Ernie Ramirez embodies the spirit of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Rob Namnoum
Ernie Ramirez has dreamt for a long time of racing in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, “It’s been about six years. It’s been a long time, honestly but I’m here, little steps but I’m here,” says Ernie Ramirez.
It was more than just little steps. He quit his job, moved from California to Centennial to pursue his passion, “I left my whole family and friends behind to move here just for Pikes Peak and to race the mountain,” says Ramirez.
In order to race the mountain, he had to build the engine for his car, “So, yeah, I think that really it probably took me, I would say, 3 to 4 days, maybe like 3 hours per day on my free time,” says Ramirez.
Ernie doesn’t have a machine shop, so he built his engine on his kitchen table, “Everything was just laid on top of the table. We couldn’t even eat on the table. You know, my fiancee got really, really upset, but she understood and she was supportive about it. So I was like, sure, why not? I mean, if you saw my table, like it’s completely scratched up oil stains, like we’re so due for a table, but it means something to us now. So we just we just embrace it,” says Ramirez.
He is embracing everything about the hill climb. When his car passed inspection, when he put the inspection sticker on his ride, he was overcome with emotion, “Being able to pass, check on my first try with no questions. It was such a relief. It was something I’ve been working so hard for for a really long time. So I’m just happy,” says Ramirez.
This is Ernie’s pursuit of happiness, “Every time you talk to people, you tell them, Hey, look, this is a dream of mine. They brush it off. People sometimes think that racing is just a pastime, but for me, it’s more of a lifestyle. It’s what keeps me, like, driven to be better in life too,” says Ramirez.