Donner has tough hill to climb

Sullivan, Tajima imposing foes for three-time champ

Tracy Renck, Special to the News

Published July 1, 2006 at midnight

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CASCADE - When big-name drivers such as Danny Sullivan and Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima entered this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, David Donner seemed to get lost in the shuffle.

Donner might not be considered a marquee attraction, but he's a three-time overall champion at the Hill Climb, including last year. Donner, who competes in Open Wheel, is driving a 2006 Donner Special Indy-style car powered by a NASCAR Chevrolet SB2.2 engine designed specifically for Pikes Peak.

Donner will try to become the king of the Hill Climb again at 9 a.m. today during the 84th running of the race to the top of the 14,110-foot peak.

"The road is beautiful and I am really excited for the race," Donner said. "We have been working all the glitches and kinks out to make sure that everything is ready."

A year ago, Donner's NASCAR engine had a bearing problem on the first day of practice.

Donner pulled out an engine he has had for years, which he has nicknamed "Old Faithful." All the old engine did was power Donner to the top of Pikes Peak in 11 minutes, 15.685 seconds to capture the overall title.

"We had to turn to Old Faithful and it did the job and won for the third time," Donner said. "We still have Old Faithful, and it's a great engine, but its worn out. This new engine has a tremendous amount more power. This is new technology and more contemporary to the stuff that they are running now in NASCAR."

Although Donner might get overlooked by most fans, Wally Dallenbach Jr. is well aware of Donner's skills.

"David just brings class to this race," Dallenbach said. "He's a great guy and I know my brother and I love racing against him."

Dallenbach again is driving in Open Wheel. The class also includes his brother Paul Dallenbach, who has won overall crowns in 1993, 2003 and 2004.

Donner, 41, is a Colorado Springs native whose family has an impressive history with the "Race to the Clouds."

In addition to David's three overall championships, his dad, Bobby, won three Hill Climbs in the 1960s in a Porsche, and his late brother Bobby Jr. won the overall championship in 1989.

"There's no question that this race is very special to me," Donner said.

There has been plenty of buzz this week about the possibility of a driver breaking the 10-minute barrier on the 12.42-mile course.

New Zealand's Rod Millen holds the record of 10 minutes, 4 seconds, set in 1994.

The favorite to set a record - at least until Friday - was Tajima, the Japanese motor sports legend who had been consistently fast in practice. But Tajima's quest to break the 10- minute barrier took a major hit in practice.

Tajima was driving his new Pikes Peak Suzuki Grand Vitara when he slid off the road and into the woods a little more than a quarter-mile from the practice finish line at Glen Cove.

It took Hill Climb safety workers more than an hour to remove his car, which cost more than $1 million, from the woods.

"This was 100 percent my mistake," said Tajima, who is making his first appearance at the Hill Climb since 2001.

When asked if his car would be ready for today's race, Tajima said, "Of course."

Tajima's crew plans to work around the clock to get the car back in shape.

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