Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race

The Mount Washington Hillclimb Auto Race, also known as the Climb to the Clouds, is a timed hillclimb auto race up the Mount Washington Auto Road to the summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. It is one of the oldest auto races in the country, first run on July 11 and 12, 1904, predating the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb. The event was revived in 2011 and was held again in 2014, with another event scheduled for 2017.

The Mount Washington Hill Climb Auto Race was held off and on from 1904–1961, then not again until 1990, when Howie Wemyss, manager of the Auto Road, Robert Brotherus, a Finnish rally driver, and 11-time Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) ProRally champion, John Buffum, brought the race back.

Originally created by early auto manufactures to showcase their vehicles, the Auto Road was chosen to prove the ability of these "horseless carriages". The inaugural "Climb to the Clouds" featured many makes of cars including Rambler, Mercedes, Oldsmobile, Stanley Steamer, Pierce, and a single Daimler, which were placed in categories based on their price. Although the Daimler and the Stanley Steamer driven by F. E. Stanley were favored, Harry Harkness drove to victory in a Mercedes, which ascended the 7.4-mile (11.9 km) course in 24 minutes, 37 seconds. This was quite impressive compared to the 2 hours, 10 minutes it took the first automobile to climb the Auto Road in 1899, a Stanley Locomobile. The course runs from an altitude of 1,604 feet (489 m) at Glen House to 6,260 feet (1,908 m) at the summit, for an average gradient of 11.8%.

...
Wikipedia