Behind the Wheel: Rob Dahm

MAZDA ENTHUSIAST ROB DAHM CONQUERS PIKES PEAK IN RX-7

Colorado Springs, CO – Storytelling is a hallmark of the PPIHC. Since the early 1900s, reports of daring drivers and their remarkable machines have become part of the racing lore on the mountain. The 102nd Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, provided another opportunity to roll out stories daily. One of the those tales was expertly woven by YouTuber, and PPIHC rookie, Rob Dahm. His first run on Pikes Peak took place in June and he was eager to document the experience and share it with his two million YouTube followers.

Dahm didn't enter the racing game early on in life, sharing, "I had no experience or focus on racing until I was in my 30s. While I consider myself a builder, I am a YouTuber by trade. So, I started out making as much horsepower as possible in a straight line, then trying to stick that to the tarmac. It wasn't until I met my goals in straight line racing that I realized I couldn't build my cars to their full potential if I didn't know what it was like to pilot a car at the limit of lateral grip."

EMBRACING THE EXPERIENCE

Dahm plotted a course to Pikes Peak taking him from the Radford Racing School in early 2024 where he obtained his SCCA License, to Gridlife at Big Willow, Gingerman and Lime Rock. He spent a lot of days at the track, including Willow Springs and Buttonwillow.

It's also noteworthy that Dahm set a record in 2023 as the fastest rotary in 1/2 mile racing at 192.3mph.

Once he arrived at Pikes Peak, he experienced and documented the full gamut of race week activity. His 1993 Mazda RX-7 2.0L rotary turbo took 7th in the Pikes Peak Open division and became the fastest rotary-powered racecar to take on the famous 12.42 miles.

WHY MAZDA?

"The rotary engine has always been the underdog," Dahm explained. "What first appealed to me was how different it was. What kept me hooked is how a rotary sounds screaming past at full tilt. I always believed the engine didn't get as much attention as piston platforms so, I felt as modern fuel and electronics were introduced, there was a lot on the table to modernize the engine.

Once I started earning a reputation as the largest rotary YouTuber, I felt I had to earn that with building the craziest rotary car."

"On race day, the car performed incredibly well for never lasting more than 8 minutes prior to my official run. I overspooled my Garrett G45 turbo from 100K RPM to 130K RPM as it grabbed every bit of oxygen it could find. Rotaries traditionally run hotter than piston engines and my run reflected that."

"Without Robin Shute and Paul Gerrard recommending the 'lift and coast method,' I wouldn't have survived the entire run. I qualified doing 131mph through the Picnic Grounds, but on race day at only 117mph to conserve cooling. It worked too, as I boiled the coolant right past the finish line. Now I know why we run water! This shot at the summit is my favorite!"

MAZDA MOMENTS ON THE MOUNTAIN

1981 – First RX-7 to race on Pikes Peak, rookie John Woolf, finished second in the Rally division in 13:15.41; another rookie, Rod Millen, entered his RX-7 placing 6th in 13:58.72.

1984-1986 - Rod Millen would settle for second in the Rally division behind course record setters, Michele Mouton and Bobby Unser. Millen's best time in the RX-7 at that time was 12:04.85.

1991 - Millen won the Pikes Peak Open division, setting a division record and his best time ever in the RX-7 in 11:51.37 on the gravel course.

2024 - Rob Dahm set his sights on a new RX-7 record on the mountain and clinched it with a clocking of 11:04.797.

Dahm shared, "I would LOVE to experience what Rod Millen did while commanding an 11:51 in the dirt. I think that is far more impressive than me doing an 11:04 on tarmac. How the hell did he not overheat?"

POST PPIHC

"I effectively used PPIHC to shake down my brand new build. I took it to Gridlife Lime Rock and shaved five seconds off my previous year's time while shaking the car down further, before melting everything with the exhaust heat.

I also traveled to Australia for the first time ever, thanks to Haltech, and attended the World Time Attack Challenge to watch some of the fastest cars in the world attempt their one perfect lap."

When asked about plans to return to America's Mountain in 2025, Dahm said, "I'll be submitting my application the moment I'm allowed! I hope the Hill Climb community sees me as a positive addition to the family and invites me back next year! I didn't participate in Pikes Peak to make a YouTube video, I make YouTube videos so I can continue to participate at Pikes Peak. I want to engineer a car to be the first rotary under 10 minutes. A man can dream!"

GET TO KNOW ROB DAHM

Fun Facts:

"I have a shop cat who was a stray, and quickly became the self-appointed manager of the shop!"

"I was on one episode of The Bachelorette in 2011 before I was sent home without a rose."

"I wasn't a YouTuber or engineer originally, but started an IT business when I was young solely with the goal of affording a Lamborghini Diablo."

"Randomly, I was accepted to college when I was 13. That makes me sound way smarter than I actually am. It was a local community college, but still..."

When did you first learn about the Race to the Clouds? "Seeing Sebastien Loeb's run on the internet was one of the first jaw dropping moments. Then, realizing people used to race up that mountain in the dirt! I spent countless hours watching compilation videos long before I considered actually driving it myself."

"I turned down quite a few opportunities to drive up Pikes Peak as a tourist during car rallies. It was too special and sacred to me. I have the same feeling about the Bonneville Salt Flats. Both just embody the American spirit so perfectly."

What surprised you most about Race Week? "The amount of practice you get. While you don't get to do the full run until race day, you get to experience the mountain in a more personal sense on the testing days. The biggest surprise is how the entire town of Colorado Springs becomes an extended family/race team when people have issues during race week. I saw some heartbreaks mid-week from other teams, yet we were all out at local shops burning the midnight oil getting parts from other people's cars to make it to race day."

Any Pikes Peak heroes? "Hands down, Rod Millen. The myth of his 4WD RX-7s directly inspired me to create the car I'm most known for. Second, David Donner. While filming a Top Gear episode with him, I got to experience the mountain from the passenger seat while he, ever so smoothly, negotiated every turn. When I asked him to pilot my AWD 4 Rotor up the mountain, he made it clear I should be the one in the driver seat. I'm so thankful for both of them."

Advice for a first-time racer on Pikes Peak: "The same advice countless people gave me. 1) Focus on making it up to the top! 2) If you build your own car it will be 100 times harder. 3) Do 20 minutes of hot lapping in 90-100F degree weather at your local track, Robin Shute taught me that."

Rob Dahm shares his 2024 PPIHC Run in this

Behind-the-Scenes Video

Photos by: Larry Chen Photo; Larry Chen, Luis Garcia, Charles Zhou, Jason Zindroski; PPIHC Archives; Rob Dahm

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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 near the end 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 six race divisions feature a wide variety of vehicles - from production-based Time Attack challengers to purpose-built Open Wheel racers and state-of-the-art Unlimited vehicles. The current race record was set in 2018 by Romain Dumas and Volkswagen in the all-electric I.D. R Pikes Peak – 07:57.148.

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