Almost every summer, Rhys Millen travels to the Colorado Springs area to compete in The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He always eats at Amanda’s Fonda on Colorado Avenue and Uncle Sam’s Pancake House. He usually stays at the same motel.

His family, he says, is a little worried about these annual trips to the Springs.

Even if he quits racing, Millen’s family has made it clear they want to return to Colorado Springs each summer.

“Everyone is quite accustomed to us being here,” Millen says. “I could see myself living in Colorado. I would live here for sure.”

Millen, who lives in California, will drive a $230,000 Bentley SUV, equipped with a 600-horsepower engine, in Sunday’s competition. His goal is simple: To push the Bentley to the best SUV time in Hill Climb history. A Range Rover ran the course in 12:42 in 2013. Millen hopes to chop the record to 10:50 on Sunday.

He’s watched a great change in the race. When he started, much of the course was still dirt. On Sunday, he will race on a paved course. The paving was competed in 2011.

In the old days, Millen says, drivers needed to know “every inch” of the road.

“The pavement has become a huge equalizer in ability to go fast in your first year,” he says.

A driver, he says, can be a little off in his steering and his braking and “still put in a really good time.”

“You really had to know the road back in the day,” he says. “The pavement has allowed people to have a very, very fast car and make up for lack of experience on the mountain.”

Rhys was the overall winner of the Hill Climb in 2012. His father, Rod, was the overall winner five times in six years from 1994-1999.

Vahsholtz seeks 24th victory

Clint Vahsholtz is seeking, he says, his 24th victory at the Hill Climb. He’ll be racing a 2014 McLaren in the Time Attack 1 category.

“Pikes Peak,” he says, “it’s very challenging. You’ve got to stay focused.

“There’s a lot of Pikes Peak gods up there. You got to be nice to them and not take advantage of them and they’ll allow you to get to the top.”

Vahsholtz embraces the modern, paved race, but he misses the days when the course was dirt.

“I think the pavement has helped the race by making it faster,” he says. “but from a driver’s standpoint the dirt was so phenomenal because you never knew what the grip would be around each corner. The dirt demanded so much finesse.”

Demonstration car grounded

The street-legal Jannarelly vehicle was damaged in an off-course incident on Thursday evening and will not be able to participate in the Hill Climb on Sunday, representatives said in a statement. The driver was treated and released. There were no other passengers or vehicles involved.

The car’s role in event was to make a demonstration run between the motorcycle program and auto program.