The Story of Pikes Peak Hill Climb - The No Rules Race to the Clouds
For over 100 years, drivers have challenged the mountain, the most dangerous race track in America in everything from rally cars to electric cars! This is part of the legendary time trial’s tale.
Visit brilliant.org/HuntersMoon/ for a 30-day free trial + 20% off!
Thank you all so much for watching and supporting the channel!
Mistakes/New Information:
Music:
HOME - We're Finally Landing
Chris Doerksen - Perhaps Something More
HOME - Chicken Soup
HOME - Pyxis
HOME - Mainframe
HOME - Head First
Chris Doerksen - Knife Edge
Chris Doerksen - Night Running
Patricia Taxxon - Wavetable
HOME - Byzantium
HOME - Above All
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
01:14 The Early Days
04:15 The Unsers Arrive
07:43 New Challengers
08:32 The Queen of the Mountain
11:02 Bobby's Return
11:56 Rally Car Domination
14:01 Rod Millen
15:37 Suzuki and Monster
17:43 The Rivalry
20:03 Evolution of the Mountain
21:10 Tajima's Dream
23:21 A New Era
24:21 Peugeot's Return
25:30 The Electric Revolution
26:08 VW's Redemption
27:44 Wrap Up
28:43 Brilliant Sponsorship
29:51 Thanks for watching!
Man breaks the 10 minute barrier without power steering what a hero
That's Monster for you, absolute hillclimb legend
and the guy was like at retirement age.. imagine the time he could post if he was still in his primes.. like late 20s, early 30s. :o
Most race cars don’t have power steering
@@tokyosmashbut it's big difference if you don't have it at all in car and know it and practice a lot without power steering, and if you have it and then during the race it disappears. Specially when you are 60 years old
Which ones? Most race cars have power steering. Indy car being one of the few that does not. F1, American Sprint cars , Nascar , Supermodifieds, ralley all do.
Michèle Mouton is such a cool driver; a racing legend!
The Girl that tamed monsters!
What a woman. 💪
absolutely, she was incredible behind the wheel of a rally car!
The Superwoman of WRC
I consider her the best female driver out there
insane how they tried to stop her out of fear and she destroyed the record.
just like american politics. they dont like women in power. shows how weak the men of this country really are, in fear of a petite little woman in a small european hatchback! (im a HUGE vw/audi fan, only drive vws, and adore michele and sabine schmidt as well! long live the queens!)
Huh?
same reason why there are womens chess brackets lol, pro chess players couldn't handle the idea of losing to a woman. @@ghomerhust
More so because of how crazy fast and dangerous the Audi Quattro is, it was a group B rally car, at the time group B was the experimental fastest of the fast, still to this day my favorite rally car
@@ghomerhust Yup, sexism runs deep
I remember Monster, who always used an interpreter for interviews, falling off the mountain and hitting a big boulder, that stopped the car rather quickly. Asked about it by a camera crew (Speedvision/Speed iirc) he looked right into the camera and said "Love Big Rock!"
he told me off on youtube in a reply! :)
It's like SummoningSalt, but if he was obsessed with cars instead of retro video games. *Stands at attention for the Speedrunner's National Anthem*
I was about to say the same thing. I love summoning salt, and cars, and this is both. I wonder if it was intentional that he used the same intro song
Amen. Even his graphics made in paint. Loving this! Graphics are over-rated
@@MonoKyrios Salt's selection of music is excellent :-)
It's not just the intro music. It's all of the music and graphics. Only thing missing is salt narrating the video.
Yeah bit of a pxss take if you ask me
Really love the transition at the end going from Ken Block in the Hoonicorn to his daughter in the Hoonipegasus.
One of my favorite automovie moments of my life was watching Ken's climbkhana and him slinging dirt off evo corner. Something about the symbolism of him stepping almost back in time as he drifted off that pavement into the oxygen deprived soil so many generations fought through. I'd never want that pressure on Lia but to have a second queen on the mountain would be amazing.
Thank you .. I absolutely agree .. that was very cool that shit was included .. may u be racing where you went and continue to shine down your Daughter
Rip the legend and I hope Lia finds solace in the beautiful community her father built with scotto and the hoonigan fam
This channel is the classic example of "worth the wait". Welcome back!
