Posted on June 24, 2011

BFGoodrich® Tires Deploys Upgrade to Attack Multiple Hill Climb Records

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The "Upgrade to BFGoodrich® Tires" campaign literally goes up a grade Sunday, June 26, with two major hill-climb racing events. The legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, in Colorado Springs, Colo., will showcase a variety of BFGoodrich® competition tires equipped on such vehicles as the Pro-Lite Nissan and Ultra4 Ford driven by Team BFGoodrich members Brad and Roger Lovell, as well as on an electric-powered Nissan Leaf race machine driven by Chad Hord. The same day in Pinkham Notch, N.H., the famed Mt. Washington Hillclimb event returns, featuring another record-breaking attempt by the Vermont SportsCar team with rally ace David Higgins behind the wheel.

"Hill-climb racing always presents a technical challenge to tire engineers, as our tires must be designed to perform superbly on various surfaces — from tarmac to rocks and dirt — while adapting to altitude and weather variations, as well as different vehicle power levels," said Karl Koenigstein, motorsports technical manager, BFGoodrich Tires. "We have been working with a variety of teams competing this weekend to ensure they have the best tires to help chase those records."

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

One of the world's most famous motorsport events, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is celebrating its 89th run to the 14,110-foot summit of the mountain. A challenging 156-turn, 12.42-mile course that covers a 4,720-foot elevation change, drivers and cars will struggle against varying terrain and thin air, which can rob an engine of nearly 30 percent of its power from beginning to end.

eleven classes of vehicles and nearly 200 competitors, many of whom will be on BFGoodrich tires, will take on the challenge. These drivers include the following:

  • Brad Lovell, short-course, off-road racing and rock-crawling star, in a Pro-Lite Nissan Frontier race truck on BFGoodrich® g-Force™ T/A® Drag Radial tires;
  • Roger Lovell, rock-racing driver, in an Ultra4 Ford Ranger on BFGoodrich® Mud-Terrain T/A® KR short-course off-road racing tires; and
  • Chad Hord, short-course, off-road racing champion, in a Nissan Leaf electric racecar, on BFGoodrich® g-Force™ R1™ tires.
  • Additionally, the Honda Performance Development team has entered two vehicles fitted with BFGoodrich tires:
    • The HPD B-Spec Rally Fit, with 205/50-15 BFGoodrich® g-Force™ R1™ tires and
    • The HPD Desert Pilot, a SCORe Class 6 Unlimited Production Mini-Truck, with BFGoodrich® Mud-Terrain T/A® KR short-course racing tires.


For more information about the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, please visit http://www.ppihc.com

Mt. Washington Hillclimb — The Climb to the Clouds

Returning after a 10-year hiatus, the "Climb to the Clouds" takes place on the 7.6-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road, with serpentine tarmac and gravel surfaces and flanked by trees and steep drop-offs, climbing to the 6,288-foot summit of the tallest peak in the Northeast. The Climb to the Clouds, June 22-26, celebrates the 150th anniversary of the Mt. Washington Auto Road.

Subaru Rally Team USA and Vermont SportsCar are entering team driver David Higgins in the event, driving a 2011 Subaru WRX STI fitted with BFGoodrich® tires in the top-level "Open Class." Higgins, a multiple British and American Rally Champion, is driving an evolved version of the car driven last fall by former Subaru Rally Team USA driver Travis Pastrana, who unofficially bested the Mt. Washington Hillclimb record by more than twenty seconds in a filmed test session. Higgins and his Subaru will be one of the strongest contenders for an overall win and a new course record.

For more information about the Mt. Washington Hillclimb, please visit http://www.climbtotheclouds.com

About BFGoodrich

BFGoodrich Tires is dedicated to providing high performance tires for those who have a passion for driving in virtually any environment. Combining technical expertise with 50 years of motorsports experience, BFGoodrich delivers tires for a full range of driving experiences from ultra-high performance street to off-road terrain with one common theme – extreme performance. Come upgrade your performance with BFGoodrich and see where our tires can take you at BFGoodrichTires.com, BFGoodrichRacing.com, as well as on Facebook and Instagram at @BFGoodrichTires and TikTok at @BFGoodrich.

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Category: Car & Light Truck