Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) is a racetrack in the Colorado Springs area within the city limits of Fountain, Colorado, that by October 12, 1997, was "the fastest 1-mile paved oval anywhere".[2] The speedway hosted races in several series including the Indy Racing League and two NASCAR series (Busch and Truck) until operations were suspended from August 2005. A wide variety of amateur racing groups use PPIR for racing and training as the circuit is now closed to sanctioned professional auto racing due to the purchase of the track by PPIR LLC from NASCAR/ISC in 2008 after the track was put up for sale in 2006. The sale included a clause that prohibited sanctioned professional auto racing, as well as the need for additional safety upgrades at a cost of $1 million+ for professional racing series that the new ownership had no interest in implementing with the clause in place.[3]
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[4] and to the north by 1903, the "Roswell Racing Park"),[5] 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 c.World War II another was to the factory's southeast at the south end of the Nichols Field taxiway.[6] On the Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Occan Highway[7] west of the city was the end of the 1951 Colorado sports car rally (terminus at the Crystola Inn),[8] a 1953 dirt dragstrip "some four miles east of Colorado Springs" was used for "the first statewide drag race",[9] 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".[10] The Platte Avenue go-kart track closed c. 1990, the greyhound track closed c. 2005 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 (32 km) south of Colorado Springs and 25 mi (40 km) 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.[11]
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.[12] The asphalt track was constructed 6 ft (1.8 m) below the "normal ground level",[13] C.C. Myers planned "to get a big-time NASCAR race in 1998",[14] and the facility had an open house for the local community on May 31, 1997.[15] The first race's attendance (June 8) was 16,810,[16][verification needed] the Richard Petty Driving Experience used PPIR from July 2–17,[2] the first IRL Series race on June 28 was televised,[17] and a Winston West 500K race was held in July 1997.[18]
International Speedway Corporation
The stands and part of the infield, viewed from the south
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.[19] In 2002 ISC gained "the right of first refusal should PPIR owners decide to sell their 1,200-acre complex"[19] and in October 2005 for $11 million,[20] "bought out the owners of Pikes Peak International Raceway"[19] (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"[19] 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."[19] 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".[19] ISC sold PPIR in November 2006 (the purchase closed in the first quarter of 2007),[20] 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.[21] Pikes Peak International Raceway would host the richest event in SRL Southwest Tour history as announced on April 23, 2013.[22] 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.[23]
Lap records
The fastest official race lap records at Pikes Peak International Raceway are listed as:
^ abBergsten, Tim (October 12, 1997). "PPIR races through 1st year, tunes up for next". The Gazette. Myers, and Apollo Real Estate Advisory of New York, the track's co-owners, didn't borrow money to build PPIR. Neither has a loan to pay.
^The Giles City Directory of Colorado Springs and Manitou(PDF) (almanac). The Giles Directory Company. May 1903. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-02. Chapters: The Giles Classified Business Directory of Colorado Springs [p. 559] … of Colorado City [p. 715] … of Manitou [p. 755]
^Freeman, Paul (2013-10-13). "Colorado Springs area". airfields-freeman.com. Retrieved 2013-11-17.
^Colorado Springs, Colorado City and Manitou City Directory. Vol. XIII. The R. L. Polk Directory Co. 1916. Pike's Peak Ocean-to-Occan Highway
^Maynard, L (December 1951). "Cold Confusion". Road & Track (magazine). Colorado Springs, Colorado--The Pikes Peak Sports Car Club conducted a "tops up" rally, thru a blinding snowstorm, on Sunday Oct. 21, 1951. The largest turnout of sports cars ever assembled for actual competition in the Rocky Mountain area: gathered in spite of the weather. … Twenty-nine entered the run, including four XK-120s, one Lea Francis, one Mercedes-Benz, one Jaguar Mk V sedan, and twelve MGs. A total of 60 people were at the finish . . . at Crystola Inn, on the Ute Pass above Colorado Springs …after noon, MGs and Jaguars started to appear on the snow-covered Denver highway at Johnson's Corner (Salida). … the run began at 1:30. The three check points (Woodbine Lodge, Roundup Ranch, and Snow Water Springs Lodge)… 5 inches of newly fallen snow that covered the winding and precipitous mountain roads (all over 6,000 feet) covered by the tour. … Two of the contestants turned back for lack of traction due to smooth tires, a Lea Francis from Denver and a diesel Mercedes-Benz from Colorado Springs. … The snowstorm continued throughout the run which lay over gravel mountain roads from Salida, Colorado, thru Jarr Canyon, over the pass to Deckers, and to Westcreek on the South Platte River. Thence over a paved, but snowy, highway to Woodland Park, and over the old highway to Crystola Inn ("on the Ute Pass above Colorado Springs")
^Southworth, Bill. "Colorado Conquest". …through the efforts of the local Sea-Bee Reserve unit… Grading equipment was loaned by Douglas Jardine, a Colorado Springs contractor and commander of the unit. … president of the Cam Winders [club] "Our goal is to make Colorado Springs the mecca of all hot rodders in the Rocky Mountain area [by having] the strip paved…((cite journal)): Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
^Routon, Ralph (May 29, 1997). "No telling how many will attend first races". The Gazette.
^Bergsten, Tim (June 1, 1997). "Start your engines -- racing begins Saturday". The Gazette. In July, Michael Waltrip and Kenny Schrader … will race in the Winston West 500K race at PPIR. When Myers announced plans in May 1996 to build a major auto racing facility here, fans and business people could not believe their good fortune. … In 1994, Myers received national recognition for rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged Santa Monica Freeway 74 days ahead of schedule.
^Hellman, Wayne. "Investors buy into race track". Gazette Telegraph.
^Bergsten, Tim. "Completion of raceway on track for summer". The Gazette. Most of the bleacher structure that will seat 42,700 is in place … The bleachers wrap around the west side of the track, which was sunk 6 feet below the normal ground level to improve viewing.
^Routon, Ralph (April 13, 1997). "Rising steel eye-opener along I-25". The Gazette.
^Bergsten, Tim (May 28, 1997). "Countdown begins at new track". The Gazette. Anyone interested in having a closeup look at the track can take a free tour this weekend.
Tony Kanaan, Dallara IR-03, 2003, IndyCar)
Andrea Montermini, Ferrari 333 SP, 1997, WSC)
