SUBARU MT. WASHINGTON HILLCLIMB PRESENTED BY YOKOHAMA TIRE RETURNS AUGUST 13-15, 2021
North America’s Oldest Automotive Hillclimb Returns to the Mt. Washington Auto Road
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
For more information, contact:
Paul Giblin — Sports Car Club of New Hampshire
E-mail: mktg-cttc@usa.net
Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire
Returns August 13-15, 2021
Pinkham Notch, NH — Officials with the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, organizers of the 2021 Mt. Washington Hillclimb, originally rescheduled last year for July 9-11, 2021, announced today that the event will take place instead on August 13-15, 2021 at the Mt. Washington Auto Road in Pinkham Notch, Gorham, NH. It was also announced that Subaru of America will return as the events Title Sponsor and that Yokohama Tire will join the event for the first time as the Hillclimb’s Presenting Sponsor.
“The Sports Car Club of New Hampshire is proud to welcome back Subaru of America as Title Sponsor of the 2021 Mt. Washington Hillclimb for the third consecutive event. We’d also like to welcome Yokohama Tire to Mt. Washington for the first time as the event’s Presenting Sponsor. Both Subaru and Yokohama Tire have a long history of success in motorsports across the globe”, stated Rob Widdick, President of the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire. “In addition, the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire would like to thank the Mt. Washington Auto Road for once again hosting this world-renowned Hillclimb as well as the hundreds of volunteers who are crucial to the success of the event. Lastly, with the pandemic nearly behind us, we’d like to thank everyone, including the many competitors, for their patience and understanding as we’ve navigated this unprecedented situation to reschedule this historic Hillclimb.”
First run in 1904, the Climb to the Clouds took place as part of the famous Glidden Tour several months prior to the first-ever Vanderbuilt Cup on Long Island, New York that was first run in the Fall of 1904. The initial Mt. Washington Hillclimb was also seven years before the first-ever 500-mile race at the Brickyard in Indianapolis, Indiana which took place in 1911 and twelve years prior to the inaugural Pikes Peak Hillclimb in Colorado which first took place in 1916.
The 7.6 mile “Climb to the Clouds” is without question one of the ultimate proving grounds for both drivers and automobiles anywhere in the world. The serpentine tarmac and gravel road is lined with trees, rocks and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak — Mt. Washington.
“Subaru is once again thrilled to support the Mt. Washington Hillclimb in 2021,” said William Stokes, Motorsports Manager for Subaru of America. “The Mt. Washington Auto Road provides a challenge unlike any other, and the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire has done a great job in putting on the event. Subaru has been able to set new records every time the event has been run since 2011, so we’re looking forward to more fireworks in 2021!”
Set for Friday through Sunday, August 13-15, 2021, the Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire will serve as a multi-day motorsports festival filled with a variety of activities for all ages including the Yokohama Tire Fan Zone which will host antique vehicle displays, a variety of food and memorabilia vendors and an autograph session on Saturday. The 3-day weekend will be topped off with the return of the historic Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire event which takes place Sunday, August 15, 2021 on the 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road.
“It’s great to see the legendary “Climb to the Clouds return,” said Fardad Niknam, Yokohama Tire’s senior director of product planning & product marketing. “We’re thrilled to be the Presenting Sponsor of the “2021 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire” and be involved with such a historic race. We look forward to working with the Mt. Washington Auto Road and the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire, as well as Subaru of America on this highly competitive, fan-favorite race. It will be a perfect venue to show the strength and versatility of our ADVAN tires.”
Race organizers from the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire are expecting a full 80-car competition field this year with some of the most talented competitors from across North America. They’ll be driving an array of equally impressive hillclimb, time attack, road race and rally cars — all competing for “King of the Hill” honors in one of the most exciting events in all of motorsports.
