Giants Despair Hillclimb July 10, 2011 - Jack Danko Sr.
This in-car video features Jack Danko, Sr. in his Ford Continental Indy car in the July 9-10, 2011 Giants Despair Hillclimb. The road course was freshly paved just two weeks prior by Pikes Creek Construction and Willkes-Barre Materials with Evotherm Warm-Mix Asphalt supplied by NuStar Energy. Drivers said the new pavement was a significant improvement over the old course and traction was outstanding for a new road. In the video, if you look closely, you will see logos for NuStar, Evotherm, and the Asphalt Institute's web site www.FavoriteRoad.com on the hood of Danko's car just to the right of the steering wheel.
The Giants Despair Hillclimb is a SCCA hillclimb road race established in 1906 just outside Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in Laurel Run, PA. It is the oldest continuing motorsport event in Pennsylvania and one of the oldest road races in the USA. Race drivers from across the nation gather annually on East Northampton Street, the name of the road that winds its way through a 1 mile (1.6 km) section of Pennsylvania's steep mountains. Rising 650 feet (200 m), the course reaches grades up to 20% and has six turns—including the 110 "Devil's Elbow"— in the race to the top.
In its first years, the race was a proving ground by the biggest names in the automotive industry. Louis Chevrolet raced the hill in 1909 driving for Buick. Carroll Shelby , Roger Penske, and Oscar Koveleski are just a few of the famous drivers that set out to tackle the mile. The current record holder is Darryl Danko, who ran the course in 38.360 seconds in 2007. Today, the Hillclimb is run on the second weekend of July and is organized by the Pennsylvania Hillclimb Association (PHA).