The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, aka The Race to the Clouds, has been a popular motorsports past time for decades. These days many drivers are opting for all-electric vehicles that provide consistent power even at higher altitudes, although if you ask us the real action remains in the vintage vehicle class.
Vintage is of course a nicer way of saying “old”, though there is no denying the cool factor when it comes to old cars screaming up Pikes Peak. For one cameraman and his son though, a vintage Camaro came almost too close for comfort.
One draw of the Pikes Peak hill climb is that spectators can watch from just about any point on the 12-mile course. The more daring get right up to the track, where our cameraman was hiding out with his kid in a drainage ditch. The wisdom of having your young son hanging out track side on a course notorious for its lack of guardrails not withstanding, this is a pretty cool place to watch the race. It certainly makes for an awesome vantage point, as Ralph Murdoch’s 1970 Camaro comes power-sliding around a corner…and right towards the cameraman.
The car got close enough to shower father and son with gravel and dirt, even damaging the camera lens. Beyond that though there was no injury, just a really close call. Murdoch went on to win the vintage class with a time of 12:51, a blistering pace for any classic car. As for our cameraman? Hopefully he’ll keep a bit of distance between his son and the action during this year’s competition.