Qualifying for the 102nd Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by Gran Turismo continued on Thursday with the Time Attack 1 and Open Wheel divisions posting their times on the lower section, although continued inclement weather higher up prevented the upper section from running once again and cancelled running in the middle section as well.
LOWER SECTION – With wet weather persisting as teams unloaded, there was a chance that running for all three sections could have been cancelled for today. Veteran drivers Codie Vahsholtz (Open Wheel) and David Donohue (Time Attack 1, pictured above) were among those tasked to scout the section and make a determination whether or not drivers should run today, or risk waiting until tomorrow with a possible rescheduling.
Shortly after the 5:00am driver’s meeting, Vahsholtz and Donohue returned to the start line and gave their blessing. While the running was slightly delayed and teams would start on wet tires, these divisions would at least have the certainty of posted times by the end of the morning. And as the track dried out, drivers were able to switch to dry tires and set more representative times.
In their first running since Tuesday’s middle section, Vahsholtz and Cole Powelson would once again go 1-2 throughout the day. Vahsholtz would set the benchmark on wets at 4m09.088s to Powelson’s 4m26.840s, and he became the first Open Wheel driver to break four minutes on the second run. Finally, on the third and final run of the day, both drivers broke the barrier, with Vahsholtz’s 3m53.022s and Powelson’s 3m59.048s first and second overall.
Donohue’s 4m05.327s topped Time Attack 1, nearly 16 seconds ahead of Kathryn Mead in the division. Jim Hall II and Katherine Legge were the top two rookies of the day.
Optional practice continues Friday, with the race set for Sunday.
Top qualifiers by division:
