Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Logo of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013

Pikes Peak Hill Climb Course Map

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) , and "Race To The Clouds" called, is a mountain race for racing cars and motorcycles on Pikes Peak , a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado .

General

While the racetrack used to be completely gravel, it has been completely paved since August 2011

2007: Rod Millens Pikes Peak Toyota Tacoma at Goodwood

The race was first organized back in 1916 to make the road to the top of Pikes Peak, built as a tourist attraction, known across the country. The race originally took place on July 4th ( Independence Day ) , in 2009 the 87th edition of the classic was not held until July 19th. In 2010 and 2011, the races took place on the last weekend in June. In 2012, the race day was July 8th, but the Waldo Canyon Fire forest fire forced a postponement so it happened on August 12th.

The race distance is 19.99 kilometers (12.42 miles ) and the route includes 156 corners. The start is at 2,862 meters above sea level, and there is a 1,439 meter difference in altitude with an average gradient of 7% on the road. On the way to the destination, which is on the summit (The Summit) at 4,301 meters (14,110 feet ) above sea level, the vehicles with internal combustion engines lose around a third of their power due to the thin mountain air . In the first few years the piste was mostly gravel and had individual cobblestone passages, which were later paved. In 2001, at the initiative of environmentalists, the previously unpaved sections of the route were also paved with asphalt, and the entire race track has been paved since August 2011. Thus, the 90th edition of the PPIHC in 2012 was held over a completely paved route for the first time.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is considered a demanding race as there are only limited training opportunities for the participants. The qualification runs will only be held on one section, while the race on Pikes Peak consists of a single race. There is also the risk that the driver may be surprised by sudden changes in the weather, the cause of which lies in the different altitudes of the route. In individual cases, the prevailing weather conditions at Pikes Peak led to a shortening of the race distance, as there was still snow in the upper part of the track or there was too much fog.

The record winner at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the American Bobby Unser . He was able to win the race a total of 13 times. The Unsers racing dynasty is generally considered to be the “Royal Family” of Pikes Peak. Bobby's uncle, Louis Unser, Jr., has already won the race nine times, his brother Al Unser has won twice, and Bobby's son, Robby Unser, has also been successful eight times. Louis Unser also held the record for the most finishings for many years with 36. This record was broken in 2011 by Randy Schranz when he finished his 37th race since 1972. Other famous drivers who were able to win on Pikes Peak are the Indycar drivers Mario Andretti and Rick Mears as well as the rally driver Michèle Mouton and her colleagues Walter Röhrl and Ari Vatanen .

history

The first years

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was held for the first time in 1916. The founder of the race was Spencer Penrose , a citizen of the city of Colorado Springs and investor, who hoped that this would boost the image of the region. Penrose also donated a trophy that was to remain in the possession of the respective overall winner until the next round of the race. The mountain was tackled by both cars and motorcycles. The two-wheelers came mostly from the Excelsior Motorcycle Company , the cars were open race cars with front engines ( Open Wheel ). Due to the many breakdowns that occurred, each driver contested the race with a mechanic at his side, later the drivers took to the track in single-seaters. The first Pikes Peak champion was Rea Lentz , who completed the course with a Romano Demon Special with a time of 20:56 minutes. The field of participants also included racing pioneers such as Eddie Rickenbacker and Barney Oldfield .

Because of the First World War , the hill climb experienced a three-year break and was not resumed until 1920 - now sanctioned by the then AAA motorsport association . The following years were dominated by Glen Schultz , who founded the first era in the Pikes Peak race with a total of eight titles between 1923 and 1933.

In 1929 a second vehicle class was introduced with the “Super Stock Category”. Although it was stopped for the time being after six years, it has been an integral part of the hill climb since 1956.

Under the sign of the our family

In 1926, Joe Unser made his debut as the first representative of a racing family that has shaped the competition since then and achieved its first victory in 1934 through Joe's brother Louis Unser . For the next 20 years, his ongoing duel with compatriot Al Rogers was the sporting highlight of the races. Rogers achieved five, Louis Unser nine victories. In 1953 he set a new course record with 15: 15.40 minutes.

In the mid-1950s, the next generation made their debut at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Jerry Unser , who started in the “Super Stock Category”, died in 1959 after an accident while training for the Indy 500 . His younger brothers Bobby Unser and Al Unser won several times, with Bobby becoming the record winner with a total of 13 titles - eight of them in the open wheel category. In 1968 he became the first driver to stay under 12 minutes.

