 30.

[Texican]

http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/blog/2013/04/honda-sponsoring-pikes-peak-road-race.html

Wouldn't it be trick if they might decide to see just what in the flying heck this unit might turn in "WFO" state?

The power comes from an LM P2 engine, don't know the HP, but it was adequate for a win coupla year's back at Miller Motor Sports Park.

[SPARKY]

  is this the first on on all PAVEMENT???

[WOODY@DDLLC]

The Honda team made a presentation at Cedarville University on April 13. They put the NSX together out of spare parts! 

They were over a minute off the times they wanted last year!  This year a new gearbox will get them ~50 sec, tires ~40 sec and the 150+ HP that was missing will be recovered! You gotta love hair dryers at altitude! 

Sparky, I asked the driver if he would do it if it was still dirt and he said yes! 

[racefanwfo]

This years race will be the second time that they will be racing on pavement all the way to the top. the first race on pavement was in 2012. i feel that it was a big mistake not leaving the course all dirt. its not the same race anymore.

[Grant Borman]

I think everyone is a little upset its not dirt anymore but its better than partially paved/gravel.  Everyone involved faught the paving that the sierra club wanted.  I even think there were big fines due to the paving project running behind schedule.  Basically the sierra club didn't like the gravel runoff getting into the local streams.  Its a real shame they could not come up with a more natural way to solve this issue.

The little team i help out with was supposed to go this year with our NSX but none of our drivers could do it due to scheduling conflicts.  Im really bummed because this race is at the top of my bucket list and because our car would have been very competitive with last years times assuming it made it to the top without issue.

[SPARKY]

Well, one more case for the tree hugging leftists getting their way---all pavement will definitely favor the imported "shoes" who are used to racing on all pavement.  It was such a "classic"    maybe it will be able to establish "new" traditions  I only went once about 12 years ago but have told many it was my favorite "spectator race"

[Tman]

Real hillclimb history being made. One of our club members is bringing back an event I have read about since I was a little kid!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=785354

[Jack Gifford]

... Real hillclimb history being made...

Sounds great! How about starting a thread dedicated to it (here in 'upcoming events')?

[bak189]

I raced it 4 times with the Bakker/Taylor sidecar outfit when it was part dirt , part pavement.....for many years the motorcycle and sidecar classes were sponsored by Barnett Tool and Engineering......A great event.....
I build a one- off special sidecar for the combination of dirt and pavement.......however, now our roadrace outfits will do the job................The all pavement certainly makes it a lot faster race......But the race is not the same "old" race...................7 sidecars` this year....2 from Japan....2 from France......3 from the US.

[Jack Gifford]

Real hillclimb history being made. One of our club members is bringing back an event I have read about since I was a little kid!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=785354

Nice article on the 2013 "Hot Rod Hillclimb" in the Hot Rod that just came today. Another event for my bucket-list!

[Frank06]

Apparently it was a pretty big deal to replace the gravel that washed away... (from Wikipedia):

Litigation was pursued by the Sierra Club in 1998-1999, on grounds of environmental damage from the gravel portion of the road.[6] The environmental damage was caused primarily by the 150,000,000 pounds (68,038,856 kg) of gravel that washes away annually. The same amount needed to be hauled up the mountain each year in order to maintain the road surface. Environmental damage includes alpine ponds and wetlands becoming filled with gravel, and layers of gravel averaging 2 feet (0.6 m) to 4 feet (1.2 m) feet deep covering the forest floor below.[7] Pursuant to the settlement agreed by the Sierra Club and the City of Colorado Springs, the unpaved portion of the Pikes Peak Highway became a hard-surface road, despite concerns that such a project would radically change the nature of the annual automobile and motorcycle race. The paving project was completed on October 1, 2011.[8]