Taking in a climb of 1439 metres over the 20 kilometre long course, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the Rocky Mountains near Colorado Springs, USA is certainly a very different type of road to those we’ve just seen on the Isle of Man and in Northern Ireland. Riders head up a slope with an average gradient of around 7%, which even gets up to 10.5% near the finish line in order to reach the top of the mountain 14,110 feet above sea level.
Arguably the most popular UK road racer in action today, Metzeler sponsored Guy Martin decided to take his custom built Martek Custom Turbo which packs a huge 550bhp thanks to it’s turbo charger stateside in order to compete in the UTV/Exhibition division dedicated to prototypes and won the class with a very strong ride in the competitions 92nd year.
In brief Guy’s bike consists of:
- 1991 Suzuki GSX-R 1100 (of 1380cc)
- Race suspension and brakes
- Martek chassis and swingarm
- Electronic fuel injection system
- Turbocharger
- Prototype Metzeler race tyres
All bikes entered have to compete in some pretty tough conditions. Thanks to the altitude to weather and temperatures can change without warning, and the route which was part gravel until 2012 has no guard rails and other forms of protection along the majority of its 20 kilometre length.
The altitude also has an impact on the engines efficiency. As the bike and rider advance higher and higher up the mountain, the air gets thinner and thinner as both oxygen and atmospheric pressure decrease.