The third generation made their debut in 1976 with Bobby Unser Jr., who shortly afterwards had his cousin Al Unser Jr. and in 1987 his brother Robby Unser followed, who won the race eight times. In the 1990s, Johnny Unser , the son of Jerry Unser and Jeri Unser , the sister of Bobby Jr. and Robby Unser, were among the participants. A total of 12 members of this racing family took part in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb until 2011.

The rise and success of the so-called rally vehicles

In the early 1970s, the open wheel category experienced a technical innovation, when the "sprint cars", which had previously been equipped with a front engine, were increasingly replaced by lowered racing cars with a rear engine. Almost ten years later, the fastest vehicle class experienced another technical development. From then on, vehicles specially designed for mountain races set the pace. The most successful representative of this type of car was the Wells Coyote Chevy , which was driven by the Pikes Peak overall winners from 1981 to 1984.

In 1981, with the Open Rally Category, a class was added to the program whose vehicles mostly came from the World Rally Championship , which was primarily held in Europe . In the first few years, Audi dominated the race, also because the vehicles had all-wheel drive , which gave them a clear advantage on the still completely graveled track. The US rally driver John Buffum was around half a minute ahead of the record-breaking drivers in his Audi quattro in 1982 and 1983 , but soon afterwards Audi became an equal opponent. In 1985 Michèle Mouton became the first woman to take overall victory with her Audi as the first vehicle in the Open Rally Category . The year before, she and the Norwegian Martin Schanche were the first Europeans to try their hand at Pikes Peak (together with her Italian co-driver Fabrizia Pons, who read the route) . After Schanche was in the lead after about a third of the distance, he suffered a tire damage at the front right on his 560 hp Ford Escort Mk3 4 × 4, Mouton was able to achieve the rally category victory, with 12: 10.38 minutes but not yet in absolute best time. An open-wheel pilot, Bill Brister, took the overall victory with a time of 11: 42.82. But the 1985 11: 25.30 minutes of Mouton in an Audi Sport quattro were finally a new course record . The following year, Audi gave the twelve-time Pikes Peak winner Bobby Unser the chance to try his luck with a works Quattro. In 11: 09.22 minutes, the American drove to his thirteenth victory and another new course record.

Audi S1 ​​Pikes Peak driven by Walter Röhrl at the 1st Rossfeldberg race in 2013

Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 Pikes Peak

In 1987 the factory teams from Audi and Peugeot met. Audi launched a further development of the Audi quattro S1 from Group B of the World Rally Championship, the 440 kW (598 hp) Audi Sport quattro E2 Pikes Peak , based on the experience of previous years . The car was driven by two-time rally world champion Walter Röhrl . At the head of the Peugeot team was the former world rally champion Ari Vatanen with the Peugeot 205 T16 E2 Pikes Peak , his compatriot Juha Kankkunen drove an identical car, as did the Italian Andrea Zanussi. At the end of the race, Röhrl was the second driver after Zanussi to stay under the 11-minute mark with 10:47 minutes and gave Audi its third overall victory in a row. Competitor Vatanen struggled with technical problems shortly before the finish and needed seven seconds more for the route.

In 1988 Peugeot returned with a new car, the Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 Pikes Peak . In the absence of Audi, Vatanen was able to win the race this time, improving Walter Röhrl's record from the previous year by 63 hundredths of a second despite bad weather. The following year, Robby Unser was won again by a Peugeot driver who, however, narrowly missed another record with 10:48 minutes.

After Peugeot had held the absolute course record for five years, the record changed again in 1993 to the traditional Pikes Peak category. The American Paul Dallenbach won it with a Davis-Chevrolet in a time of 10:43 minutes.

It took place in 1994 under optimal track conditions

In 1994 there were a number of new records. Particularly favorable track conditions were responsible for this. The loose gravel pavement of the track was very solid after the use of dust blockers this year, so that conditions were almost like on asphalt and in the corners even black tire tracks were sometimes visible on the gravel pavement. With Rod Millen from New Zealand, this time another driver from the rally class was able to win, which had meanwhile been renamed the "Unlimited Category". On a four-wheel drive Toyota Celica - mid-engine -Spezialfahrzeug with 625 kW (850 hp) overcame Millen Pikes Peak in outstanding 10:04 minutes, which was almost 40 seconds under the old best time. And the winner of the open wheel category, Robby Unser, was only slightly slower with just under 10:06 minutes.

Although Rod Millen  was able to celebrate four more overall victories by 1999 - each in the Unlimited Category - his record from 1994 remained untouched and was only beaten 13 years later. Other records from this race also held for a long time. Bobby Regester's stock car record was only broken in 2010, while Robby Unser's open wheel record is still in place today (as of 2011) .

