101st RUNNING - RACE RECAP
On Sunday, June 25, the skies over Pikes Peak - America's Mountain were clear, the sun was shining and new race records were added to the 101-year history of the Race to the Clouds.
Division Winners
Robin Shute - King of the Mountain, Unlimited division in the Wolf - 08:40.080
Romain Dumas - Pikes Peak Open* in the Ford Supervan 4 in 08:47.682
David Donohue - Time Attack 1* in the Brumos Porsche in 09:18.053
Tanner Foust - Exhibition division in the Radford Type 62-2 in 09:37.326
(*) division record
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Race Day Highlights
Kathryn Mead became the fastest woman to race a car on Pikes Peak in her Porsche GT4 Cayman Clubsport RS with a time of 10:53.074.
David Donohue claimed the Bergmeister Award for the fastest Porsche on the mountain. He donated his $1,000 prize money to 43i, the non-profit institute created in memory of Ken Block.
Randy Pobst - Record - Electric Modified Car - Tesla Model S Plaid - 09:54.901
Rhys Millen - Record - Production Car - 2023 BMW M8 - 10:12.024
Gardner Nichols - Record - Electric Production Truck/Van - Rivian R1T - 11:23.983
Tyler Pappas was the recipient of the $12,000 Alcon Brakes - No Holding Back Award. He received $12,000 in product courtesy of Alcon.
Lucy and Lia Block drew tremendous crowds at Fan Fest, on Race Day and even at the Summit!
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Kathryn Mead gearing up to run to the Summit |
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David Donohue with Joe Brenner of Porsche of Colorado Springs |
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Tyler Pappas receives the Alcon Brakes No Holding Back award
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Awards
In addition to the etched crystal division trophies, division winners each received a custom timepiece provided by B.R.M Chronographes, and a premium product package courtesy of Turtle Wax.
King of the Mountain awards bestowed on Robin Shute included the first ever Unser Legacy King of the Mountain Ring, courtesy of Jostens and the Unser Racing Museum, and presented to the winner by fourth-generation racer Loni Unser. Inherent Clothier in downtown Colorado Springs also provided a custom tailored sports coat.
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More Fast Facts:
- IndyCar driver, David Malukas, paced the field in the Acura NSX Type S
- Sixty-six competitors from 12 countries took the green flag
- Porsche sports car racing icon, Hurley Haywood, was Grand Marshal.
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Spectators from 47 US States! (Join us next year Alaska, Vermont and West Virginia!)
- BMW's Robert Stout led the drivers back down in the post-race Parade of Champions in BMW's new M3 CS.
- 500,000+ PPIHC web page views during Race Week
- 1,782 Penrose Heritage Museum visitors in June
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MESSAGE FROM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, MELISSA EICKHOFF
I have to start with a huge ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who helped make the 101st Running another successful year for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. And a special shout-out to Mother Nature for coming through at the last minute with amazing, record-breaking conducive weather.
While we consider 2023’s race a success, we took notes, as did many, on what worked and what didn’t. Here are a few notes of mine as we look to the future.
Spectator Waiver Process. It was required of us to implement because of insurance. It simply didn’t work. There are many layers to what happened, but I can assure you, it will not be managed like that in the future.
RallySafe. I was excited about this add to our Safety Program before, and even more now. We gained valuable insight on functionality. We plan to use this again in 2024.
GT4 Division in 2024. Wow! We knew this would be a welcome change but the buzz and excitement the announcement created has been beyond our expectations. GT4 is a great platform to bring even more manufacturers to our epic proving ground. More information is coming soon.
Livestream. Much progress! We now have a sustainable platform to build a bigger and better show in the future. We, too, want more time showing the cars on-course. We had a helicopter plan that failed when the helicopter was inbound on Race Day. We welcome your input.
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CHECK OUT THE LIVESTREAM AND SHARE YOUR FEEDBACK
If you missed any of the race day action, you can still catch the entire livestream.
Be sure to share your feedback via the survey below as our goal is to make the broadcast bigger and better than ever in 2024.
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IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO ORDER
COOL PIKES PEAK GEAR!
