Monster Tajima's Monster Sport E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special

Monster Tajima's Monster Sport E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special

Originally scheduled for July 8, the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the 90th running of Colorado’s venerable ‘race to the clouds,’ will now take place on August 12 due to the devastating Waldo Canyon wildfire which is still yet to be completely contained.

The fire has so far destroyed close to 350 homes in Colorado Springs and the surrounding area, and the race could be postponed yet again if further threats to safety become credible.

Barring conflicts, 211 competitors from 15 nations are scheduled to tackle the challenging, fully-paved 12.42-mile course to the summit of the peak.

And from the U.S., there will be competitors from 25 different states, including 89 from Colorado, 26 from California, 15 from Texas, and even a pair from Vermont.

The revised race week will include the full technical inspection, practices, media day, and the downtown fan celebrations on Friday, August 10.

This year, there will be a number of electric race cars driving the course, with even current record-holder and last year’s winner Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima set to tackle the climb in a specially-developed electric car. Other notable cars include the V-8 powered 2012 Lexus IS F CCS-R club racer and an Audi Sport quattro S1 that will be driven by legendary German racer Walter Röhrl.