COLORADO SPRINGS — Thousands of people are preparing for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) and getting a taste of the competition at Fan Fest in downtown Colorado Springs Friday night.
The event brings car lovers together ahead of the big race on Sunday. It's a chance for fans to meet the drivers and see the cars that are racing up America's Mountain. Melissa Eickhoff, Executive Director of PPIHC, said the hill climb brings in spectators from around the world and the festival is the touchpoint for their shared passion.
"When we're up on the mountain, there's only so much space. So this is where we make up for that, and the community turnout and support have been amazing. It's about 30,000 people each year," she said.
Eickhoff said 68 drivers are competing in this year's race. Many of them lined their cars along a 10-block stretch of downtown for fans to get a closer look during the festival. Kendall Samuel, a Colorado native, is racing for the first time this year. He said he has been dreaming of being a part of the hill climb for over a decade.
“We got the letter that we were accepted and it's been this frantic rush to finish. We painted the car, built the engine, fabricated everything, did the carbon work, and it's here," said Samuel.
His partner, Mary Barker, helped him fix up the car for its moment of glory on Sunday. She said the nerves are kicking in.
"I don't want anything to happen to him or the car because we put all this work in, but I think it's going to go pretty well. I think we're gonna you know, make it to the top, and I think we're actually going to be surprised with our time," said Barker.
George Boudouris and his family traveled from Littleton to attend the festival on Friday. He said he is excited about the stiff competition and the high stakes of the race.
"There are so many turns, such a long course, such a complicated course. It's hard to remember, to memorize it all. I've driven on track plenty of times but driving up a mountain like this, where the consequences are so much more severe, it really just increases the excitement and the adrenaline rush," he said.
Eickhoff said she thinks this year's race could be historic.
"I think we're going to watch some records fall. If this weather holds, we haven't had a good record-breaking sort of weather situation in a few years. So I'm pretty excited to see that," she said.
The 101st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is this Sunday. Race tickets and camping permits are sold out for the second year in a row. You can watch a live stream
of the race here.
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