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David Higgins' record-breaking run up Mt. Washington

Jeff Glucker — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:59:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Subaru

For the first time in ten years, the Mt. Washington Auto Road played host to the Climb to the Clouds. Travis Pastrana had helped drum up interest by recording a time of 6:20.47 towards the end of 2010, which was quicker than the official record run of 6:41.99. That time was laid down by Frank Sprongl back in 1998, and was still the official fastest time despite Pastrana's fast dash up the hill.

David Higgins of the Subaru Rally Team USA arrived in New Hampshire intent on beating both Sprongl's official record and Pastrana's time. He did just that by throwing down a 6:11.54, beating Pastrana's run by nine seconds in the process.

We've been waiting for high-definition video of the run ever since Higgins set the record back on June 26th, 2011. Now we have it... and it's excellent. The clip, posted after the jump, shows just how treacherous the road can be, and how dramatically visibility can change. Higgins, however, believes he can go faster. His new goal? An absolutely bonkers sub-six-minute time.

Continue reading David Higgins' record-breaking run up Mt. Washington

David Higgins' record-breaking run up Mt. Washington originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 19:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Dave Higgins smashes Mt. Washington Auto Road hillclimb record by 30 seconds

Zach Bowman — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Subaru, Racing

David Higgins at the 2011 Mt. Washington Climb to the Clouds - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb may get all of the mountain-climbing attention this time of year, but it's far from the only game of the season. Heck, it's not even the only game of the weekend. Mount Washington plays host to the Climb to the Clouds, and this weekend, it saw the event's record fall to none other than David Higgins, who set a new best time of 6:11.54 from behind the wheel of his Subaru WRX STI rally car. That's nearly eight seconds quicker than his first run, which snagged him a time of 6:19, which was record-setting in-and-of-itself. Frank Sprongl set the old quickest time of 6:41.99 way back in 1998.

The Climb to the Clouds snakes up 7.6 miles of the Mount Washington Auto Road with patches of asphalt and gravel along the way. All told, drivers and their machines must climb all the way to the summit at 6,288 feet above sea level.

Dave Higgins smashes Mt. Washington Auto Road hillclimb record by 30 seconds originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minis on Top tackles the Mt. Washington Auto Road, we tag along for the drive

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Mini

Minis on Top 2011 - Click above for high-res image gallery

Driving the Mt. Washington Auto Road is an eight-mile journey that invokes a range of emotions. The start of the ascent fills one with excitement, while the first views into the distant New England surroundings move you to a sense of awe. Transition from tarmac to dirt, however, and awe gives way to trepidation. This is a narrow road with two directions of traffic, no protective barriers and a long drop-off that sits uncomfortably close to your car's tires.

Still, this a must-drive road, and we were delighted when Mini reached out with an invitation to join them on a trip to the top. Our ride was a 2011 Mini Cooper Clubman with fresh rubber and a manual transmission, and our expectations for the experience climbed into the clouds. Would the compact Clubman prove to be an ideal chariot for this New Hampshire ascension adventure?

Continue reading Minis on Top tackles the Mt. Washington Auto Road, we tag along for the drive

Minis on Top tackles the Mt. Washington Auto Road, we tag along for the drive originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Jun 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mt. Washington's 2011 Climb to the Clouds announces classes, opens registration

Jeff Glucker — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:38:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports

In September 2010, Travis Pastrana turned our attention to the Mt. Washington Auto Road. While it wasn't an official crack at Frank Sprongl's record six minute and 41.99 second blast, Pastrana climbed Mt. Washington in six minutes and 20.47 seconds with his rally-prepped 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI. The purpose of the run was to evaluate the course for the upcoming 2011 Climb to the Clouds event. The evaluation run was a success and race organizers have announced the classes and opened up registration for the hill climb competition.

The first Climb to the Clouds was run in 1904 but the event went dormant in 2000. Now, after a ten-year hiatus, it's back and the 2011 run will mark the Mt. Washington Auto Road's 150th anniversary. The 7.6-mile route begins at 1,527 feet and then climbs to 6,288 feet above sea level. Our Editor in Chief was able to "blast" through the 100+ turns in about 25 minutes.

For the 2011 Climb to the Clouds, organizers have created five classes: Open, Rally, Hillclimb, Vintage and Electric. The Vintage Class is an invitation-only category for vehicles from 1961 and older. The Electric Class is for full EVs only - no hybrids allowed. The Rally and Hillclimb classes are broken out according to the standard of Rally America and the New England Hillclimb Association respectively. Finally, the Open Class is just what it sounds like but places restrictions on engine size based on the wheels driving the vehicle and whether it's naturally aspirated or turbocharged.

The Mt. Washington hill climb competition scheduled to take place June 22nd through the 26th and organizers hope to host a field of 70 cars. With any luck, someone, will be able to arrange for Sprongl and Pastrana to duke it out on the Auto Road.

[Source: Climb to the Clouds]

Continue reading Mt. Washington's 2011 Climb to the Clouds announces classes, opens registration

Mt. Washington's 2011 Climb to the Clouds announces classes, opens registration originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Jan 2011 11:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Travis Pastrana's Mt. Washington run from many HD angles

Jonathon Ramsey — Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:01:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

HD footage of Travis Pastrana's Mt. Washington Auto Road run - Click above to watch video after the jump

In case you didn't get enough of the previous video of Travis Pastrana's unofficially record-breaking Mt. Washington Auto Road run, there's now more to see and it's almost all HD in-car and and on-car camerawork. Think of it as the extended director's cut. All seven minutes and 25 seconds of it are after the jump.

[Source: Vermont Sports Car]

Continue reading Video: Travis Pastrana's Mt. Washington run from many HD angles

Video: Travis Pastrana's Mt. Washington run from many HD angles originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 26 Sep 2010 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Travis Pastrana smashes 12-year-old Mt. Washington Auto Road record

Jeff Glucker — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Performance, Hatchback, Subaru, Off-Road, Racing

Travis Pastrana sets Mt. Washington Auto Road record - Click above for high-res image gallery

Just the other day we mentioned that Travis Pastrana was spotted on Mt. Washington. We were curious if he was going to try and take on the Auto Road. Well, he didn't just "take it on" - he went after the 1998 record set by Frank Sprongl. The time set back then was a blistering six minutes and 41.99 seconds.

Pastrana beat it by 20 seconds.

Driving a rally-prepped 2011 Subaru Impreza WRX STI, Pastrana attacked the 7.6-mile long course and slid across the line in six minutes and 20.47 seconds, also beating our own Editor-in-Chief's time by some 19 minutes. The Mt. Washington Auto Road is 149 years old, features over 100 turns, a one-mile unpaved section and the road climbs from a base of 1,527 feet up to the summit, 6,288 feet above sea level. The average gradient for this road is 11.6 percent.

The project is being called the Red Bull Speed Chasers and it seems Pastrana and his crew did just that. The Subaru was prepared by his Vermont Sportscar team and it's clearly an extremely quick machine. Pastrana, along with officials from the Mt. Washington Auto Road, used this run to evaluate the conditions of the route ahead of the 2011 Climb to the Clouds. The event is scheduled to run June 22-26 in 2011 and marks the first time in 10 years it will take place. It also coincides with the 150-year anniversary for the road itself.

Pastrana was quoted as saying:

"This is an amazing road, it's just so much fun, it's extremely challenging, there is no room for error and the scenery is epic. The Mt. Washington Auto Road has some amazing history to it."

General Manager of the Auto Road, Howie Wemyss added:

"Travis' run was incredibly thrilling on a number of fronts... It's amazing that he was able to drive that car to the summit in 6:20, and all the more so when you realize that he and his co-driver had just seen the Auto Road for the first time the day before, and the top quarter-mile was in thick fog! Our racing heritage here at the Auto Road runs deep, having started in 1904 and now Travis is part of that heritage as the fastest person to the summit by automobile."

Congratulations are in order to Travis Pastrana and his Red Bull team. Do we spray him down with an energy drink or a bottle of champagne?

Gallery: Travis Pastrana breaks Mt. Washington Auto Road record

Continue reading Travis Pastrana smashes 12-year-old Mt. Washington Auto Road record

Travis Pastrana smashes 12-year-old Mt. Washington Auto Road record originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Sep 2010 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Travis Pastrana spotted on Mt. Washington, record attempt in the works?

John Neff — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:57:00 EST

Filed under: Motorsports, Marketing/Advertising, Subaru, Celebrities

As if his success in motocross and rally racing weren't enough, Travis Pastrana may be looking for still bigger mountains to climb. Mainly, Mt. Washington in New Hampshire, the tallest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft.

Autoblog reader Andrew Stowell caught up with Pastrana at the famed Mt. Washington Auto Road where the multi-medal X Games winner was reportedly scouting turns, making pace notes and filming some interviews for what should be a new YouTube sensation if he accomplishes this mission.

According to Stowell, Pastrana's plan is to break the Mt. Washington Auto Road record of six minutes and 42 seconds set in 1998 by Frank Sprongl driving an Audi Quattro (see Sprogl's run in full after the jump). Pastrana will supposedly be driving his X Games rally WRX STI, though when Stowell caught him he was behind the wheel of a stock WRX for practice.

Astute readers will remember my own tale of tackling the Auto Road this summer in Autoblog's long-term 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT, which I accomplished in around 25 minutes amidst heavy tourist traffic. The eight-mile road is not for the faint of heart with over 100 turns. True, Pikes Peak is longer at 12.4 miles and turnier with 156 curves, but that famous stretch of Colorado road rises at an average incline of just 7 degrees. The Mt. Washington Auto Road reaches for the skies at a 12-degree angle, and the road is narrower too. So let's just say it's no drive in the park.

We're not exactly sure when Pastrana will possibly attempt a record run, or if in fact that's what he's doing there. Subaru of America told us that it's a Red Bull-sponsored stunt and they're not involved, and Red Bull Motorsports has yet to respond to our inquiries. Nevertheless, our man on the ground claims the attempt will happen on Thursday. We'll keep you updated when we find out how he did.

Continue reading Travis Pastrana spotted on Mt. Washington, record attempt in the works?

Travis Pastrana spotted on Mt. Washington, record attempt in the works? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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