Chasing the 10-minute mark

2010: The Monster Sport SX4 Hill Climb Special from Suzuki

From 2001, more and more parts of the previously unpaved route were paved, which means that the vehicles can now reach higher speeds in certain sections. However, the resulting time advantage is partially compensated for by the fact that the asphalted sections of the route are significantly narrower than the previously wide gravel road. Thus, the choice of the line layout is restricted and the route is less fluid, especially in the area of hairpin bends .

Race To The Clouds 2006: The Suzuki Grand Vitara of the Japanese Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima on the mountain

On July 21, 2007, the Japanese Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima finally managed to undercut Rod Millen's 1994 record. Tajima needed 10:01 minutes with the 740 kW (1,006 hp) Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special (V6 twin turbo engine with 3.6 l displacement) at sea ​​level . The 10-minute limit, however, remained in place and became even more effective in advertising due to the very close failure of Tajima, so that in 2008 the organizer even offered an extra bonus of 25,000 dollars for falling below the limit. Although Tajima stayed above his record this time, he won the race again with 10:18 minutes. Even in 2009 and 2010, the Japanese won the race with a newly built Suzuki SX4 prototype, but did not set a new record.

2011 - The 10-minute mark was undercut

2011: Tajima undercuts the 10 minutes for the first time.

On June 27, 2011, Nobuhiro Tajima became the first driver to achieve a time under 10 minutes. The Suzuki driver won in 9:51 minutes on the 75% asphalt track. Second place went to the son of the previous record holder Rod Millen, Rhys Millen, with a Hyundai prototype in 10:09 minutes. Third place went to Frenchman and three-time Trophée Andros winner Jean-Philippe Dayraut on a Dacia Duster prototype in 10:17 minutes.

2012 - The records fall

In 2012 the race took place on a completely paved track, so that new records could be set in many classes. For the first time, two riders on motorcycles were able to stay under 10 minutes, Carlin Dunne in 9: 52.819 minutes and Greg Tracy in 9: 58.262 minutes, both on a Ducati Multistrada. The favorite drivers in the Unlimited and Electric class had a lot of bad luck. Only two vehicles crossed the finish line in the Unlimited class. Paul Dallenbach survived a serious accident almost unharmed. The previous year's third Jean-Philippe Dayraut came on his Dacia Duster nor to the finish as the two Ford RS200 by Pat Doran and Mark Rennison, so that the victory in the Unlimited class at David Donner on a Palatov D4PPS in 10: was 04.652 minutes. In the electric vehicle class, the new project by course record holder Nobuhiro Tajima, the E-Runner Pikes Peak Special, was a victim of flames. Victory went to the Japanese Fumio Nutahara on a factory Toyota TMG EVP002, which set a new record for electric vehicles in 10: 15.380 minutes. Romain Dumas won the Pikes Open class in a Porsche 911 GT3 R, which set a new course record in 9: 46.181 minutes. The weather continued to deteriorate. Rhys Millen was able to lower the course record to 9: 46.164 minutes in his Hyundai Genesis Coupé , although it was already beginning to snow on the mountain at this point. This time was enough for victory in the Time Attack class and overall victory. All remaining classes, including the traditional open-wheel class, could only be driven on a shortened route due to the snowfall.

2013

After Sébastien Loeb's record drive on a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak , where he undercut the previous best time of 8: 13.878 min by 1: 32.285 min, the organizers considered, for safety reasons, to introduce new rules for the class of Unlimited cars from 2014 to limit.

2015 - First victory of an electric car

For the first time in the history of the race, an electric car, a custom-made e0 PP03 , won the race across all classes. Second place was also won by an electric car, also a custom-made vehicle from Rimac Automobili . These vehicles had around 1 megawatt (1300 hp) of power. Electric cars had already reached places 2 and 3 in 2014. Electric cars weigh more than conventional cars, but at high altitudes they benefit from their independence from the oxygen in the air.

2018 - Electric car sets new all-time record for the first time

The record vehicle Volkswagen ID R Pikes Peak

In the race on June 24, 2018, an electric car set a new all-time record for the first time in the long history of the race. The French racing driver Romain Dumas covered the route in the fully electric Volkswagen ID R in 7 minutes 57 seconds, faster than any vehicle before. In this race, electric cars are superior to cars with internal combustion engines because, on the one hand, the range problem does not come into play due to the short distance, and on the other hand, the great acceleration force of the electric motors can be used when sprinting up the mountain. Some commentators assume that electric cars will dominate this race in the future.