I'm from Colorado and I was at the record breaking 7:57:148 event in 2018. The second best motorsport experience I've had in my life, behind seeing my first NASCAR weekend of races in person.
DOPE!!!! It is one of the spots that is on my motorsport pelgrimage list!
Are you sure you were there and aren't just making up stories? Because your account is a year off from when it actually happened.
@@dondrap513 It's been years. My memory isn't the best.
The IOM TT will open your eyes.
@@dondrap513your comment makes no sense. just because his account is 6 years old doesn't mean he is making uo histories
The only female driver to ever win pikes peak deserves a Netflix series
Michele mouton? She won the WRC champ too didn’t she? Defo deserves a series. EDIT: didn’t win the WRC, but came second in 1982.
Bro a monkey coulda won in the Audi Quattro 🥱 she def had talent like no other bitch tho but that Audi was the true winner every time
@@Ketch1drive to survive 😳😳😱😱 😂
@@Ketch1 true lol.
why
The 1995 version of the race should be watched by every race enthusiast on the planet. Before they paved it....The Dallenbach brothers with indycars w/onboard and Leon in the Ford vs Unser in the Chevy Pickup etc... And ESPN did a great job. Pure magic!
Jeez. That was a while before I got into Pikes. I was a big awd turbo GMC Syclone & Typhoon fan, made in 91 & 92, and a guy named Shaun Palmer used to race one on Pikes Peak in the early 2000s. It was such an incredible truck. There's vids of it on here. The already came with cladding aka "a ground fx kit" and he made a custom wide body kit for his to extended the track width and run bigger wheels & tires. Man that truck was something! You can. Look up Pikes Peak Syclone and a couple of vids come up. One from the mountain in 2003 and one from later on when another SyTy enthusiast did a piece on it. That guy ended up making the same wide body kit for his Time Attack/hillclimb Syclone. That, guy is Adam Auerbach, owner of High Performance Trucks/HPT.
I feel it'll never be the same on pavement. That's why Ken Blocks drift on evo corner hits so hard. Him showing what pikes peak really used to be about. Dancing on the dirt curves of the mountain inches from defeat. I Wish I could have drove it on dirt. Still can't believe I convinced my wife to have our honeymoon on pikes peak. 😅
I can't believe she let you have that screen name! 😂
So you have driven a race car up there at racing pace, or just dribbling?
Seeing the Saab at pikes peak towards the end made me happy that it got a little recognition.
I made it to Pike Peak Hill Climb prior to it being fully paved. I think it was around 2006-2009ish. It was so awesome. I'll never forget it started to rain and about half way up an Impreza slid a bit too much around the corner and the back wheels were hanging off the mountain. He just floored it and the car pulled itself back up on the road and kept going! And the Escudo was amazing!
Have you considered an episode featuring Michelle mouton and Sabine Schmitt? Phenomenal drivers
Schmitz*
Unfortunately Sabine is dead RIP and although she was pretty fast around NurgburgRing still can not be compared with Michelle Mouton the Queen of Group-B Rally & Queen of Pikes Peak..
@@poplaurentiu4148 both were phenomenal drivers representing a small minority in motorsport. I also think that they can't be compared because of they literally competed in different sports
Right! Sabine from track knowledge and Michele by just reacting to what is around the corner!
I'm in the 'Rod Millen's record is the real record' camp.
Same here when it comes to full dirt Pikes Peak.Certainly not talked about enough.
You’ve got a funny clock……..
Yeah its a shame that the Seirra club managed to F it all up
Michèle Mouton is such a cool driver; a racing legend!. I love your videos man, great vibe and excellent storytelling.
Uncle Bobby was one of the greatest ever. I lived at an RV park near Firebird Raceway. Al Unser stayed there when he would visit Phoenix in his Newell Coach. Had a couple of great nights talking to him. Al insisted his brother was faster only because he was crazier and didn’t know better! True royalty of racing.
I grew up on that mountain. I'm in the background of a lot of the 80's/90's footage on this video! There are a lot of unheard stories from that race. One of my favorites was that of the Vasholtz family. They were locals who owned an auto shop in town. It was awesome to see a local being consistently great on that hill.
Bet that was epic
The Unser family who were extremely dominate at the Indy 500s from the 60s-90s would always wait until they won at Pikes peak before moving on to Indy.
