96th Giant's Despair Event Page

13, 14 July 2002

Coming from Wilkes-Barre, PA (Plains, PA to be exact), I've been to the Giant's Despair hillclimb as spectator for years. I've even driven the hill many times - but only using a single lane and not since it's been paved. I've also moved from the area several years ago, so over the last 10 years, have been up the hill maybe 20 times. In other words, I didn't remember it at all. But I still had the crazy idea to run the hillclimb. So, with help from the Negative Camber group, I did. Let's see, the car was built with help from Crispy, Dave, Tom and I. Tom provided the car, and tow vehicle. Jason provided chairs to relax in and the Ez-Up tent. John provided the trailer. Dave also provided (I think) a chair or two for comfort. I provided myself (driver and the one silly enough to attempt to drive this hill), new driver's suit, and all equiptment. Well, I WAS driving!

Anyway, we had some disadvantages. First, the course and car were pretty new to the driver. I drove Tom's 1988 BMW 325is only once at any type of speed, and that was a single fun run in an autocross. Some street driving was accomplished while I was trying to figure out why it ran like crap when Tom first got the car. Second was the level of preparation into the car. Not that what was done on the car wasn't solid, but the car is not near the limit of the IT rules. We're still running the stock air intake box, stock exhaust manifold, even a cat!!! No ECU either. All those mods should give us a proven 25 or so HP. (Especially the Jim Conforti chip).

Well, we ran. Times went (for the first day):
1:02.x
1:01.x
1:00.7x
1:00.3x
Well, we were pretty far off the mark from the 55.7x record. I was taking a very conservative line through the Devil's Elbow (the first hard right turn), recommended to the novices. Well, it sucked and was slow. So I changed the line based on recommendations from Don Newcommer. (I was suprised to see Don there - I've run several times with him at Mazda events!) Well, thanks to Don, the times dropped! Day two went:
1:00.9x (first of the day warmup, original line)
58.7x
58.3x
58.09x

Now we're talking! Only 2.4s off the record on a car that's down at least 20HP, running old Toyo RA1's recovered from a club racer's discard pile. We can have the record! Next year, we go for it!

Our equiptment for the weekend.

The van was SWEET to pull the car to the track in! And the car didn't blow up at all!

Our "paddock" area. Note the
nice van, trailer, and various
seats to take a load off.
This IS the way to race! BMW waits in line for the
next run (waiting in line
was the worst part. Approaching the start line
Here's the car in action.
This is going up the straight
at the start, before any
turns. PHEW! It's hot in here!
Here's all the equiptment I
had to wear!

Here's a VIDEO of a run (the best run, of course!

All the other cars

Here's all the cool stuff that also came out to run.

A nice Cobra kit. Only one
thing, tho. It's a FOUR BANGER.
No kidding at all. It's a Ford
2.3l turbo 4 (like the Mustang SVO.
Only this one's got 420+HP. No under hood pics - but the
other side does NOT have a
sidepipe....

Neat little car. I think it's
a small engine, as it had to
be pull-started! The Formula Vee's used to be so...
mundane. Then someone started
SuperVee. Over 200hp, just over
1000lbs...they're not anymore. I think this is a Formula
Continental. Looks like a
Formula Ford Swift with wings

A TVR Vixen. Very cool! Only a 4cyl in it. I heard
that most of these came from
the factory with 289 V8's On the hill, returning from
it's run to the top. Tom had a little trouble
with the camera to start with
But the car was too nice to
delete the pic.

Old mini Cooper. Sweet! New mini Cooper S. Sweet! Old mini after it's run.
No, I don't think it had the
original 60HP motor....

Nice clean T1 Vette. Vettes in a row after
their runs. Token 3rd gen. Relatively
stock motor compartment. Just
a Petit Racing IC. Even had the
condensor in the way still. Token 2nd gen RX7. Oh wait.
I looked under the hood once.
Big ass Ford V8! Didn't change
the reliability, tho. It broke.
Dumped coolant once, oil the
second time (notice stripe on video)

Good to see some old iron
out there. A fav with the
roudy locals that caused fights
and would randomly venture out
on course. Bug - of the highly modified
kind. Nope - you don't step on this
bug. Daily driver car (not
running - driver drove an
old 6-series.) What's that
fancy contraption in there?
Yep, supercharged M coupe.

Current Record Holder

And last is the car that holds the current overall record of 39.x seconds! Carbon fibre bodywork (what there is of it), a huge wing for downforce and plenty of power!

Getting ready for it's run.
Note the HUGE wing! At rest. Notice here, the
nice carbon fibre bodywork! And what's this? What kind
of motor powers this car? Well,
the3 RX7 guys will be happy
to see something VERY familiar. Nice HUGE blowoff valve.
My brother got tape of it
revving at the line.
Gotta get that up here too! And to keep it from
blowing the hell up...
May this intercooler be
even larger than Crispy's?


Our "paddock" area. Note the nice van, trailer, and various seats to take a load off. This IS the way to race!	BMW waits in line for the next run (waiting in line was the worst part.	Approaching the start line	Here's the car in action. This is going up the straight at the start, before any turns.	PHEW! It's hot in here! Here's all the equiptment I had to wear!


A nice Cobra kit. Only one thing, tho. It's a FOUR BANGER. No kidding at all. It's a Ford 2.3l turbo 4 (like the Mustang SVO. Only this one's got 420+HP.	No under hood pics - but the other side does NOT have a sidepipe....


Neat little car. I think it's a small engine, as it had to be pull-started!	The Formula Vee's used to be so... mundane. Then someone started SuperVee. Over 200hp, just over 1000lbs...they're not anymore.	I think this is a Formula Continental. Looks like a Formula Ford Swift with wings


A TVR Vixen. Very cool!	Only a 4cyl in it. I heard that most of these came from the factory with 289 V8's	On the hill, returning from it's run to the top.	Tom had a little trouble with the camera to start with But the car was too nice to delete the pic.


Old mini Cooper. Sweet!	New mini Cooper S. Sweet!	Old mini after it's run. No, I don't think it had the original 60HP motor....


Nice clean T1 Vette.	Vettes in a row after their runs.	Token 3rd gen. Relatively stock motor compartment. Just a Petit Racing IC. Even had the condensor in the way still.	Token 2nd gen RX7. Oh wait. I looked under the hood once. Big ass Ford V8! Didn't change the reliability, tho. It broke. Dumped coolant once, oil the second time (notice stripe on video)


Good to see some old iron out there. A fav with the roudy locals that caused fights and would randomly venture out on course.	Bug - of the highly modified kind.	Nope - you don't step on this bug.	Daily driver car (not running - driver drove an old 6-series.) What's that fancy contraption in there? Yep, supercharged M coupe.


Getting ready for it's run. Note the HUGE wing!	At rest. Notice here, the nice carbon fibre bodywork!	And what's this? What kind of motor powers this car? Well, the3 RX7 guys will be happy to see something VERY familiar.	Nice HUGE blowoff valve. My brother got tape of it revving at the line. Gotta get that up here too!	And to keep it from blowing the hell up... May this intercooler be even larger than Crispy's?