Pikes Peak International Raceway

History

Racing in the Pikes Peak Region included 19th century horse tracks (e.g., to the west of Colorado Springs' Palmer House along Fountain Creek by 1882 and to the north by 1903, the "Roswell Racing Park"), and the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb started in 1916 on the 1915 Pikes Peak Highway. In 1938, a track was north of the Alexander Aircraft factory and another was to the factory's southeast at the south end of the Nichols Field taxiway. On the Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Occan Highway west of the city was the end of the 1951 Colorado sports car rally (terminus at the Crystola Inn), a 1953 dirt dragstrip "some four miles east of Colorado Springs" was used for "the first statewide drag race", and a stock car track was along Powers Road in the early 1960s. The "last local track" for auto racing east of the city through the late 1970s was the Colorado Springs International Speedway which "had crowds in the 3,000-4,000 range on summer weekends". The Platte Avenue go-kart track closed , the greyhound track closed and is now an off track betting facility, and the Olympic velodrome in Memorial Park is one of the remaining racing venues within the city.

Pikes Peak Meadows

Pikes Peak Meadows was a dirt horse racing track facility opened in 1964 20 mi south of Colorado Springs and 25 mi north of Pueblo, Colorado, with a large, blue, covered grandstand on the west. After its horse racing ended in 1993, C. C. Myers "announced plans in May 1996 to build a major auto racing facility" at Pikes Peak Meadows.

Speedway development

In 1997, "Apollo Real Estate Advisors LP formed a joint venture January 30 with Raceway Associates, a partnership headed by California contractor and developer C.C. Myers Inc, to own and run the 1,300-acre" speedway complex. The asphalt track was constructed 6 ft below the "normal ground level", C.C. Myers planned "to get a big-time NASCAR race in 1998", and the facility had an open house for the local community on May 31, 1997. The first race's attendance (June 8) was 16,810, the Richard Petty Driving Experience used PPIR from July 2–17, the first IRL Series race on June 28 was televised, and a Winston West 500K race was held in July 1997.

International Speedway Corporation

Earlier in 1996, a competing track near Denver in Adams County, Colorado was attempted by Penske Motorsports, Inc. which merged in 1999 with the International Speedway Corporation. In 2002 ISC gained "the right of first refusal should PPIR owners decide to sell their 1,200-acre complex" and in October 2005 for $11 million, "bought out the owners of Pikes Peak International Raceway" (racing operations were suspended and the scoreboard was moved to Texas Motor Speedway.) In 2006, meetings "between attorneys representing [Commerce City, near Denver] and International Speedway Corporation" were conducted before ISC "announced in February [1997] that it was eyeing land in Commerce City as well as eastern Aurora for the track. It envision[ed] a $360 million to $400 million track and stadium that could hold 75,000 to 80,000 fans." A new opposition group, Commerce City Citizens and Business Alliance, endorsed anti-raceway candidates which won local elections, and in May 1997 "ISC executive Wesley Harris said the 1,300-acre parcel the company was considering near Denver International Airport was not compatible with its needs". ISC sold PPIR in November 2006 (the purchase closed in the first quarter of 2007), and PPIR operations resumed in 2008.

Current races

On December 6, 2012, USAC announced that PPIR would be on the 2013 USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Series schedule. Pikes Peak International Raceway would host the richest event in SRL Southwest Tour history as announced on April 23, 2013. PPIR also hosts regional club road course races such as the National Auto Sport Association (NASA) and SCCA as well as local enthusiast events such as track days, drifting events, and car shows.

PPIR currently hosts the largest autocross racing series in the Rocky Mountain Region, PPIR Time Attack. The series consists of 8-10 races per year on varying courses on the infield of the track. Courses run from 40 seconds to 1min 5 secs with competitors taking five runs to best their times. The series is based on weight to power and drivetrain classes, including front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, all-wheel drive and a XX class for non-conforming cars or non-street-legal cars.

Lap records

As of September 2015, the fastest official race lap records at Pikes Peak International Raceway are listed as:

Race results

References

References

1. Bergsten, Tim. (October 12, 1997). "PPIR races through 1st year, tunes up for next". [[The Gazette (Colorado Springs).
2. PAISLEY, JOE. (21 August 2015). "Pikes Peak International Raceway may not host major races, but it sure isn't shut down".
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4. (May 1903). "The Giles City Directory of Colorado Springs and Manitou". The Giles Directory Company.
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6. Southworth, Bill. "Colorado Conquest".
7. Routon, Ralph. (May 29, 1997). "No telling how many will attend first races". The Gazette.
8. Bergsten, Tim. (June 1, 1997). "Start your engines -- racing begins Saturday". The Gazette.
9. Hellman, Wayne. "Investors buy into race track". Gazette Telegraph.
10. Bergsten, Tim. "Completion of raceway on track for summer". The Gazette.
11. Routon, Ralph. (April 13, 1997). "Rising steel eye-opener along I-25". The Gazette.
12. Bergsten, Tim. (May 28, 1997). "Countdown begins at new track". The Gazette.
13. "Pikes Peak International Raceway". NASCAR.com.

14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN2ih-Lmirk 1997 IRL Race TV Broadcast	
    

15. Bergsten, Tim. (June 11, 1997). "Petty's racing school not for Sunday drivers". The Gazette.
16. Bainbridge, Jim. (November 23, 2006). "PPIR may become a private racetrack". The Gazette.
17. [http://www.usacracing.com/silvercrown_index/news_sc/5853.html 2013 Silver Crown Schedule]
18. (23 April 2013). "PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY to HOST RICHEST EVENT in SPEARS SOUTHWEST TOUR HISTORY".
19. "2019 Time Attack Series presented by Heuberger Motors - Pikes Peak International Raceway".
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21. (28 September 1997). "Pikes Peak 2 Hours 1997".
22. (27 September 1997). "1997 Trans-Am Pikes Peak".
23. (5 September 2015). "Formula Lites Official Race Results Round #10".
24. (23 May 2004). "AMA Chevrolet Superbike Championship - AMA Superbike Weekend presented by Honda Motorcycles - Pikes Peak International Raceway - Fountain, CO - Round 8 of 18 - May 22–23, 2004 - Chevrolet Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited - Individual Times - Final Race Result".
25. (22 May 2005). "AMA Superbike Championship presented by Parts Unlimited - AMA Superbike Weekend presented by Honda Motorcycles - Pikes Peak International Raceway - Fountain, CO - Round 5 of 10 - May 21–22, 2005 - Lockhart-Phillips USA Formula Xtreme Series - Individual Times - Final Race Result".
26. (29 April 2000). "2000 Ferrari F355 Challenge Race Results".
27. (15 June 2003). "2003 Pikes Peak Indycar".
28. (22 August 2004). "2004 Pikes Peak Indy Lights".
29. (3 July 2005). "2005 USF Pro 2000 Pikes Peak Race Statistics".

30. http://racing-reference.info/tracks?id=183 Full field sesults of each IRL, Infinity Pro, Busch & Truck Series Race	
    

31. "PPIR Facilities".
32. (1916). "Colorado Springs, Colorado City and Manitou City Directory". The R. L. Polk Directory Co.
33. (July 18, 1998). "Proposed Track News: Denver". Jayski's® Silly Season Page.
34. Maynard, L. (December 1951). "Cold Confusion". [[Road & Track]].