The ElectroCat reached the 14,110 ft elevation finish line of the 12.42 mile, 156 turn, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb course in 16 minutes, 55.8 seconds. The ElectroCat made the 4720 ft climb with energy to spare in the A123Systems battery pack. John Scollon rode the ElectroCat as a last-minute substitute rider for Paul Thede, who was a substitute rider for Eva.
Here is a map of the course:
http://www.usacracing.com/assets/files/ppihc/ppihc_map.pdf
Picture: John Scollon and ElectroCat just before the starting line.
In the end, we were happy to simply get the ElectroCat (which was running flawlessly throughout the entire week of practice and
competition) on the course and over the finish line. With the heavier driver on the ElectroCat, we opted to “play it safe” and instructed John to run a very modest pace. We did this for safety reasons, and we did it to be certain that the ElectroCat would cross the finish line with the much heavier rider than any of the test sessions.
It is tough to be the first of a new _anything_ in a 100 year old racing organization. The ElectroCat is the first electric motorcycle to be allowed to register for this event in history. It was not a painless process, specifically for the ElectroCat team. We apparently were some sort of pawn in a political battle within the organization.
It was stressful and the performance of the ElectroCat in the event suffered greatly due to the constant chaos of conflicting requirements.
The time for the ElectroCat is posted with the correct entry number #123, and rider name, John Scollon, but the type and model are incorrectly listed and it is classified as a “4 stroke”. (The PPIHC folks are correcting that error now.)
Click on “Exhibition Powersport” to see the record listing here:
http://www.usacracing.com/ppihc/ts/2010
I promise to fill in the details of this story in the next few days.
It will take me days just to tell it all. Too bad there was not a film crew capturing all that happened to us during this event. It would make great TV. Seriously. It was a roller coaster week.
Right now I’m too exhausted from the past week to write much more.
We had to arrive at ~ 3 AM for all the practice days and the race day, so you can understand why I am so tired. I’m also typing with only one hand…….
Picture: Paul Thede, Bill and me. If you look up “nice guy” in the dictionary you will find a photo of Paul. 😉