100th Pikes Peak Hill Climb brings bad weather, heartbreak

Hill climb? Please. When Europeans put in the weekend driving up a nobleman’s driveway at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, we in ‘Murica bought down and filthy with the 100th working up Pikes Peak. In a reversal of stereotypes, it is we who have understated. The “hill” climb ascends a single of the tallest peaks in the Rockies, to a end line that’s 14,115 feet previously mentioned sea amount. To get there, it normally takes 156 turns in excess of 12.42 miles, some of which just seem like paved sky, since they have have no guardrails among the asphalt’s edge and sheer dropoffs.

In actuality, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is even more mature than 100 several years. The initial party took place in 1916, but in 1917-19 and 1942-45, the so-termed Race to the Clouds was place on hiatus thanks to a few of earth wars. This year’s occasion was marked by damp climate that dashed the hopes of many teams’ initiatives to crack new data.

David Donner’s Porsche 911 Turbo S Light-weight Package, for case in point, was commonly envisioned to reclaim the generation motor vehicle file this calendar year. Donner is a three-time PPIHC champ, and set the 2014 production automobile file in a 991-generation Turbo S.  A Bentley Continental GT piloted by Rhys Millen conquer it in 2019, so Porsche was keen on getting it back. Donner broke the generation qualifying time earlier in the 7 days, but even the seasoned pro couldn’t put his capabilities to tarmac owing to dampness-laden surfaces and small-visibility from thick fog on race working day. The outcome was 10:34.053, more than 15 seconds slower than Millen’s 10:18.488, however good adequate to land the class’s best location and second overall.

Acura arrived in Colorado to carry out its considerably-touted motorsports debut of the 2023 Integra. While the entry-amount sporting activities sedan, equipped with a inventory engine but modified with a slew of HPD goodies, arrived in ninth in the generation course, Acura failed to go residence emptyhanded. A 2022 NSX Form S pushed by Nick Robinson took the category’s third location. Getting next was Daijiro Yoshihara with a Tesla Product S. In the latest many years, electric vehicles have become a pressure to be reckoned with, particularly due to the fact they are immune to high altitudes that negatively affect interior combustion autos.

Poor circumstances sent newcomer Levi Shirley’s Extremely 4 buggy off study course. The good news is, it was in the vicinity of the decreased sections, wherever you can find continue to a sizeable total of runoff past the pavement’s conclude. Amazingly, Shirley landed wheels down in the video clip above, and merely ongoing driving by the pea soup haze.

Yet another Porsche disappointment came from Ken Block’s a lot talked about, tailor made, 1,400-horsepower 911. Regrettably, a blown engine brought on the 2,200-pound AWD equipment to overlook qualifying.

The UK’s Robin Shute took major honors all round with his Honda-run TSC Wolf in the unlimited course. But to give a sense of how substantially weather impacted the proceedings, his 10:09.525 time was just about a whole moment slower than his 2019-profitable time of 9:12.476. 

Last but not the very least, a nostalgia-fueled entrant arrived in the kind of Rod Millen’s Toyota Tacoma. The legendary device won the PPIHC in 1998 and 1999, and the 750-horsepower “truck” was brought out of retirement to race yet again. This yr, it clocked a 11:06.152, practically a minute off its 1999-profitable 10:11.15 time (which took place just before the program was totally paved). 

In most races, motorists face off in opposition to every single other. But at Pikes Peak, the competitiveness is only the mountain, and there is a stating that goes, “The mountain decides.” This yr, it determined to rain on the parades of history demanding hopefuls.