Sep. 2, 2011

Edward Hugo of Brydon, Hugo & Parker in San Francisco broke the three-minute, 41-second barrier in the 2011 Virginia City Hill Climb. Also known as the Spectre 341 Challenge, the race is held annually on a 5.2-mile stretch of “Highway 341,” which is closed to the public for the race in Virginia City, Nevada. From a standing start, competitors race street-legal cars up a two-lane mountain road with 22 turns, many of them blind turns, off-camber or posted at 25 mph, plus an elevation change from 5000 feet above sea level to 6200 feet above sea level. The Ferrari Owners Club of Southern California started the hill climb in 1972, and since then, 53 competitors have completed the course in under 3:41, with an average speed of 85 mph or higher. In June, Hugo piloted his 2008 Dodge Viper up the course at an average speed of almost 90 mph, crossing the finish line in 3:32. “It’s a great challenge. You have to be totally focused and temper your aggression with common sense and experience while speeding over mountain roads with sporadic guardrails and serious cliffs. And you have to know when to stop. Chasing faster times has fatal consequences on this road,” Hugo said. The course has claimed the lives of at least three competitors, and many members of the 3:41 Club have crashed their cars seeking faster times.