With the hours ticking away before the start of the 2014 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last year’s time attack champion Paul Dallenbach is cool and collected as he gets ready to take on the second oldest race in the country yet again.
Our own Emme Hall had an opportunity to interview Paul Dallenbach about the 2014 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Two years ago there was an incident where Paul’s car had a throttle cable issue and he crashed. Luckily he was okay, but he can still see the skid marks where he went off now. He’s not looking at them for long, his speeds are averaging about 75 mph in practice, which is blisteringly fast.
Paul tells Emme that he’s glad the entire run is now paved. When the run was half and half, it was difficult to get tire sponsors on board because it created some unpredictable situations. Paul likes the pavement, and is fast on them.
Practice week takes its toll. They are up at 3am or earlier to prefer for practice. They finish with practice by 9am, giving them the rest of the day to do whatever, but it still can be tiring by the time Sunday gets here.
One of Paul’s main daily drivers is an Audi Q7 TDI. Like many of us, he bores with a car easily so when he finds something he likes he’ll often make the switch over.
We wish Paul the best at this years race, which happens Sunday morning. Check out the details on how to watch the race streaming live on the Internet. Stay tuned for more information and news from this year’s event.
Chad Kirchner is a freelance automotive journalist with a sincere passion for the industry and helping people. He’s a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association and the Texas Auto Writers Association. When not writing about the latest automotive news or vehicles, you can catch him at car shows around the country. Be sure to check him out on social media, including Google+ and Twitter.