I had no idea, but am not surprised to learn, that Michele Mouton held the record for a year. Also, someone buy the Unsers a book of baby names or something... Bobby's son Robby was presumably only called that because they wouldn't let his dad call him "Bobby Jr. 2"
Bobby Jr. 2: electric Boogaloo
The Peugeot 405 clip is crazy to Watch, cool car too, I always wanted a 405 t16
I can't believe that nobody is talking about the fact that the first guy to win had a f****g airplane motor swap.
always a good day when hunter uploads
agreed
the suszuki escudo pikes peak was THE ride in GT2. properly setup ingame for the track it was absolutely stellar to drive, almost like a built in cheat. what a car. i remember smashing it through the corcscrew on laguna seca like theres no tomorrow. what a car ^^
The topic of this video has nothing whatsoever to do with, in fact is the total opposite of video games.
literally mentions it in the video dawg@@JackF99
Crazy that when Michèle Mouton starts destroying records, they try their best to oppress her, and no man has to deal with what she just faced, still, she prevails. 💪🔥 What a legend.
Not really crazy at all if you think about it. Michèle came out of nowhere and when you're a male driver that is used to their colleagues being other male drivers it came as a shock to them. Especially when they started getting their ass beat by her. It's easy to see why a lot of men let their pride and ego get the better of them. It's by no means an excuse, but I would say it's unfortunately to be expected that they underestimated her time and time again. (plus the Quatro had it's fair share of haters)
It was the same here, in Europe. All afraid of losing their balls when Michele was on the way to win the WRC!
Nobody tries to oppose, that's nonsensical. Woman have been competing in Auto racing in America since at least the 70s in Indycar. If they are good enough they are more than welcome play. The reality is they just domt often stack up to the male competition.
@@loutsont2985 no they're not 🤣
@19:06 word has it he still has his hand out at the top of pikes peak waiting for that hand shake.. poor guy..
The opening track and the voiceover introduction can only mean one thing. SPEED RUN PIKES PEAK BOISSSSSSS LETS GOOOOO!!!!
But then...
I immediately recognised it too 🤣 IYKYK
I grew up at the foot of Pikes Peak in “the Springs” and my family and I would routinely watch the Hill Climb each year. I’ll never forget watching Rod Millan in the yellow Celica.
I never heard of the Tank in 1919 climbing the mountain I just fucking love that
Always love it when the next episode of "Summoning Cars" gets posted. Nice work
I was waiting for AndrewG to come in and win a race and then Zallard1 two days later for the upset.
@@BrianRRenfro that legit made laugh out loud when I read that, awesome
This video gave me huge summoning salt vibes. First the intro music and then the record graph
Now this really feels like "Summoning Salt meets gasoline". Hunter's Moon... *I. LOVE. YOUR. CHANNEL.*
12:25 And that's why Walter Rohl will always be the greatest rally driver to have ever existed
I think his 1983 WRC Championship is probably the best example of his skill.
he was an absolute machine behind the wheel. simply fantastic
how can someone who never raced in Finland admittedly because he was too scared of jumps, be considered the greatest. he was a tarmac wizard, king of monte carlo. but greatest rally driver? no.
@@seanprice7645 well, he's a driver , not a pilot
@@nexas2316 and you're a casual.
In 1990 I was on team Paul Rossi performance jeep Eagle talon and won the chief mechanics trophys for production and open classes one of the greatest accomplishments of my life!!!
Remember Ari Vatanen 1987: "Our main problem is Walter Röhrl". His driving skills on 100% gravel with rhe Pikes Peak Audi S1 quattro are iconic forever.
Once again you have absolutely knocked it out of the park with this video.. For me you are one the best content creators in thr platform.
He stole the style from Summoning Salt though haha
@@Eriktestman I wouldn't say "stole" and probably just copied. Salt doesn't own the style.
@@easytos He doesn't, but Salt is the person who created it, and this guy is a complete ripoff. Calling this guy the best content creator on the platform when he just stole someone elses style (which is a correct term as "stealing someones style" is what you say when someone has copied your style) therefore makes you look real dumb.
Such an amazing documentary for a video! Just simple listening information without any of the fast hyper editing stuff. Just historical racing footage! I love it. But yeah for a race like Pikes Peak is something that is both fear and respect. Especially when it comes to all of the history surrounding it. And I tip my hat for all of the other drivers who dared to challenge the mighty hillclimb.
