Tag: Pikes Peak

The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb by Gran Turismo, welcomed drivers from around the globe to Pikes Peak for the 102nd running of the “Race to the Clouds” on June 24. After difficult conditions during practice and qualifying, race day brought cloudless skies and saw one record broken, while two others were established on the 12.42-mile race to the summit of “America’s mountain.”

With the results now official, here’s how the race went down in each category:

EXHIBITION

World Rally champion Dani Sordo clocked the fastest time in the Exhibition division, the Spaniard setting the benchmark Electric Modified SUV/Crossover record in his Hyundai IONIQ 5 N TA Spec (pictured above) with a 9m30.852s. Hyundai established a second electric vehicle record for an Electric Production SUV/Crossover of 10m49.267s, with Ron Zaras behind the wheel. PPIHC veteran Randy Pobst rounded out the trio of Hyundai drivers who brought an impressive effort to Pikes Peak with his time of 9m55.551s.

Colorado’s Gardner Nichols beat the Electric Production Truck record he established in 2023. Racing his 2024 Rivian R1T (pictured, top of page), Nichols shaved 30 seconds off the record with his new clocking of 10m53.883s.

PIKES PEAK GT4 TROPHY BY YOKOHAMA
Turbo

In the inaugural year of the new GT4 division, Laura Hayes (pictured above) bested all drivers in her Mobil 1-backed Toyota Supra GT4, taking top honors in the Turbo-designation class. Her impressive time of 10m20.487s, a personal best, makes her the fastest woman ever to race a car to the 14,115-foot summit. Only Germany’s Lucy Glöckner, who raced a motorcycle in 2019 with her jaw-dropping sub-10 minute time of 9m58.878s, has made a faster run.

PIKES PEAK GT4 TROPHY BY YOKOHAMA
Normally Aspirated

Competitors in two other manufacturer-endorsed efforts, Ford and Porsche, competed in the normally aspirated class. Portugal’s Nuno Caetano came out on top in his Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport with a winning time of 10m23.034s, his best time on Pikes Peak. Robb Holland (pictured at left, above, with Caetano) and Chris Becker, both Colorado drivers, took second and third respectively.

TIME ATTACK 1

It was all Porsche in the Time Attack 1 division. Clocking his fifth sub-10-minute run, a 9m49.429s, David Donohue (pictured above) clinched the division win. Donohue also claimed the Bergmeister Award, given by Porsche Colorado Springs and Fred Veitch, for the fastest Porsche in the entire field.

Kathryn Mead returned for her fifth year on the mountain clocking a new personal best in her Porsche Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, at 10m37.010s.

In third place, Jerome France — a rookie on Pikes Peak — brought in a time of 10m44.501s driving his 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 RS.

OPEN WHEEL

The mountain was not kind to racers in the Open Wheel division. Four contenders, including past champion and division record holder Codie Vahsholtz, were sidelined with mechanical issues on race day. Cole Powelson was forced to change vehicles just days before the race, and the move paid off as he finished fourth overall, and won the division in his 2021 Sierra Alpha (pictured above) with a 9m33.222s, his best time ever.

Rodney O’Maley took the second-place trophy in his 2018 O’Maley Special Spec VIII. Yuri Kouznetsov finished third in his 2014 Apexocet, just four seconds behind O’Maley.

UNLIMITED

Italy’s Christian Merli clocked a 9m04.454s in his 2024 Wolf Aurobay GB08 2.0 HP (pictured above), which was the second-fastest time of the day overall and enough to win him the Unlimited division. Merli was also awarded Rookie of the Year for his impressive accomplishment on America’s Mountain.

Don Wickstrum is now the undisputed “Fastest Pastor” after beating the best time recorded by former PPIHC competitor, also a pastor, Layne Schranz. Wickstrum clocked a 9m40.512s, finishing in the top five overall.

Third place went to the UK’s Duncan Cowper who, in a nod to Wickstrum, bills himself as “The Fastest Plasterer.” This was Cowper’s second consecutive third-place result.

