COLORADO SPRINGS,
Colo., June 28 2003 - Hog Wild Racing sidecar team took their new
Harley-Davidson V-Rod powered racing sidecar to a win at the Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb. The team of Scott Whitney (d river-Palos
Verdes Estates, Calif.) and Pat Holmes (passenger-Colorado Springs, Colo.)
posted a winning time of 14:58.47, just 6 seconds ahead of the second place
sidecar. They are sponsored by Bartels' H-D, Harley-Davidson, SidecarCross.com,
Works Performance, and O'Neal. ESPN television asked the
team to carry an on board helmet-cam to capture the action from the rider's
point of view. Given the multiple lead swaps, and several near crashes, the
footage should be quite a thrill to see. Watch for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
motorcycle show in mid-August on ESPN2. The Pikes Peak
International Hill Climb is a unique motorsports event and is the second oldest
motorsports race (after the Indianapolis 500) in the United States. The start
line is 9,300 feet (2,862 m) above sea level. The finish line is 156 turns, 12.5
miles (20.1 km) and almost 5,000 feet (1,524 m) up to the 14,110 foot (4,300 m)
summit of Pikes Peak. The road is primarily graded dirt with small sections of
pavement, and no guard-rails. The annual one day event inc ludes
various classes for motorcycles, quads, sidecars, cars, trucks, and big-rig
trucks. The fans favorites are clearly the big-rig trucks and sidecars. The first ever Pikes Peak
Hill Climb was in 1916. In addition to the auto classes, the 1916 event featured
four motorcycle races. In the first, a Harley-Davidson Sidecar driven by D.
Vanderhoof posted a winning time of 29:33. In the second motorcycle race of the
day, Professional - Floyd Clymer on his Excelsior posted an overall record time
of 21:58. In 1998 and 1999, the Whitney Brothers (Pete-driver, Scott-Passenger)
put Harley-Davidson back in the winners circle at Pikes Peak aboard their
nitrous-boosted Bartels' prepared Sportster sidecar. For 2003, Scott took over
as driver, built a new rig powered by Harley's new fuel-injected and water
cooled V-Rod motor, and posted a winning time of 14:58.47, giving
Harley-Davidson a win on "America's Mountain" on their 100th
anniversary. The next big sidecar
adventure for Team Hog Wild Racing is the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally in January
2004. More information and
photos about the team, Pikes Peak Hill Climb, and the Dakar Rally can be found
on the team's web site: http://www.HogWildRacing.com |