Flying Lizard Motorsports Readies for Pikes Peak Debut

Flying Lizard Motorsports Readies for Pikes Peak Debut

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., (June 19, 2018) – The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has arrived and Flying Lizard has made the final preparations for the team’s event debut with Toyo Tires®. The grey and black No. 45 Flying Lizard Toyo Tires McLaren 12C GT3, will be driven by Clint Vahsholtz, the winningest driver in the event’s history, with 23 division victories.

Following a successful partnership that has led to three overall wins in as many attempts at the 25 Hours of Thunderhill, Flying Lizard Motorsports and Toyo Tires will compete in the legendary event, challenging for another win to add to the team’s unique list of accomplishments.

“When Toyo Tires came to us with the request to take on Pikes Peak we felt this was a great project to be involved with,” said Program Manager Darren Law. “Although this is something very different for Flying Lizard Motorsports, we always like to challenge ourselves, and this is a great opportunity to show our versatility in motorsports.”

The weekend presents a plethora of new challenges, as the majority of the team members will be at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for the Pirelli World Challenge weekend. Technical Director and Team Principal Tommy Sadler will head up the Pikes Peak operation, with McLaren GT offering engineering expertise, and Marc Sanzenbacher, Sr. Manager, Motorsports for Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. overseeing the tire side of the operation.

”Toyo Tires is excited to be partnered with Flying Lizard Motorsports and Clint Vahsholtz for this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” said Marc Sanzenbacher, Senior Manager of Motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Flying Lizard has delivered three-consecutive overall wins of the 25-Hours of Thunderhill on Toyo Proxes Slicks and by adding the winningestdriver on the mountain to the equation, we are confident we will see a great run this weekend on this legendary mountain.”

“Tommy has done a great job heading up the project, and things have gone very well,” said Law. “This month we have spent multiple days testing, McLaren GT has been very helpful having had experience in hill climbs in Europe. We put in the research and decided on a car that we felt was competitive for the class and Toyo has worked hard at developing a specific compound that will work for these conditions.”

The team has tested the car at other locations prior to the event, as the mountain — a National Historic Landmark in Pike National Forest–is still open to the public. Both Vahsholtz and Law tested the car at the team’s home track of Sonoma Raceway, working with the engineers to build a car best suited for the variance of altitude the car and driver will experience this weekend.

“We had to make a few adjustments to adjust the car such as shorter gear ratios, and suspension adjustments so that we can handle the large undulations in track surface,” said Law. “We’ve also tuned the ECU so the car has the correct boost at varying altitudes. We look forward to the race weekend and hope for a great result.”
The Course
Unlike any track Flying Lizard Motorsports has competed at, the start line at Pikes Peak sits at an altitude of 9,390 feet, over 4,000 feet higher than Utah Motorsports Campus. Over twelve miles and 156 turns later, the finish line waits for competitors at the top of the mountain at a final altitude of 14,115 feet. The course itself is a two-lane road which competitors will race up one at a time, with the fastest competitor claiming victory.

The Format
Due to the limited amount of time on course and the size of the competitor field, the track is split into three sections for the testing and practice sessions leading into the event. Running from only 5:30AM to 8:30AM before the mountain opens to the public, each group will run on its allotted section each day, with the first full run up the mountain taking place on race day. Clint and the No. 45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Toyo Tires McLaren will qualify with Group B on Thursday, June 21 between 5:30AM and 8:30AM, on the lowest section of the track. In qualifying, each car will put in their first run through the lowest section only. Based on the amount of time remaining barring any incidents, the whole group will be able to put in one or two more attempts, with the average time of those laps setting the qualifying position.

On race day, each competitor will run up at the mountain one by one, with a pre-determined time gap between each participant. The Group C motorcycle classes will be the first to compete, followed by Groups A and B. Should an incident from a car ahead cause a disruption in the run, the following competitors will be able to return to the starting line and begin again.
The Engineering, From Flying Lizard Motorsports Engineer Steve Conover
“For the McLaren, there are 21 first gear corners and quick, short, straights that are not entirely straight, where the car will reach speeds of about 130mph. The McLaren’s setup is much like that of a road course with additional ride height and aero downforce added to the package.

“The lower part of the course is just plain scary, with rocks, embankments, drop-offs and trees close to the edge of the pavement. The upper part of the course is terrifying. There are no trees to hide the massive drop offs with nothing but jagged rocks to land on, should the car go off course. Wind speeds at the top can make it impossible to walk without leaning into the gale, a wind which drivers will have to factor in as they race up this challenging mountain.”

The Driver
Colorado native Clint Vahsholtz first competed at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 1992, finishing in an impressive second place in the Pro Motorcycle division. The following year, Vahsholtz returned and claimed his first win, and went on to win all but two of the following attempts. From 1992 to 2017, Vahsholtz holds 23 victories in the Pro Motorcycle, Super Stock Car and Open Wheel divisions at Pikes Peak.

“Pikes Peak testing is complete, and Tommy and team have the McLaren handling great,” said Vahsholtz. “I feel going into what is a very demanding schedule this week that our slight adjustments will produce good results. The Toyo Proxes tires have worked awesome! If any of our fans are in the area, come and check this cool Flying Lizard Motorsports Toyo Tires McLaren out at fan fest Friday, June 22!”
Fan Fest Friday
The Flying Lizard Motorsports McLaren 12 C GT3 will be on display in front of 25,000 fans at the Toyo Tires booth at the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Fan Fest in downtown Colorado Springs, Friday, June 22. The event will feature a variety of entertainment for race fans of all ages, including the annual Fire Fighter Chili Cook-Off. For full event information, visit ppihc.org.

Tune In
A live stream of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo will be available from start to finish for $4.99 via Matchsports. Click here to learn more or purchase your stream. Live timing will be available here. For more information, visit http://ppihc.org.

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