PIKES PEAK OPEN

France’s Romain Dumas, now a five-time “King of the Mountain,” mastered Pikes Peak 156 turns in the Ford Performance all-electric entry, a 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck (pictured above). His division title and the overall win — which came despite a nerve-wracking stall early in his run — were awarded for his run of 8m53.553s.

Claiming second in the division was Coloradan Jimmy Ford in a 2017 Ford Mustang owned by former PPIHC Stock Car division winner Joel Newcomer. Ford qualified in the Fast 15, and on race day, clocked a sub-10-minute time.

In a remarkable third-place finish, rookie Ethan Hunter of Colorado Springs — a late addition from the entry waitlist — finished in 10m47.501s in his 2013 Port City Stock Car.

OFFICIAL RESULTS

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:

The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb welcomed 64 drivers to the 12.42-mile course, kicking off racing action with the traditional early morning practice runs Tuesday. With four days of practice, competitors in six divisions will get a crack at one of three sections of the mountain each day. All competitors qualify in the lower section to determine their start order in Sunday’s race.

LOWER SECTION – With the Pikes Peak Open and Exhibition divisions on hand, the current course record holder, Romain Dumas, set a Pikes Peak Open qualifying record with a blistering 3m32.831s during his fourth qualifying run. It marked the second year in a row that Dumas and an electric Ford Performance entry — this time a 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck — would best the previous mark. Joining him in the sub-four-minute range was Jimmy Ford, who first broke the barrier on his third run and then did so twice more.

Of the Exhibition runners, multi-time WRC event winner Dani Sordo paced the class in his Hyundai IONIQ 5 N TA Spec. Sordo’s best run came in the third session for the group, as he posted a 4m01.514s. Fellow rookie Ron Zaras was second in class in the more production-based variant of the IONIQ 5 N with a 4m28.796s.

MIDDLE SECTION – Two closely matched pairs in the Open Wheel and Time Attack 1 classes kept things interesting all morning long. The Open Wheel entries of Codie Vahsholtz and Cole Powelson each posted their top times on their final runs; Vahsholtz ran a 2m33.988s in his 2013 Ford Open, while Powelson — following a late switch to the proven 2021 Sierra Alpha –ended the morning with a 2m38.839s.

Leading a Porsche lockout of the top five overall times in TA1, David Donohue, in his 2014 911 Turbo R, set a time of 2m42.285s in the second run, and the battle was on for anyone to catch him. Raymond Guerrero came closest, posting a 2m45.167s in the fourth run in his 2019 GT2 RS Clubsport.

UPPER SECTION – European hill climb champion Christian Merli set the bar high for the rest of the Unlimited competitors in the 2024 Wolf Aurobay GB08, with a 2m32.637s in his second pass up to the finish line. That was nearly five seconds faster than veteran Dan Novembre, also in a Wolf, who posted a 2m37.265s in his final run.

In the new Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama division, Nuno Caetano had the best time with a 2m47.970s which came in his seventh of eight runs. Behind him, Laura Hayes and Robb Holland were separated by less than half a second, with each posting times in the 2m51s range.

The 102nd Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo is set for Sunday, June 23. Live timing can be found all week long at livetiming.net/ppihc.

Sessions slated for the remainder of Race Week are listed below:

Practice/Qualifying Day 2: Wednesday, June 19
Upper Section: Time Attack 1, Open Wheel
Middle Section: Pikes Peak Open, Exhibition
Lower Section (Qualifying): Unlimited, Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama

Practice/Qualifying Day 3: Thursday, June 20
Upper Section: Pikes Peak Open, Exhibition
Middle Section: Unlimited, Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama
Lower Section (Qualifying): Time Attack 1, Open Wheel

Optional Sanctioned Practice: Friday, June 21
Upper Section: Unlimited, Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama
Middle Section: Time Attack 1, Open Wheel
Lower Section: Pikes Peak Open, Exhibition

The 101st running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo added a number of feats and achievements to the long-running story of the “Race to the Clouds.” The race is conducted on a 12.42-mile paved course consisting of 156 turns that boasts an elevation gain of 4,725 feet, and reaches a finish line at 14,115 feet. Champions were crowned in six divisions, while seven race records were toppled. The podium finishers in each division were as follows:

Unlimited
British driver Robin Shute, now residing in Long Beach, Calif., sent his 2018 Wolf TSC-FS to the summit in a sizzling 8m40.080s, claiming first in the Unlimited division and earning his fourth “King of the Mountain” crown.

