Pikes Peak Hill Climb Practice Update

The alarm goes off at 2:30 AM.  Even though you expect it and want it to go off, you are still in shock when you look at the clock and realize how early it is!  But knowing what lies ahead, you crawl out of bed, creaking and cracking joints in a drowsy stretch.  This is the way all Pikes Peak racers are starting the day.  You see, we have to be through the gates for practice at 4:00 AM sharp so we can be riding the bikes 5:00 AM.  We generally have riders meeting in the dark at 4:50 and start the engines right as the sun crests the horizon. Sun up, GO FAST! (Reminds me of the Army, we do more before 10:00 AM than most people do in one day).

The last two weekends have been consumed with Pikes Peak Hill Climb practice.  Practice is equally as interesting as the race itself.  This is where you test the engine, tires, suspension, and yourself to prepare for the mayhem that is the race only one month away.  My bike is a new to me, YZ450 Yamaha motocross bike. It is converted into a bike called a Supermoto. I have replaced the 21” front wheel and 18” rear wheel shod with knobby tires, to special 17” wheels wrapped in super sticky road racing rubber.  I replaced the tiny 220mm diameter front brake rotor with a monster 320mm free floating rotor with Brembo master cylinder and a MotoMaster brake caliper for increased stopping power.  The gearing on the bike is lowered from a 13 tooth countershaft sprocket with a 52 tooth rear sprocket, to a 14/46 combination to make the bike run at 80+ mph.  I am running the bike on 120 octane racing gas that costs $13 per gallon! But it helps make that extra power at altitude that is so desperately needed to go fast.

All those modifications are necessary to be able to compete with the big money riders that frequent this event.  Usually local knuckleheads like me are relegated to the mid pack because we can’t compete with the factory bikes. But occasionally a rider with a good memory of the mountain and a good set up bike does compete.  That is what my goal is this year. I want a top 10 finish in the 450 Pro class and to run in the 12 minute range.  This practice will help me determine if that is possible or not.

Day 1 practice starts on the top half of the mountain. The top section, approx 6 miles, is very technical. The course is above tree line which reduces the number of reference points you have to determine your location.  Many of the turns up top look exactly the same as you approach them. Take the 3 blind left hand turns surrounding an infamous corner called Bottomless Pit.  Each corner is a flat approach and turns left. The first one is positive camber and increasing radius so you approach it 5^th gear pinned and never let off. The second is slightly off camber and you also hit it 5^th gear pinned but you need to be on the outside of the corner coming in to make the best line. The third is a decreasing radius corner which you can hit in 3^rd gear. If you hit it in 5^th, you are in for one wild ride through a boulder field.

My bike was not running good as I did not have the proper jets for my carburetor. My bike would pop and buck from being WAY too rich (getting too much gas). That would make it shake violently coming into some of the turns and others I could not hit fast enough to make the perfect line. I struggled every pass to get it right. My gearing was wrong and I hit the rev limiter too soon and could not meet the top speed I wanted.  My suspension was not adjusted properly so I started turning knobs until it stiffened up nicely. At the end of the session I was tired and frustrated and felt I did not have a good practice.

That afternoon I bought new jetting and got to work. I leaned out the main jet significantly. That means it gets less gas. I also dropped another tooth on the rear sprocket so I could go faster. I changed the tire pressure and cleaned the air filter. That was all I could do before I was starving and ready for a nap.

Day 2 started on the bottom 6 mile section. As soon as I started the bike, I knew I had made a good choice. It ran crisp and strong. My first pass was FAST and the bike was really pulling hard! My confidence grew and I started to trust the tires for the first time.  The other competitors were on bikes ranging from 1200cc’s to 250 cc’s. There were only two other 450cc’s like mine. As we started getting our times I knew I was the fastest 450 of the day. I had both of the other guys covered easily. As it ended up I was the 7^th fastest bike out of 20! What a great start!  Four guys ahead of me were on 1200’s and multiple time champions, there was a 675 Superbike, and a Quad in front of me. The rest were all bikes behind me!

The following weekend I had to teach at the Mean Streets on Saturday so I only made Sunday’s practice. Again it was on the bottom 6 mile section.  My bike was running a little flat so, on a guess, I dropped the main jet once more to lean it up again. WOW, it woke right up! I was SO FAST right out of the gate. This time there were 30 bikes in the practice session. The same four 1200cc’s and then a bunch of 450’s. There were ten of us to be exact on 450cc bikes.

Let me explain the bottom section of the course. It is the fastest section with the most time spent 5^th gear pinned and not letting off… Ever... Even in the turns… Just hold it wide open and rip up the track. It takes courage to hit some of those turns at 70 mph with either a scary guard rail inches from your tire or NO guardrail and 200 feet drops into the trees. I felt good and fast and was “Haulin’ the Mail”. I just kept passing guys over and over again. Only one 450cc could run with me and he had me covered but only by a couple seconds. Chico had won this race before and is super fast. To be running with him was awesome!

Ultimately I finished as the 2^nd place 450cc rider out of the 10 on the line! I had the entire 450cc field except one bike covered. We ran the 6 mile section in under 5 minutes! My fastest time was a 4:58 and Chico’s was a 4:52. The rest of the pack never made the 4’s, all were in the 5 minute times! I was really stoked about that! My goal of a top 10 is possible! Actually I was the 6^th fastest bike overall out of 30 racers! Only 6 of us made it into the 4 minute range. I even beat one of the 1200cc riders who beat me the previous weekend.

I felt that I represented the Mean Streets Tactical team pretty well. Now it is three weeks to race day. I have to tune the bike up and mount my new Mean Streets Tactical Training graphics on the race bike. Then it’s time to do battle on the Meanest Street in America!  Look for me in the 90^th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on July 8^th.  Are YOU Ready for the mean Streets?

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PS, Sponsorship opportunities are available and needed!  I need a few "go fast" parts as well as more gas! Drop me a line for details and I can work out how to represent your business!