Development of the absolute best times (since 1968)

Motorcycle participants on a BMW shortly before the summit

• 1968: 11: 54.90 minutes - Bobby Unser ( USA ), Rislone Special ( Open Wheel Category )
• 1979: 11: 54.18 minutes - Dick Dodge Jr. (USA), Hoffpauir Wells Coyote Chevy ( Open Wheel Category )
• 1982: 11: 44.82 minutes - Bill Brister (USA), Woziwodzki Wells Coyote Chevy ( Open Wheel Category )
• 1983: 11: 38.30 minutes - Al Unser jr. (USA), Woziwodzki Wells Coyote Chevy ( Open Wheel Category )
• 1985: 11: 25.39 minutes - Michèle Mouton ( F ), Audi Sport quattro ( Open Rally category )
• 1986: 11: 09.22 minutes - Bobby Unser (USA), Audi Sport quattro S1 ( Open Rally category )
• 1987: 10: 47.85 minutes - Walter Röhrl ( D ), Audi Sport quattro S1 "Pikes Peak" ( Open Rally category )
• 1988: 10: 47.22 minutes - Ari Vatanen ( FIN ), Peugeot 405 Turbo 16 "Pikes Peak" ( Open Rally category )
• 1993: 10: 43.63 minutes - Paul Dallenbach (USA), Davis Chevrolet ( Open Wheel Category )
• 1994: 10: 04.06 minutes - Rod Millen ( NZL ), Toyota Celica Turbo "Pikes Peak" ( Unlimited Category )
• 2007: 10: 01.408 minutes - Nobuhiro Tajima ( J ), Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special ( Unlimited Category )
• 2011: 09: 51.278 minutes - Nobuhiro Tajima ( J ), Suzuki SX4 ( Unlimited Category )
• 2012: 09: 46.181 minutes - Romain Dumas ( F ), Porsche 911 GT3 R ( Pikes Peak Open Category )
• 2012: 09: 46.164 minutes - Rhys Millen ( NZL ), Hyundai Genesis Coupé ( Time Attack Category )
• 2013: 08: 13.878 minutes - Sébastien Loeb ( F ), Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak ( Unlimited Category )
• 2018: 07: 57.148 minutes - Romain Dumas , Volkswagen ID R Pikes Peak ( Unlimited Category , electric car)

All winners

Overall winner

Table of all overall winners.