Dan Novembre of Colorado Springs, made his 15th run to the summit to claim a division second place in his 2013 Wolf GB08S TC Special in 9m27.611s.

Pikes Peak rookie Duncan Cowper, also representing Great Britain, captured third in the 2009 Cowper Dax Rush Pikes Peak Special with an impressive sub-10-minute run of 9m57.072s.

Pikes Peak Open
Romain Dumas of Switzerland, four-time King of the Mountain and overall course record holder, grabbed top honors in the Pikes Peak Open division in the purpose-built 2023 Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 (pictured at left, Ford Performance photo) with a run of 8m47.682s. His time beat the 2019 record set by Peter Cunningham, setting a new mark in the Pikes Peak Open division. The PPIHC overall course record set by Dumas in 2018 in the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak, a blistering 7m57.148s, still reigns.

France’s Raphael Astier claimed second place in the 2018 Alpine A110 GT4 Evo in 9m17.412s.

James Clay of Dublin, Va., took third in a 1995 BMW M3, just three seconds behind Astier with a 9m20.433s.

Time Attack 1
David Donohue of West Chester, Pa., not only won the division with his 2019 Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport, but bested the former record set in 2020 by David Donner. Donohue stepped to the top of the podium with a time of 9m18.053s – a prestigious win for Brumos. As the fastest Porsche on the mountain, Donohue also received the Bergmeister Award, given by Porsche of Colorado Springs and Fred Veitch. The award also allowed the winner to designate a cause or charity of their choice to direct the $1,000 cash award. Donohue graciously awarded the funds to the newly established 43 Institute Foundation in honor of the late Ken Block.

Racer, film maker, driver coach and PPIHC Hall of Famer Jeff Zwart of Aspen, Colo., drove his 2019 Porsche 935/19 to second place in 9m46.131s.

Acura’s James Robinson of Raymond, Ohio, finished third in his 2022 NSX in 10m11.950s.

Open Wheel
Codie Vahsholtz of Woodland Park, Colo., piloting the 2013 Ford Open Vahsholtz Custom, clocked a new Open Wheel division record, besting his father Clint’s record set in 2020 — in the same car. Codie’s time was 9m19.192s.

Sylas Montgomery, a PPIHC newcomer, grabbed second place in the throwback 2007 MFG Road Course Sprint Car — a build harkening back to the early sprint car designs on Pikes Peak. His time was 9m55.993s. As the fastest rookie, overall, Montgomery was also awarded 2023 PPIHC Rookie of the Year.

Back on the mountain for the first time since 2015, “Texas Dave” Carapetyan of Dale, Texas proved he hadn’t forgotten one of those 156 turns, taking third place in the 2023 Sierra Alpha in 10m04.665s.

Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama
In a tight race, the spec-Porsche division welcomed three PPIHC rookies to the podium. The difference in their finish times spanned only five seconds. Hayden Bradley, an 18-year-old from St. Petersburg, Fla., took the win with a time of 10m48.387s in the 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.

Nuno Caetano traveled from Lisbon, Portugal to the summit of America’s Mountain to claim a division second-place finish in his 2020 Porsche Cayman Clubsport in 10m50.741s.

Third place went to Hutton McKenna of Norwalk, Calif., for his clocking of 10m55.746s behind the wheel of his 2023 Porsche GT4.

Exhibition
Tanner Foust of Newport Beach, Calif., was tapped by Radford to take its Ant Anstead/Jenson Button build to the summit for the 101st running. Foust’s division win in the 2023 Radford Type 62-2 put him in first in the eclectic Exhibition division with a time of 9m37.326s.

Randy Pobst, racing out of Atlanta, Ga., took second in the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid, bringing a loyal fan base to cheer him on to a finish time of 9m54.901s. Pobst’s clocking was a new Electric Modified Car record.

