Hankook Performance Tire
Boulder, Colorado – Fingers Crossed Racing is proud to announce a new partnership with Hankook Performance Tire for the 90th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill climb. Both Fingers Crossed Racing cars, the 1991 Audi Coupe Quattro with the 20v turbo engine driven by Savannah, and the 2001 Audi A4 with the 4.2L V8 driven by Valentin, will be running Hankook Performance tires. With the 12.4 mile course completely paved this year, the proper tire selection is crucial as the speeds will be faster, and the corners will be more dangerous. As if that is not enough pressure for the competitors; this year the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will enforce qualifying, where the field will be reduced down to 80 cars and 100 bikes. The official rule is that every driver must qualify within 115% of the fastest time in class on the bottom section of the course.
Hankook Tire is the seventh largest and one of the fastest growing tire manufacturers in the world. It produces innovative, superior quality, and high performance radial tires for passenger cars, 4×4, SUVs, light trucks, campers, trucks, buses and for automobile motorsport. Hankook invests approximately five per cent of revenue in research and development and develops cutting-edge technologies through its five global R&D Centers meeting regional customer demands and enhancing customer satisfaction. Selling in 185 countries around the world, the company has more than 14,000 employees. Approximately 70 percent of revenue comes from their growing overseas sales.
Fingers Crossed Racing could not be more excited to have such a large and reputable company support us this year. Hankook tires has been a name on Pikes Peak for many years, they understand what the event is about. Team driver Savannah Ivanitski shares that “The support of Hankook as we made the very important tire decision this year was invaluable. We look forward to sharing our experience with their team members this year on Pikes Peak, and we have no doubt that their expertise will prove to be very beneficial.”
The 90th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was postponed from its original date of July 8,2012 and the event will now be held on August 12, 2012. The postponement came as a result of the Waldo Canyon Fire that devastated the Pikes Peak region in Colorado Springs. All of the Fingers Crossed Racing team members and sponsors have been incredibly supportive through this change. We would like to give thanks to our intern, Stephen Harris, and all of our sponsors University Auto Parts, Hankook, Murphy Mining and Exploration, Pikes Peak Guy Press, Airwalk, Kicker, and Glass Hammer Racing.
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About Fingers Crossed Racing: Fingers Crossed Racing was founded in 2011. Started by two drivers, Savannah and Valentin Ivanitski, as an effort to join their 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb efforts. In the six months since Fingers Crossed Racing came to be, the team has developed into something bigger than ever imagined. Fingers Crossed Racing now serves as an opportunity to involve passionate people into the motorsports world. In 2012, the team will launch their inaugural year of their internship program. Providing opportunities for their intern to see the front line of professional motorsports.
About PPIHC: The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest motor sports race in America and a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. First competed in 1916 and this year marks the 90th running of the “Race to the Clouds.”
The race is run on a 12.42 mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit of America’s Mountain; Pikes Peak! As the drivers climb toward the summit, the thin air slows reflexes and saps muscle strength. The thin air also robs engines of 30% of their power at the summit. Competitors and vehicles must be in top shape simply to finish…let alone win!
This year the race has 16 classes and features a variety of automotive, exhibition, open wheel, super stock car, and motorcycle classes with a field approaching 200 competitors.
Race Week begins Tuesday, August 7 with Tech Inspection at Pikes Peak International Raceway (PPIR) in Fountain, Colorado. Every vehicle undergoes a rigorous inspection with a concentration on safety issues. That evening there will be meetings for all the riders and drivers at the Raceway. Practice and qualifying takes place Wednesday through Friday from 5:30 to 9:30 am on Pikes Peak.
The current record is 09:51.278 and was set by Nobuhiro Tajima in 2011.
There is no other race course in the world like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. That is why it attracts race crews that are willing to spend several hundred thousand dollars and months of preparation to compete for the right to be the King of the Mountain.
Fingers Crossed Racing
PO Box 21216
Boulder, CO 80308
