Meeting a lofty ambition/ Racer confronts fear of heights and reaches

0 Comments | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Jun 30, 2002 | by Nick Walter

It was just over six months ago that Julie Lin was afraid of heights, a condition otherwise known as acrophobia.

Without a doubt, she faced her biggest challenges Friday and Saturday.

She would attempt The Race to the Clouds, the race with a 14,110- foot summit. Where drop-offs of 2,000 feet are not uncommon. The Falken Tire Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Lin, the navigator of the 2001 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII in the Peak-newcomer Sports Car Club of America ProRally, had a tougher day during Friday's qualifying alongside her husband and driver Wolfgang Hoeck.

There were no spectators alongside the road. Just open sky that led to dizzying drop-offs.

But if there was any fear left in Lin's heart Saturday, it disappeared as she held her arms high to celebrate her team's win in the Stock division.

"I'm so happy we made it to the top, it's a beautiful day," said Lin, who began to overcome her fears with the help of a doctor and a small patch behind her left ear that eases motion sickness. "Now I feel I can do any rally."

When the race ended, Hoeck had a smile that did not end and hands that would not stop shaking.

"Just so much adrenaline, it was a great run," Hoeck said. "I just stayed smooth. There wasn't too much sliding."

Rick Burtis made his claim to fame as he became the first person to navigate through the 156 corners of the Hill Climb in his and driver Ron Nelson's Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII, as this is the first year for SCCA on Pikes Peak.

So what exactly does the navigator do?

"Everyone has a different style," Burtis said. "If I tell the driver '6 long' then he's in sixth gear and ready for a long bend. If I say '1-left tightens' then it's a real sharp corner that goes left, then goes left even more."

Defending champion Mark Lovell and Steve Turvey won the open class in their 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX in a time of 11 minutes, 52.69 seconds that was the fifth best on the day.

"Top of the world! Magic!" exclaimed Lovell. "All you have to do is not look down the side."

Turvey was equally impressed.

"It was more or less a perfect drive," Turvey said. "To be honest, my job was very, very easy."

Things were not all peaches and cream for Rhys Millen and Howard Watanabe, however.

This week, Millen received an e-mail from Mitsubishi officials saying, "I had to win today or I wouldn't be back."

After Millen finished fifth, he was despondent. Millen had four consecutive championships on Pikes Peak.

"I wanted to win here this year - gosh," said a choked-up Millen before walking off to sit on a rock to collect his thoughts.

The Subaru team of Ramana Lagemann and Michael Kidd rebounded from near disaster during Friday's qualifying to finish fourth Saturday.

On Friday, they slid out of control on the "Ragged Edge" turn at 12,000 feet before stopping with nearly their entire front end teetering off the cliff with a 2,000-foot plunge threatening below.

Immediately, Kidd jumped out and, along with six photographers, grabbed the rear bumper and pulled. A tow truck saved the car just in time.

The incident was caused when a suspension and tire change gave the team much more grip than they thought.

On Saturday, they went back on the suspension some, making for a much smoother - and safer - ride.

"There's a difference between being fearful and having respect (for the hill)," Lagemann said. "I already had respect. Now I have a little more."

- Nick Walter may be reached at 636-0250 or gtsports@gazette.com