Canepa breaks Pikes Peak record (July 02, 2002)

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PIKES PEAK, Colo. — Veteran racer Bruce Canepa of Santa Cruz, Calif. and the Kenworth Truck Company race team set yet another record at the 80th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Canepa piloted the Kenworth T2000/CFI Peak Performer to a record time of 13 minutes 57.8 seconds over the challenging 12.42-mile course, which features 156 twisting turns and an 4,700-foot elevation gain.

He surpassed his own Big Rig — Highway Division standard for tandem-axle trucks of 13 minutes 59.6 seconds set at last year year’s Pikes Peak race.

During the record run, Canepa and the Kenworth T2000 hit speeds of 90mph six times while racing up an average grade of seven per cent from the starting line to the 14,110-foot summit. Drivers face drop-offs of several hundred feet or more through many sections of the course.

“It was good to get the record, but I think all of us on the Kenworth racing team were a little disappointed that we didn’t run even faster based on our qualifying record and practice runs,” says Canepa. “The course was extremely slippery and we had a few mechanical problems that slowed us down, but that’s racing. The team provided great support and we made it through safely.”

Official supplier sponsors of Kenworth’s Pikes Peak effort included Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI), Caterpillar, DuPont, Bendix, Dana Spicer, Bridgestone, ZF Meritor, ConMet, Alcoa, AeroQuip, Gabriel, Camfil Farr, Bosch, Garrett, Loctite, and AFL.

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