Notes From The 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Time Attack driver Savannah Rickli of Denver, the 2010 Rookie of the Year when she was only 16, finishing third in a Mini-Cooper, was the subject of a nice piece by Irv Moss on the Denver Post. Here is the link: ~http://www.denverpost.com/motorsports/ci_20511173/teen-racer-rickli-awaits-her-third-pikes-peak~ Rickli revealed that she and Time Attack competitor Valentin Ivanitski are getting married this summer after meeting on the Peak, and he’s helping her build her entry for this summer’s race, too. She tells Moss that on a recent drive south on Interstate 25, she saw Pikes Peak in the distance. Rickli thought of explorer Zebulon Pike and how he supposedly claimed that the mountain “” later named in his honor “” never would be climbed when he first spotted it in 1806. “I’m climbing that mountain in 13:24,” Rickli said. “If only Zeb could see it now.” The big news that seven-time Unlimited winner and course record holder Nobuhiro Tajima is going to switch to the Electric Division has caused ripples and a lot of comment from race fans and other drivers and auto reps. Here is an excellent piece by Doug Peck of emotorsportnews.com about the Monster’s big decision: ~http://www.emotorsportnews.com/team-news/2012/04/nobuhiro-monster-tajima-explains-his-decision-to-go-electric/~ In the piece, Tajima speaks about electrics and possible advantages. “The merits of electric vehicles are not only their low levels of pollution and harm to the environment. There is almost no performance decrease due to the drop in air pressure and oxygen compared with internal combustion engines, and we believe that this feature will be a huge advantage at the 3000-4000m altitude of Pikes Peak race course.” Qualification Regulations are news to some, but the huge response to registrations (99 autos, 111 motorcycles) has made qualification for this year’s race a must. Here are the details: Through the qualification procedure, officials will be limiting the field to approximately 80 cars and 100 bikes. Two qualification procedures will potentially be used to limit the field: Rule Book Part VII 8.2.5: PPIHC reserves the right to disqualify any competitor who qualifies outside of a percentage (115% ) of the fastest time. If the 115% rule does not limit the number of competitors to the ideal numbers; a percentage of each division will then be eliminated (approximately 20%-25%) based on qualification times. Qualification times will be based on the competitor’s best time on the bottom section during practice week. Please refer to the race week schedule for more information. All competitors will be allowed to complete all three days of practice regardless of qualifying position. The field for race day will be posted on Friday after qualification. PPIHC reserves the “Promoters Option” and can add to the field when deemed necessary for the best interest of the event. Here is the full list of registrants: ~http://director.usacracing.com/ppihc/files/pdfs/competitor_list.pdf~ ESPN X Games Rally vet Andrew Comrie-Picard, a Canadian, has entered the Exhibition field in a 2010 Scion xD, and he is an unusual all-around entry. He divides his time between Toronto and Los Angeles, where he runs ACP Racing, a race-car preparation shop. When he’s not racing, he fills his time with precision and stunt driving for television and film, according to his bio. More from the sketch: Comrie-Picard grew up on a farm in Canada where he learned to work on, drive and race anything with an engine, from dirt bikes to semi trucks. Professional race-car driving came naturally, and he is now a top-ranked rally driver, drifter and off-road racer. He has competed four times at the X Games (bronze medal 2010) and is the 2009 North American Rally champion. But unusual for an automotive expert, he has five university degrees, including a master’s in political economy from Oxford University and MBA and law degrees from McGill University. Much of his academic work was about rationality paradoxes and human behavior, which he says helps him race. He was also a competitive rower at both Oxford and McGill and ran the wine society at Oxford. He began university on a choral scholarship and trained as a baritone at the Royal Conservatory of Music. In addition, he acted throughout his university years, including in Chekov and Shakespeare at Oxford. Three generations of the famed Vahsholtz family of Woodland Park, Colorado, have competed on the Peak, and two of them are back again this year. Clint Vahsholtz (Super Stock) has won 18 times on Pikes Peak and brings his Ford Mustang back this year. His son, 21-year-old Codie, is on the Motorcycle 250 division on a Kawasaki KX after making his rookie start last year with a third-place finish. And, of course, the legendary Leonard Vahsholz, Clint’s dad, won 18 times on the Peak in the sprint cars, pro trucks and stock cars over 31 years. He retired in 2008.