Pikes peak is a monster of a race. Definitely one of those bucket list things that you at least want to see in person.
Nah, Nordschleife and TT are the bucket list.
@rider65 key words "one of"
Ruined once they paved the road!
@@rider65 stop eurocoping
Ooh dis gon' be good... Still waiting for Pikes Peak to come to a modern Gran Turismo game since they said it was coming to GT 5...
And they even sponsored the event for years. I'm waiting eternally for Pikes Peak and Isle of Man TT Mountain Course.
When I thought he was gone, he comes back with his soothing voice and interesting as ever documentary. Gotta love this channel. One of the only channels where I will always watch a video from start to finish and will always crave for more. Keep at it. 👍
U cant stay away for so long, u just made my day by uploading
19:05 that’s gotta hurt for the camera man 😂
Leassgoooo! One of the topics I was waiting for. Tysm!!
"bro i got an idea for a race" "Lets hear it" "So theres this mountain"
He’s back!!
I can only imagine the collective rage experienced by Americans upon hearing that the hillclimb record was beaten by a Frenchwoman in a German car... *On a wet track.*
Americans generally respect those that earn it. So yeah, what you seem to be talking about is only in your imagination. Since most would try to imagine something much more entertaining and positive then another country’s “collective rage”, America must of somehow given you a feeling of insecurity that you can’t shake. I hope you get past it and move on in life.
Childhood memories....wondrous ...I was just a young boy when my dad drove us to the peak ...what a day 🙂
I was just about to rewatch the last video but HE’S BACK!!!!🎉🎉🎉
Story about Pikes Peak from you is indeed a wonderful surprise and i love the way it was done. My suggestion for next hillclimb related video is driver who turned lots of people into fans of hillclimb racing and left huge mark in european hillclimb racing scene. Cars he built and raced with are also very fondly remembered and loved by fans.Driver i'm talking about is Georg Plasa.
Wake up babe. New hunter video just dropped
I've waited for what seems like forever for your next video Hunter! So stoked it's about Pikes Peak! You make the most entertaining and rewatchable automotive hystory videos on thts platform!
I can't quite explain it, but every time I watch your videos I just sit here smiling through them. Re-ignitng the childhood love affairs I had with the Gumball Rally and now Pikes Peak. Your narration is brilliant, and I just the footage of all these awesome cars tackling the hill. Great video.
If you don't remember the Suzuki V6 ESCUDO Pikes Peak Special '98 from Gran Turismo on the PS1 you're dead to me 🚗💨
The one time I was lucky enough to see the hill climb on tv, I fell in love with the rig class. That stuff is insane
yooo hes back!!!!!!!!!
Hunters Moon, your content is absolutely brilliant, no pun intended. Every automotive enthusiast should watch your videos. It’s so enjoyable. Thanks from Australia 👍
3:28 I love how Colorado just loves cannons on mountains
FINALLY CULTUS GOT SOME RECOGNITION WOOOO!!!
Defo. The twin engine cars were way way more successful than the world seems to think
That ken block footage hits hard man
I've always wondered what the Pikes Peak Hillclimb was about, ever since playing gran turismo and having a Hot Wheels Toyota Pikes Peak Tacoma toy back in the day, great video!
Easily one of my favourite channels!! Thank you so much for the work you do, keep em coming!
Lol, Walter too slow and needs advice? Don't think so, he just practices the way he wants. GOAT
I'm astonished you're not getting 1m+ views every vid. This is amazing and engaging stuff.
hands down my fav. documentary channel. video idea: the story of lochnsx the nsx that was stolen and sunk to the bottom of the lake wich has been found around a year ago.. id love to see a full story
What a great overview! There is such an awesome variety of drivers who have triumphed at Pikes Peak. The way your describe the danger is exactly how people talk about my personal favorite motorsport event, the Isle of Man TT. The danger is no secret, but the draw of competition is very strong.
It’s a good day when there’s a Hunter’s Moon video
Though it may not have ever been a contender for the overall record, hands down, my facorite Pikes Peak race car was the late, great Old Smokey F1. Whats not to love about a Cummins-powered 1949 Ford F1 pickup that could smash the mountain and take the diesel record away from purpose-built tube frame race cars?
