There was a total of 58 races run Saturday and Sunday at the first Peake’s Pike Challenge staged just aboveLong Eddy on Route 97.

Gary Peake engineered and hosted the challenge run on a drag strip 100 yards long. Some four-wheelers flew down the track at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. With some of the entries powered by engines as big as the 454 Chevy, these races take only seconds and are finished almost before you can turn your head to see who crossed the line first.

Carol Peake won the uphill and flag drags while other winners included Bob Moser of Long Island, (who resides summers in Roscoe); Mike Scott of Hanover, N.J.; Brenda Tabor of South Plainfield, N.J.; Norm Thompson of East Orange, N.J.; and Warren Williams of Piscataway, N.J. Members of the Boondock Blazers Club of New Jersey competed along with other four-wheel drive racing clubs from New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Pennsylvania.

Classes were broken down by the weight of the vehicles divided by the cubic inches of the motor. Points were added for mechanical work that would enhance speed.

The obstacle course consists of two separate courses which both drivers are required to drive (races pit one diver against the other). The first course is circular in shape with a hidden tree stump being one of the toughest obstacles. There is also a tight corner which requires the drivers to downshift and then rapidly accelerate in the turn so they can slide their machines around. A driver who takes the corner too fast or forgets to cut it hard, will suddenly be confronted with a large oak tree.

The other side of the course has a steep uphill in the very beginning then a short straightaway guarded very closely by trees. The course ends with a slight downhill followed by a rough corner which takes daring and skill to maneuver your car without stalling or touching down a post. Stalling or touching spells instant victory for your opponent.

The course took its toll this past weekend as three cars were put out of commission for the rest of the races. One car fell victim to the huge trees at the top of the second course, while the other two vehicles didn’t quite have enough chassis to make it over the hidden stump and wound up losing one of their gears.