Driver races Freightliner to mountain summit

Stunt driver Mike Ryan raced his custom-built Freightliner Cascadia to the summit of Mt. Washington in Pinkham Notch, N.H., in the “Climb to the Clouds” Hillclimb, the country’s oldest motor sports event.

Ryan roared up the 7.6-mile serpentine tarmac and gravel road to the 6,288-foot summit in 8 minutes, 2 seconds, claiming a record for the course. He hit a top speed of 94 mph.

“The Climb to the Clouds race was a new challenge for me and the crew, and the Cascadia handled the twists and turns beautifully,” said Ryan.

Ryan’s truck includes an enhanced aerodynamic package and a lighter-weight composite body, and was designed to tackle hill climb races.

Ryan, who participates in competitions all over the world, transports his race truck using a custom Freightliner Business Class M2 106 installed with a heavyweight Jerr-Dan 10-ton BIC carrier tow body.

In addition to the Climb to the Clouds, Ryan holds six Class 8 records in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and two at the Queenstown Gold Rush Hill Climb in New Zealand.

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