I love that thing.Such a cool machine.
No way, it's Hunter's Moon! Thank you for the video, was waiting for it
Love your videos exploring these cultures. Your passion for cars and modding is amazing
Climb Dance has always a place in my heart, watched that movie so many times as a little kid and i still have it on one of my hard drives, great little movie!
I love your videos man, great vibe and excellent storytelling
I was watching you yesterday wondering when you would post again!! Thanks!!
The 405 is a thing of beauty
So glad I got to see this beautiful mountain track when it was all still dirt. 2001 my family took a roadtrip from NC to Colorado and back (I was 10 years old and a HUGE Gran Turismo fan). We rode a trolly to the top and they was qualifying that day. I already noticed how much colder it was and how hard it was to breath up top. But then I hear the most magical turbo sounds ever and see Monster and the red Suzuki Escudo come around the corner and stop. They were happy to let my dad and I get a picture besode the car. Still one of my favorite childhood memories ever.
YOOOOOOOOOOOO LETS FREAKING GOOOOOOOOO
This is extra fun to watch if you're from Colorado
Amazing video. I just drove up Pikes Peak for the first time a couple days ago. It really put these drivers into perspective.
Summoning salt really went and popularized an entire genre of videos lol. Love the vid btw
When the world needed him most
FINNNNALLLLYYYY 2 MONNTHHHHSSSSSS
you know its going to be a good day when you get a new Hunter's Moon Video. I lived this video, Brilliant work
Driving up mountain roads is my passion. Thank you for the effort.
I just want to say that this video is incredibly well made
Great video, the s**t the organisers gave Michèle Mouton was frustrating but unsurprising, and I'm glad she smashed the record despite the setbacks and blatant sexism she faced. I legit cheered when you said Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima broke the 10 minute barrier, to do so despite mechanical failure and his age after years of trying is such an inspiring story, especially given the heartache Japan suffered just prior. I do think there should be separate categories for the record based on the road surface btw, so for pure gravel it goes to Millen, and then mixed gravel and tarmac gets it's own record and so on rather than treating all variants the same.
You remain my absolute favorite creator ever. Great work like always, thank you.
First off love the video i'm so glad I found it, secondly how could to not name drop one of the most iconic rally cars ever? The Audi Quattro! Definitely my favorite rally car to ever race
LETS GOOO love this channel ❤️
Also, fun fact: the Pikes Peak Hillclimb was actually on the IndyCar schedule in the 1950s and 60s (though its points-paying status varied). It was an unusual time in IndyCar history; from 1950 to 1960, the Indy 500 paid out F1 points.
Well done! Great video … I really like your style of telling stories as well as your choose of music and videos ✌️
As always the vid is awesome. You and the squidd make the best car related videos ive ever seen!
I remember doing a complete pikes peak run on Dirt 1. I'm proud of it.
Ahhh, pikes peak. One of the last forms of real racing out there today, no real regulations, only "if it passes safety, you can run it" and a absolute dream of mine to race it one day.
I was at Glen Cove for one of the races in 95-96 and watched the Celica come around the bend below us with the rear tire kissing the edge of the drop off from the road. Wildest thing I ever got to see I was maybe 13-14 at the time.
Awesome video! The Wirtual music sprinkled throughout is the cherry on top!
Michèle Mouton needs a film of her life story.
there is! kzhead.info/sun/fcpsibGZnWJ3h5s/bejne.html
Storytelling great, music awesome, footage excellent, but did you have to butcher some pronouncations like that? peugeot and loeb should be easy to research on how to pronounce
Thanks for the effort and time doing this videos. Its always great!!
This was a very well done video! Born and raised in Colorado Springs. This video has more memories for me than most. I met Loeb that year and have that car/poster autographed. My Wife about left me when she met Loeb, lol. Any how, I met Monster that year too and saw that car as well. Every year they have a couple days of celebration for he event downtown in Colorado Springs. We would always go. The Unser's were the most important family in the history of the Hill Climb, period. I now live in Texas though. Man do I miss Colorado Springs.
Great insight to the peak for those of us who have only experienced it in games. Well put together, thanks!
Yesss he's back. Thank you for the awesome video. We the before 1000 mil subs gang
Awesome Video! Thank you for Covering these Brave Drivers.
the goat is back, thank you my guy