Rhys Millen of Huntington Beach, Calif., racing a bright yellow, Pennzoil-liveried 2023 BMW M8, claimed third while setting a new Production Car record of 10m12.024s. This topped his former production record set in 2019 with a Bentley Continental GT.

Other notable highlights
In his diesel-fueled Exhibition division entry, the Radical SR Diesel, Frenchman Gregoire Blachon roared to the summit in 10m25.071s, smashing Scott Birdsall’s 2020 record of 11m24.065s.

Kathryn Mead of Austin, Texas, edged the time set by Vanina Ickx in 2018 — 10m54.901s — with her fourth-place finish in the Time Attack 1 division, marking her as the fastest woman to race a car on Pikes Peak. Mead’s time of 10m53.074s gave her the distinction. Only Germany’s Lucy Glockner aboard her BMW motorcycle in 2019, notching a sub-10-minute run of 9m58.878s, has been faster. Mead also earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2020.

Gardner Nichols, a PPIHC Rookie from Basalt, Colo., set the initial record for the Electric Production Truck/Van entry, racing his 2022 Rivian R1T in the Exhibition division to a finish time of 11m23.983s.

Stream all the action from the 101st Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo.

After weather forced the postponement of Thursday’s practice and qualifying day for the 101st running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, competitors found much more favorable conditions on Friday. With each group taking on their final section of the mountain, it was the last opportunity for drivers in this year’s field to make a statement on the track before Sunday’s race.

LOWER SECTION – Second overall between the Exhibition and Open Wheel groups on Wednesday, Open Wheel competitor Codie Vahsholtz put down the top qualifying time on Friday with a 3m52.816s in his first run in the Ford Open Vahsholtz Custom. Vahsholtz was the only driver in the lower section to break the four-minute barrier today, which he did on both of his runs.

That left second place to the Exhibition division leader, and it came down to a spirited battle once again between Tanner Foust’s Radford Type 62-2 and Randy Pobst’s Tesla Model S Plaid. Foust’s second run, a 4m03.677s, got it; he improved on his previous pass by more than five seconds. Pobst elected to skip the first pass and laid down a 4:04.561 on the second, but was unable to improve on that result with another shot as qualifying wrapped up.

Fourth overall and top rookie across the two divisions was Sylas Montgomery, whose MFG Road Course Sprint Car laid down a 4m05.374s in the third and final run. “Mad” Mike Whiddett and Matt Mullins continued their battle for top rookie honors in Exhibition, with Whiddett’s 4m23.867s in the second run just over three seconds clear of Mullins.

MIDDLE SECTION – In a reverse of Wednesday’s qualifying results in the lower section, it was Pikes Peak Open leader and reigning course record holder Romain Dumas posting the fastest time of all with a blistering 2m14.067s in the Ford Performance SuperVan4. Defending “King of the Mountain” Robin Shute’s Wolf TSC-FS was second overall and atop the Unlimited division with a time of 2m23.622s, while Pikes Peak Open competitor Raphael Astier was third with a 2m24.728s in the Alpine A110 GT4 Evo.

In fact, the Pikes Peak Open class took four of the overall top five on the day, with James Clay (2m28.886s) fourth and Dai Yoshihara (2m33.406s) nipping Unlimited runner-up Dan Novembre by under a tenth of a second. The top rookie time went to Duncan Cowper.

UPPER SECTION – Yet again, David Donohue and Jeff Zwart topped the Time Attack 1 charts as their group moved to the top of the mountain. Donohue’s 2:30.978 came in his third run and Zwart’s 2:44.077 came in his fourth. Third in the division came down to James Robinson and Clint Vahsholtz, with Robinson taking the honor by just over a second and a half.

Like Donohue, Hayden Bradley made it a perfect three-for-three in leading his division, the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama. Bradley’s 3:00.118 in his final run was just over a second ahead of Nuno Caetano. All six competitors in the division clocked times within a 10-second range.

The 101st running of the Race to the Clouds — the 12.42-mile, 156-turn, 4,725 ft climb to the 14,115ft summit of Colorado’s Pikes Peak — gets underway at 9:30am ET on Sunday, Live streaming is available here.

RESULTS