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

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.

Carroll Shelby in 1956 driving a Ferrari up the Mt Washington Auto RoadThe 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]
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ENTRY PROCESS UNDERWAY FOR THE 2011 MT. WASHINGTON HILLCLIMB

Colchester,VT – Officials at Vermont SportsCar, organizers of the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb planned for June 22-26, 2011 at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in Pinkham Notch, Gorham, NH, released details today regarding the competition classes and Entry Application process for the event. The Mt. Washington Hillclimb, known as the Climb to the Clouds, was first run in 1904 and is one of America's oldest motorsports events. The 2011 Climb to the Clouds, which makes a comeback after a ten year hiatus, will be a 5-day festival of motorsports that hopes to attract a 70-car competition field filled with some of the best drivers from around the world competing for "King of the Hill" honors.

The 2011 Climb to the Clouds will serve as one of several sporting events to be held at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in 2011 to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Mt. Washington Auto Road as the nation's oldest man-made attraction. The 7.6 mile Auto Road is one of the ultimate challenges for driver and automobile, the serpentine tarmac and gravel road is lined with trees and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast's tallest peak. The event will be sanctioned by the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire.

"We're very excited that the entry process for the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb is underway" stated Paul Giblin, Event Director of the Mt. Washington Hillclimb. "We've received an impressive amount of interest already from drivers across the country, as well as Canada, regarding the return of this event. However, due to logistics and time constraints we must limit the field to just seventy cars and therefore the entry application process is a necessary and crucial first step for us."

Drivers interested in being considered for entry to the event should visit the Mt. Washington Hillclimb's web site, www.climbtotheclouds.com, to review the class descriptions and complete the Entry Application. Although the event will be limited to a field of 70 competitors, the Entry Application process is open to everyone who is interested. Drivers have until Monday, February 21, 2011 to submit their entry application for consideration. Following the closing date for entry applications, officials will review the applications to determine the 70-car field for this year's Climb to the Clouds.

Competition classes for the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb will include an Open class for highly modified, purpose-built race cars; a Rally car class with two specific groupings – one for all-wheel-drive (AWD) Rally cars and the other for two-wheel-drive (2WD) Rally cars that are built to current Rally America specifications; a Hillclimb class which has four specific groupings and is reserved primarily for cars and drivers from the very popular New England Hillclimb Association; a Vintage class that will consist of historic race cars (from 1961 and older) that have previously raced at Mt. Washington and a class for Electric cars – organizers are hoping to attract manufacturers of Electric cars so they can showcase this new, emerging technology.

Details regarding the Entry Application process, event rules, safety regulations or car classes for the 2011 Mt. Washington Hillclimb can be found by visiting www.climbtotheclouds.com or by calling (802) 861-2277.

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