The Unlimited Class featured two old rivals. Despite blowing a motor in practice and having to airfreight a new powerplant for his RS200 from England, Per Eklund knew Stig Blomqvist wouldn't give up. "He hates to lose to me," said Eklund. "For 40 years, it's a big fight every time. He is very good. It is not easy to beat him." Both the Saab and the Ford ran out of brakes by Devil's Playground, making the last few miles very interesting. "Given our problem before, [today] was not too bad," said Blomqvist. "I had no brakes. We're too old, we brake too much!" Said Eklund, "After that Devil's place the pedal went to the floor. Then you hit maximum speed [as you head into Bottomless Pit], 200 kph, and think 'what is the plan?' I'm too old for this!" Expect both back next year.
Mike Ryan was the last competitor up the hill, following his two competitors in the Big Rigs. Watching a 3,000-hp Freightliner thunder up the mountain at a ProRally Group N pace is quite a sight. But nothing could prepare anyone at the 14,100-ft summit this year for the sight of Ryan's truck flipping onto its side as it crossed the finish line. Ryan set a new single-axle record of 13:21.4, tripping the laser a split-second before his truck crushed the timing apparatus.
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