BEHIND THE WHEEL – BRETT DICKIE

PPIHC
November 9, 2023

BRETT DICKIE SHOWCASES HONDA S2000 ON PIKES PEAK – AMERICA’S MOUNTAIN

Colorado Springs, CO – Passion: An intense desire or enthusiasm for something – in this case, racing a car to the 14,115′ summit of Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain. Returning racer, Brett Dickie, traveled from Melbourne, Australia to do just that. Dickie made his second appearance in the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo in June in the Unlimited division driving the Project Import Honda S2000.

It’s a big effort for each of the 70 invited competitors, but even more so when it involves traveling more than 8700 miles to do so. Dickie, along with Project Import, car owner Kiet Le, engineer Amir Bentatou, and the entire team spent months testing, tuning, and arranging logistics in preparation for the 101st Running.

How It Started

Dickie’s racing career began when he was eight years old. He’s missed only one year of racing since. Years of diligence and skill-building paid dividends as he began collecting championships.

In 2018 he claimed 1st place in the Clubsprint World Champion class at the World Time Attack Challenge and 1st in the Rear-Wheel-Drive Open class at the Victorian Time Attack. In 2019 he was crowned Australian Champion in the Australian Honda Nationals.

Dickie has competed at Sydney Motorsports Park in the World Time Attack Challenge; the Sandown International Raceway in Melbourne; Circuit of the Americas in Austin, TX; the Winton Motor Raceway in Australia; the Phillip Island Grand Prix; and Global Time Attack at Road America in Atlanta, GA.

First Time Around

Dickie recalled, “I met the amazing crew from Project Import back in 2018 when I won World Time Attack in the Clubsprint class. After a few trips to the USA we were out for dinner one night in 2020 when Pikes Peak came up in conversation. The owner mentioned it was a dream to do it. I said, “‘Don’t dream! Let’s do!’ and we decided to rebuild the team’s Honda S2000 Time Attack car.

We added a custom Honda F24C engine, a 6-speed sequential gear box, Emtron KV8 ECU, Garrett Turbo, RS Future Areo, and lots more in our initial bid to tame the mountain.

In the lead up to my rookie run in 2021, I relocated to California from Australia for two months before the event due to COVID restrictions at the time and started a ground up rebuild on the car,” shared Dickie. “In Australia, I race a family owned Honda S2000 powered tube chassis car and the car owner, Kiet, and I decided that we would copy the drive line out of that car to help speed up the process so we could head to the mountain with a proven package…well, proven in Australia anyway.”

While dismal weather on race day would hamper a full course run for every competitor, Dickie reached the shortened course finish line at the 16 Mile marker with a respectable time of 07:58.078.

Recalling his 2021 effort, Dickie said, “Myself and Will (Au Yeung) have been mates since 2018, and he was one of the first to congratulate me. This picture means a lot to us both since we are both supported by Emtron ECUs in Australia. It doesn’t matter who is faster, we are always there to support each other.”

Encore Performance

“The car we ran this year was not too far from our 2021 car,” Dickie pointed out. “We changed back to a 2.0 liter engine to try and coax some more rpm out of the car, and we changed our Garrett Turbo package to suit.”

Reflecting on the day, Dickie shared, “The mountain turned the weather on and was playing kind, compared to a shortened 2021 event! The car was having some other ideas. As I set off on my race run the car just didn’t feel 100% and as I pressed on through the lower and middle sections, the brake pedal in the car strangely went soft at Glen Cove before going rock hard at Double Cut. I managed to push on not letting the summit slip through my fingertips. When I reached the summit I was surprised when I was told our time was a 10.52.636.”

GET TO KNOW BRETT DICKIE

Three Things For Fans To Know:

“My first time driving in America, I drove on the I-5 in California on the wrong side of the road for three miles until I noticed!”

“Yes, I live in Australia. No, I don’t ride a kangaroo to work or have one as a pet.”

“I once got a tattoo on my right foot that says, “Never Lift”

Any Pikes Peak Heroes? “Sebastien Loeb and Rhys Millen”

What makes racing on Pikes Peak different? “The atmosphere, the fans and the competitors, once you arrive at the mountain you are all family.”

Favorite corner? “Olympic!”

What challenged you most? “Cog Cut is always challenging, but this year, we also had braking issues on race day.”

Favorite Race Track? “Phillip Island, Australia“

Any superstitions or good luck charms? “Not so much a superstition or good luck charm but, my grandparents helped me become who I am today, so in tribute they have been on the back of my helmet for many years and I can take them along on this amazing ride with me.”

Watch Brett Dickie reach the summit during his 2023 run!