Subaru Rally Team USA Driver David Higgins Sets Mt. Washington Hill Climb Record
Subaru Rally Team USA driver David Higgins broke the long standing Mt. Washington “Climb To The Clouds” Hill Climb record set in 1998.
Piloting his 2011 Subaru WRX STI rally car, Higgins crushed the time set by Frank Sprongl by more than 30-seconds with an official time of 6 minutes and 11.54 seconds. Higgins also beat the unofficial record time set by Travis Pastrana last year of 6:20.47.
True to its reputation, the mountain yielded poor weather throughout the practice days on Friday and Saturday. The field of almost 70 competitors, in the four race classes, was kept to the lower half of the course because of intermittent rain showers and fog. The weather cooperated long enough on Sunday for competitors to get in two timed laps before the course was again engulfed in fog.
“It was a very big challenge because the road was still wet in spots and would turn very slick suddenly. With the clouds the visibility was so low I could hardly see past the hood of my car,” explained Higgins. “Our Subaru is setup perfectly for a road like this but I have never raced here before and it was a lot of work to try to learn the course. It’s fantastic to have the record at such a prestigious event.” Read more
Infineon Raceway Lights Up With Major Panasonic Solar Panel Installation
New High-Efficiency Panasonic Panels From Sanyo Cut Energy Usage
Infineon Raceway, in partnership with Panasonic, has completed a major milestone in energy conservation with the successful installation of 1,652 solar panels at the famed Northern California raceway.
The project, part of Infineon Raceway’s long-standing sustainability initiative, was unveiled to the racing world press for the first time today. The event offered members of the media the opportunity to examine the installation, meet key Infineon Raceway and Panasonic Enterprise Solutions Company executives, and learn more about Panasonic’s plan to become the number one green innovation leader in the electronics industry by 2018 and Infineon’s goal of becoming one of the most energy-efficient raceways in the world.
The high-efficiency solar panels, manufactured by Panasonic’s Sanyo division, will cover 41-percent of the raceway’s energy usage. In a further move designed to reduce energy consumption, Panasonic has also provided the raceway with a low-energy LED video board, replacing the current installation on Highway 37. Read more
Gatorade National Track & Field Athletes of the Year: Amy Weissenbach and Gunnar Nixon
The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with ESPN RISE, announced Amy Weissenbach of Harvard-Westlake School (Studio City, Calif.) and Gunnar Nixon of Santa Fe High School (Edmond, Okla.) as its 2010-11 Gatorade National Track & Field Athletes of the Year. Weissenbach and Nixon were surprised with the news at the 2010-11 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon, where they are both competing.
As the recipients of the 233rd and 234th Gatorade National Player of the Year trophies to be awarded since 1985 in 12 sports, Weissenbach becomes the 18th student-athlete from the state of California to earn Gatorade National Girls Track & Field Athlete of the Year honors, joining, among others, Gold Medalist Allyson Felix (2002-03, Los Angeles Baptist) and American Track & Field sprinter Shalonda Solomon (2003-04, Long Beach Poly), while Nixon becomes the first Oklahoma native to receive Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year recognition.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Weissenbach and Nixon as the nation’s best high school track & field athletes. A national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists helped select Weissenbach and Nixon from more than 1 million girls and boys track & field athletes nationwide. Both are now finalists for the prestigious Gatorade Male and Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July. Read more
UFC Events Expected to Bring Significant Economic Boost to Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission has landed two major Ultimate Fighting Championship events that are expected to generate millions of dollars in economic benefits for the state and local economies.
The UFC events set for June 26 in Pittsburgh’s Consol Energy Center and Aug. 6 in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center could generate between $6 million and $8 million in total economic activity, based on a study of similar events in New York.
Harrisburg native and Penn State All-American wrestler Phil Davis will headline the Philadelphia event, while Hollidaysburg native Charlie Brenneman will be showcased in Pittsburgh.
“With both events featuring Pennsylvania fighters, we project total ticket sales for the two days of about 19,000,” said Greg Sirb, executive director of the State Athletic Commission, which oversees boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling in Pennsylvania. The commission is part of the Department of State. Read more
Guinness World Record Attempt: Most Consecutive Tennis Matches Played
Event to Coincide With Wimbledon Championships – 100% of Proceeds to go to Charity
This summer, endurance athlete Mike Wisner [http://www.mikewisner.com ] will attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the greatest number of three-set tennis matches played in succession.
Guinness World Records have set the record at 20, but Wisner will attempt to play at least 25 consecutive games of tennis on grass, clay and hard courts against opposition made up of celebrities and local players. He will pit his considerable skills against Sam and Holly Branson, children of Sir Richard Branson, amongst others.
Editor-in-chief at Guinness World Records, Craig Glenday, said: “To set a new Guinness World Record, Mike will have to complete 20 three-set tennis matches in succession. This will be a great personal test of endurance and we’d like to wish Mike the very best of luck.” Read more