“Since 1904 we’ve had a long history of car racing on Mt. Washington. When the first ‘Climb to the Clouds’ was held, we took our place in racing history and became a proving ground for man and machine,” stated Tobey Reichert, General Manager of the Mt. Washington Auto Road. “We’ve continued with this great tradition off and on over the years and are thrilled to once again be getting ready for the Subaru Mt Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire in August 2021. We know that technology is changing year after year. Over the past several races we have seen an amazing skill-set behind these amazing machines. This summer we fully anticipate even more excitement and records to be broken.”
Additional information regarding volunteering, spectating and lodging for the 2021 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb presented by Yokohama Tire scheduled for August 13-15, 2021 can be found on the event’s official web site, mt-washington.com/climb-to-the-clouds.
2017 Overall winner and current record holder, Travis Pastrana, is shown rounding the famous Cragway Turn above tree line during the 2017 Subaru Mt. Washington Hillclimb. Pastrana set a blistering fast record-setting time of 5 minutes 44.72 seconds on the 7.6 mile tarmac and gravel course driving a 2017 Subaru WRX STI Hillclimb Special for Subaru Motorsports USA / Vermont SportsCar.
Since the first Mt. Washington Hillclimb was run in July 1904, many well-known drivers have competed and won the Climb to the Clouds such as “Cannonball” Baker in 1928 & 1932 and the legendary Carroll Shelby in 1956. Driving a Franklin in 1928, Baker raced to an amazing time of 14:49.6 seconds. Shown here rounding the famous Cragway Turn just above tree line, Carroll Shelby, driving a specially prepared Ferrari Grand Prix roadster, posted a record-setting time of 10:21.8 seconds on his way to victory in July 1957.
About Subaru of America:
Subaru of America, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. of Japan. Headquartered in Cherry Hill, N.J., the company markets and distributes Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive vehicles, parts and accessories through a network of more than 600 dealers across the United States. All Subaru products are manufactured in zero-landfill production plants and Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. is the only U.S. automobile production plant to be designated a backyard wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation. For additional information visit www.subaru.com.
“Subaru”, “WRX STI”, all model names, and the Subaru logo are registered trademarks of the Subaru subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd, Japan. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.
About Yokohama Tire Corporation:
Yokohama Tire Corporation is the North American manufacturing and marketing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based The Yokohama Rubber Co., Ltd., a global manufacturing and sales company of premium tires since 1917. Servicing an extensive sales network throughout the U.S., Yokohama Tire Corporation is a leader in technology and innovation. The company’s complete product line includes tires for high-performance, light truck, passenger car, commercial truck and bus, and off-the-road mining and construction applications. For more information on Yokohama’s broad product line, visit www.yokohamatire.com and www.yokohamatruck.com.
About the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire:
Established in 1955 by a group of longtime sports car enthusiasts from throughout New Hampshire, the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire (SCCNH) is a 501(c)7 non-profit organization open to anyone interested in automobiles or automobile-related activities – whether they are a New Hampshire resident or not. Today the Sports Car Club of New Hampshire is proud to host a membership of more than 225 active motorsports enthusiasts from across New England with a variety of vehicles and varied interests in the sport. For more information, visit www.sccnh.org.
About the Mt. Washington Auto Road:
The Washington Auto Road is considered by many Hillclimb racers to be extremely technical with a narrow road surface that averages just over 20 feet wide. In addition to being very narrow with steep drop-offs that vary from side to side, the road is also incredibly steep, with an average 12% grade and gaining slightly more than 4,600 feet in total elevation change from the starting line to the finish line. The surface of the 7.6 mile Mt. Washington Auto Road is mostly tarmac with approximately one mile of gravel and contains well over 150 turns and switchbacks as the road winds its’ way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak Mt. Washington.
First opened in 1861 as the Mt. Washington Carriage Road, the Mt. Washington Auto Road is the country’s oldest manmade attraction. Located on Rt. 16 in Pinkham Notch, New Hampshire, just north of the Mt. Washington Valley and minutes south of Gorham, NH, the Auto Road has a long and winding history, much like its 7.6 mile trip up to the summit of the highest peak in the Northeast. For more information, visit mt-washington.com.