To Millen, Fastest Way Up the Hill Is Close to the Ground

For several decades, the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb was almost the private domain of the Unser family of Albuquerque, N.M. Bobby won it 13 times and brothers, sons, uncles and cousins added another 20 titles.

Now, Rod Millen, a transplanted New Zealander who lives in Newport Beach, has taken control of the world’s most famous hill climb.

Driving a highly modified Toyota Celica, Millen last year wiped 40 seconds off the record for negotiating the 156 turns on a 12.42-mile course that rises 4,708 feet in the Colorado Rockies. Before Millen’s stunning run of 10 minutes 4.06 seconds, the record had been lowered in increments of tenths of a second.

Millen has set his sights on breaking the 10-minute barrier when the 73rd annual Race to the Clouds is held Tuesday.

“With a little cooperation from the weather, it’s a definite possibility,” Millen said before leaving for three days of testing, starting today. Qualifying is Sunday.

“The car is improved over last year, especially in its aerodynamics,” Millen said. “We have a package designed specifically for slow speeds on dirt roads. Going only 100 m.p.h., the Toyota people were able to create 2,000 pounds of downforce, unbelievable at that speed.”

The car will be powered by a modified turbocharged four-cylinder, 2.1-liter engine, similar to one used by Dan Gurney in IMSA championship cars driven by Juan Fangio II and P.J. Jones.

“To make sure we get the engine’s 700 horsepower to the ground, BF Goodrich designed a special tire that is three inches wider than last year’s,” Millen said. “We tested it in the mountains, on all types of dirt roads and it really did the job. There’s never been a ground-effects car like ours built to run on dirt.”

Millen, a former world champion rally driver who has been racing up Pikes Peak since 1981, says weather shouldn’t be a problem unless there is an unseasonal snowstorm at the top of the 14,110-foot mountain.

“A light snow shower wouldn’t be a bother, as far as winning, but it could hurt our chances for a record,” he said. “You have to expect a big swing in the weather at any time. Normally, it’s around 80 degrees at the starting line and by the time we get to the summit, it may be 30 or 40. It’s part of the charm of the race to drive through a variety of weather.”

Race day will be the first time drivers will be permitted to negotiate the full 12.4 miles. On three test days, cars are restricted to a different third of the mountain each day. Qualifying is done on only the lower half of the course.

“It’s quite a thrill when you start up the hill on the Fourth,” Millen said. “That’s why experience is so important. You can learn a course if you run the whole thing, but it’s difficult to piece it together in your mind when you’re twisting and turning and climbing all the time.”

Millen’s son, Rhys, 22, will also drive at Pikes Peak. He will be in the showroom stock two-wheel-drive class. In 1988, Rod and Rhys, then 18, became the only father-son team to win the Ashley Forest Hillclimb in New Zealand.

Motor Racing Notes

STOCK CARS--Saugus Speedway will hold a rare midweek racing program on the Fourth of July featuring NASCAR Grand National modifieds, street stocks and fireworks. The regular Saugus Saturday night show will include Winston Racing Series super late models, pure stocks and mini stocks. . . . The NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Tour will be at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield on Saturday night for the Wrangler Firecracker 100. . . . Street stocks, IMCA modifieds and a demolition derby are scheduled for Friday night at Ventura Raceway. . . . Blythe Speedway will return to action Saturday night with double points races in all divisions.

SPRINT CARS--Wingless cars of the Sprint Car Racing Assn. will be busy this week with main events Saturday night at Ventura Raceway, Monday night at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix and the following Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway.

OFF ROAD--Ivan Stewart, frustrated by Curt LeDuc in his hopes of winning the Baja 500 three weeks ago, will try again this weekend in the SCORE Fireworks 250 in Barstow. Despite finishing only third in the 500, Stewart maintained his lead in the Trophy Truck series with 183 points to 159 for Walker Evans, 132 for Jim Smith and 129 for LeDuc, the surprise 500 winner. Mike Julson of El Cajon, driving an unlimited desert car, is the leader in the Eveready desert championship series, which includes all SCORE classes except the Trophy Trucks. The trucks run on Friday and all others run on Saturday.

VINTAGE CARS--The Vintage Racing Assn. will present its fourth annual Fireworks Race, featuring a two-hour night enduro this weekend at Willow Springs Raceway. More than 200 vintage cars are expected for a seven-race program, including a Porsche-Alfa Romeo Challenge runoff. The enduro is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday.

MISCELLANY--Western Legends dwarf cars will run Tuesday in a holiday show at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. . . . Rialto has opened a junior drag strip at the Art Scholl Memorial Airport, located on Linden Avenue, north of Baseline Road. The next racing program is scheduled for July 8. . . . Shan Groff, 17, of Reseda, whose cousins Mike and Robbie Groff drive Indy cars, will race this summer in the GM-Opel Euroseries starting Saturday and Sunday at the Nurburgring circuit in Germany.

POWER BOATS--The California Outboard Racing Assn. and Long Beach Marine Stadium will play host to the July 4 Regatta. The racing will include 140-m.p.h. Formula 1 Champ boats; 100-m.p.h. Two Man Crackerboxes; 135-m.p.h. six-liter hydroplanes and 110-m.p.h. V-8 Superstock inboards. Gates open at 8 a.m. and admission is $12 (children under 12 admitted free).