FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brumos Collection and Brumos Racing Return to Pikes Peak in 2023 with
David Donohue Seeking to
Break Division Record
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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (March 2, 2023) – The Brumos Collection and Brumos Racing announced today that they will compete for the second straight year at the 101st running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, on June 25, 2023. Also known as The Race to the Clouds, the PPIHC is an invitational automobile hill climb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado.
This event marks the second competition for Brumos Collection/Brumos Racing since 2013, when Brumos Racing retired from 50 years of competing in a variety of series and classes.
David Donohue will again drive the Brumos Collection/Brumos Racing Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport prepared by BBI Autosport, decked out in the iconic Brumos Racing livery, that he raced in 2022 to a Time Attack 1 division win at a time of 10:35.830. Last year’s climb was held under severe foggy conditions, preventing the team from breaking the Time Attack 1 record of 9:36.559, set by David Donner in 2020 in a Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport.
The goal this year, in celebration of Brumos Racing’s 50th anniversary of the team’s overall win at the 1973 24 Hours of Daytona, is to defend the division win while breaking that record.
“Knowing we have a proven tool to work with in the car, we are focused on refinements other than any big changes,” said Donohue. “Last year we received the car late with little time for BBI to prepare the car. We spent the rest of June finishing the details at Porsche Colorado Springs while trying to find pace on the mountain at the same time."
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Above the clouds at the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. (Image by Larry Chen)
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Donohue added, “With a new partner in Gunther Werks, and continuing again with Yokohama Tires, the aerodynamics combined with the grip from the ADVAN racing tires gives us the potential to break the Time Attack 1 record, if the weather will cooperate.
“Airtech Advanced Materials is also helping us again using their advanced additive manufacturing and composite capabilities to further strengthen and refine various components on the car.
“All in all, I am very excited for this year’s competition, a new century for Pikes Peak, the 50th anniversary for Airtech Advanced Materials, and a celebration commemorating the 50th anniversary of Brumos Racing’s first Daytona 24-Hour race win. There will be a lot to celebrate if we can add another victory to Brumos’s impressive history.”
The car is currently at the Brumos Collection and Museum in Jacksonville, Florida, where it is being thoroughly and immaculately prepared, as always.
“We at Brumos Collection/Brumos Racing are excited to return to the mountain at Pikes Peak,” said Dano Davis, Founder of the Brumos Collection. “With David at the wheel and the excellent support of BBI, Yokohama and Airtech Advanced Materials, I know we have an excellent chance of breaking that record and putting the Brumos name firmly in the Pikes Peak record books.”
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The 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb podium for the Time Attack 1 category. In center, winner David Donohue; in second, Jeff Zwart; in third, Sead Causevic. (Image by Larry Chen)
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David Donohue in the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winner's circle, under foggy conditions. (Image by Rob Hutton)
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The PPIHC is Donohue's 121st race driving for Brumos. Of note, he was part of the team that brought Brumos its fourth overall win at the 24 hours of Daytona in 2009, more than 30 years after three Brumos victories in 1973, 1975 and 1978. For Donohue, the son of famed race-car driver and 1972 Indy 500 champion Mark Donohue, the win came on the 40th anniversary of his father's 1969 overall triumph in the same race.
The 2009 win was the culmination of then-Brumos CEO Bob Snodgrass’s stewardship of the Daytona Prototype program, which began in the early 2000s, and built upon Brumos' nearly 50 years of competing in a variety of series and classes. After Brumos retired from racing in 2013 the Jacksonville-based dealership was sold in 2016, paving the way for a new vision. The Brumos Collection opened in 2020 to the public — a 35,000 sq. ft. interactive experience that immerses visitors in the rich history of automotive design. The collection pays homage to history and significance of automotive innovation, from open-wheel Indy racers to celebrating Brumos and Porsche dominance.
About The Brumos Collection
The Brumos Collection is 35,000 square feet dedicated to the technology, innovation and historical significance behind some of the world’s finest automobiles. From the main collection to interactive experiences that take you back to the early days of automotive design, racing, and the drivers themselves, it is a walk-through automotive and racing lore one won’t soon forget. The collection imparts a sweeping story of automotive development through racing, from open cockpit and Indy racers to Brumos Racing’s own dominance under the Porsche marque. More than a technical tale, the exhibition reveals the very soul in these machines. For more comprehensive information, please visit: www.thebrumoscollection.com.
About David Donohue
Firmly established as a champion racing driver with an impressive resume that includes Touring Cars, Prototypes, NASCAR Stock Car and Craftsman Truck Series, Donohue was an integral part of the Brumos Racing family, driving a Brumos Racing Daytona Prototype in every Rolex Sports Car series race from 2003 through 2010. In 2009 he co-drove to victory in the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Donohue and co-driver Darren Law joined Action Express Racing in 2011, sharing three podium finishes and 3rd place finish in DP driver points and later returned to Action Express Racing in 2012 with an all-new Corvette Daytona Prototype finishing 4th in points. Donohue was the 2013 Rolex-24 Hour GX class winner in Napleton Racing’s Porsche Cayman. In 2017 Porsche Colorado Springs asked Donohue to drive their 911 Turbo S up the mountain and he has been back every year since, taking the 2018 Time Attack 1 victory with a then record-setting time of 9:37.152 minutes in the 156-turn 12.42-mile mountain road.
About the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
First staged in 1916, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest race in America. The invitation-only event, often referred to as The Race to the Clouds is held annually on the last Sunday of June on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The famous 12.42-mile (20 km) course consists of 156 turns, boasts an elevation gain of 4,725 feet (1,440 m), and reaches a finish line at 14,115 feet (4,302 m) above sea level. The PPIHC’s automobile categories feature a wide variety of vehicles representing multiple forms of motorsport; everything from production-based Time Attack challengers to purpose-built Open Wheel racers and state-of-the-art Unlimited vehicles take on America’s Mountain pursuing victory. The 101st Running of this iconic motorsport event will take place on June 25, 2023.
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