Shop the Official 2023 merchandise before it's gone. Great deals on prior years and close out items, too!
Jackets, hats, shirts, stickers, tote bags, and more.
July Special
Water Bottle Promotion
7/20-7/23
Spend $75 and get a free water bottle of your choice
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2024 RACE WEEK SCHEDULE
Mark your calendar!
The Race Week Schedule for the 102nd Running of the Race to the Clouds has been announced:
Monday, June 17 - Tech Inspection / Registration / Tom Osborne Community Outreach Day
Tuesday-Thursday, June 18-21 - Qualifying / Practice
Friday, June 21 - Optional Practice
Friday, June 21 - Fan Fest
Sunday, June 23 - 102nd Running - Race Day
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FRAMEABLE MOMENTS WITH LARRY CHEN |
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"The dedication to the Hill Climb is so incredible when it comes to staying true to the type of vehicle and era these cars ran in. While the dirt is long gone, it's still awesome to see four wheel drive vehicles that were born for mixed surfaces. David Hackl built such an incredible Audi Quattro, and he is able to put down some impressive times against all odds. It still sounds and looks like it's ready for the rally stage, but it lives for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb." Larry Chen
Pictured: David Hackl in an early morning practice session roaring through Double Cut in 2022 in his throwback #2 Audi Quattro.
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Q: Robin Shute earned his fourth King of the Mountain title in 2023. Which other competitors have exactly four King of the Mountain crowns?
A. Rod Millen
B. Romain Dumas
C. Robby Unser
D. Roger Mears
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Answer: There are two - Romain Dumas and Robby Unser each have four overall titles. |
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Join the Colorado Springs Sports Corporation as they host the 23rd annual Rocky Mountain State Games, held primarily in July and over the core weekend, July 21-23, at premier venues across the Pikes Peak region. More than 10,000 athletes participate each year in 35+ sports, welcomed by more than 900 volunteers! A sampling of 2023 events includes Bowling, Track & Field, Sand Volleyball, Hockey (4v4), Paddleboard Racing, and Whirlyball.
Register HERE for the the Rocky Mountain State Games
Colorado Springs Sports Corp has partnered with the YMCA to bring the first annual Rocky Mountain Run 5K, the Official 5K of the Rocky Mountain State Games - a portion of proceeds will benefit our city's Empty Stocking Fund. The run will take place in the heart of the city at Memorial Park on Saturday, July 22 at 9:00 AM. All ages are invited to participate, plus it's stroller, and dog friendly. Runners will receive a pair of RMR5K socks!
Register HERE for the Rocky Mountain Run 5K
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July 13 - Robert Prilika - Sixth year on Pikes Peak - Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame
July 14 - Nuno Caetano - Rookie from Lisbon, Portugal, 2nd place - Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division
July 19 - Scott Birdsall - Four year Pikes Peak competitor - set a 2020 diesel record in the 1949 Ford F1.
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In 1954, Keith Andrews, driving the Joe Hunt Magneto Open Wheel #27 race car, was the first competitor to break the 15 minute mark with this time of 14:39.70, setting a new course record.
Andrews was pictured here in the Official Pace Car on race day on September 6, 1954 with representatives of Dodge.
Andrews raced at least six years on Pikes Peak. Sadly, he was killed in 1957 during a practice session at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
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PPIHC Board Member / Past President
Founder Labor Day Lift Off
Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame
Donations in his memory may be made to
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Matriarch of the Dallenbach family
Fan and supporter of all the racers in her family
Pikes Peak Hill Climb Hall of Fame, 2022
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Magnus Walker takes fans behind the scenes of the E-Motion Engineering build with
PPIHC competitor, Cam Ingram
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July 14-16, 2023
3051 S Rooney Rd, Morrison, CO 80465
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Check out this classic dirt course hill climb.
Volunteers are always welcome!
August 5-6, 2023
Grand Junction, Colorado
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PPIHC Colorado License Plates Available Now |
Live in Colorado? Show your love of the PPIHC year-round by purchasing a special license plate at the DMV. |
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Photo credits: Larry Chen, PPIHC Archives, Colorado Springs Sports Corp, Kyle Boyle, Bella Carle |
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