Year	Winner	Vehicle	Time	Notes
1916	Rea Lentz	Romano Special	20: 55,600
1917-1919	No competitions during World War 1
1920	Otto Loesche	Lexington Special	22: 25.400
1921	King Rhiley	Hudson Special	19: 16.200
1922	Noel Bullock	Ford Special	19: 50.900
1923	Glen Schultz	Hudson Essex	18: 47,000
1924	Otto Loesche	Lexington Special	18: 15,000
1925	Charles H. Myers	Chandler Special	17: 48.400
1926	Glen Schultz	Stutz	18: 19,400
1927	Glen Schultz	Stutz	18: 25.100
1928	Glen Schultz	Stutz special	17: 41,600
1929	Edward Phillips	Shultz Stutz 8	18: 22.800
1930	Glen Schultz	Stutz DV-32	18: 08.700
1931	Charles H. Myers	Hunt Special	17: 10,300
1932	Glen Schultz	Shultz / Stutz special	16: 47.200
1933	Glen Schultz	Stutz DV-32	17: 27,500
1934	Louis Our	Stutz special	16: 01.800
1935	WP Bentrup	1935 Chevrolet 1 1/2 ton truck	26: 12,000
1936	Louis Our	Shultz Stutz	16: 28.100
1937	Louis Our	Stutz DV-32	16: 27,300
1938	Louis Our	Loop Cafe Special	15: 49.900
1939	Louis Our	Snowberger special	15: 39.400
1940	Al Rogers	Joe Coniff Special	15: 59.900
1941	Louis Our	Burd special	15: 35.200
1942-1945	No competitions during WWII
1946	Louis Our	Maserati	15: 28.700
1947	Louis Our	Maserati	16: 34.770
1948	Al Rogers	Coniff Special Offenhauser	15: 51.300
1949	Al Rogers	Coniff special	15: 54.260
1950	Al Rogers	Coniff special	15: 39,000
1951	Al Rogers	Offenhauser	15: 39.700
1952	George Hammond	Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser Special	15: 30.650
1953	Louis Our	Federal Engineering Special	15: 15.400
1954	Keith Andrews	Joe Hunt	14: 39.700
1955	Bob Finney	Dick Frenzel Special	14: 27.200
1956	Bobby Unser	Our special	14: 27,000
1957	Bob Finney	Dick Frenzel Special	14: 11,700
1958	Bobby Unser	Our special	13: 47.900
1959	Bobby Unser	Our special	13: 36,500
1960	Bobby Unser	Our special	13: 28.500
1961	Bobby Unser	Our special	12: 56.700
1962	Bobby Unser	Our special	12: 05.800
1963	Bobby Unser	Chevrolet 327	12: 30.600
1964	Al our	Offenhauser	12: 24,500
1965	Al our	Harrison Ford	12: 54,300
1966	Bobby Unser	Chevrolet	12: 23.800
1967	Wes Vandervoort	Chevrolet	12: 46.300
1968	Bobby Unser	Rislone Special	11: 54.900
1969	Mario Andretti	Chevrolet STP Special	12: 44.070
1970	Ted Foltz	Chevrolet 303	12: 41.100
1971	Ak Miller	1970 Ford Mustang	14: 18,600
1972	Roger Mears	Volkswagen 2180	13: 26.840
1973	Roger Mears	Volkswagen 2180	12: 54.790
1974	Errol Kobilan	Sprint Chevrolet 302	12: 54.770
1975	Orville Nance	Chevrolet 327	12: 36.650
1976	Rick Mears	Porsche 2386	12: 11.890
1977	Bob Herring	Chevrolet 350	12: 15.720
1978	Errol Kobilan	Chevrolet	11: 55.830
1979	Dick Dodge Junior	Hoffpauir Wells Coyote Chevrolet	11: 54.180
1980	Ted Foltz	1970 Chevrolet 350	12: 15.810
1981	Gary Lee Kanawyer	1976 ND Porsche	12: 03.960
1982	Bill Brister	Woziwodzki Wells Coyote Chevrolet	11: 44.820
1983	Al our jr.	Woziwodzki Wells Coyote Chevy	11: 38,300
1984	Bill Brister	1981 Wells Coyote	11: 44.490
1985	Michèle Mouton	Audi Sport quattro S1	11: 25.390
1986	Bobby Unser	Audi Sport Quattro SL	11: 09.220
1987	Walter Röhrl	Audi Sport Quattro E2 Pikes Peak	10: 47.850
1988	Ari Vatanen	Peugeot 405 Turbo 16	10: 47.220
1989	Robby our	Peugeot 405 Turbo 16	10: 48.340
1990	Robby our	Our Chevrolet	11: 32.860
1991	David Donner	Donner-Dykstra Chevrolet	11: 12.420
1992	Robby our	Our Chevrolet	10: 53.870
1993	Paul Dallenbach	Davis Chevrolet	10: 43.630
1994	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica AWD Turbo	10: 04.060
1995	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki Escudo	7: 53,000
1996	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica	10: 13.640
1997	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica	10: 04.540
1998	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica	10: 07.700
1999	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica	10: 11.150
2000	Larry Ragland	2000 GMC Envoy	11: 17.660
2001	Gary Lee Kanawyer	1981 Wells Coyote	10: 39.760
2002	David Donner	1997 Donner Dykstra	10: 52.300
2003	Paul Dallenbach	2000 PVA-01	11: 34,700
2004	Robby our	Subaru Impreza STI E.	11: 47.280
2005	David Donner	Donner / Dykstra Special	11: 15.680
2006	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki Sport	7: 38.900
2007	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki XL7	10: 01.408
2008	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki XL7	10: 18.250
2009	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki SX4	10: 15.368
2010	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki SX4	10: 11.490
2011	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki SX4	9: 51.278
2012	Rhys Millen	Hyundai Genesis Coupe	9: 46.164
2013	Sébastien Loeb	Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak	8: 13.878
2014	Romain Dumas	Norma M20 RD	9: 05.801
2015	Rhys Millen	eO PP03	9: 07.222
2016	Romain Dumas	Norma M20 RD	8: 51.445
2017	Romain Dumas	2017 Norma MXX RD Limited	9: 05.672
2018	Romain Dumas	VW ID R Pikes Peak	7: 57.148
2019	Robin Shute	Wolf TSC Honda	9: 12.476

Unlimited Class (since 1981)

year	winner	vehicle	time
1981	Bud Hoffpauir	Wells Coyote Special Roadster	13: 10.100
1982	John Buffum	Audi quattro	12: 20.520
1983	John Buffum	Audi quattro	12: 27.910
1984	Michèle Mouton	Audi Sport quattro	12: 10.380
1985	Michèle Mouton	Audi Sport quattro	11: 25.390
1986	Bobby Unser	Audi Sport quattro S1 E2	11: 09.220
1987	Walter Röhrl	Audi Sport quattro S1 E2	10: 47.850
1988	Ari Vatanen	Peugeot 405 Turbo 16	10: 47.220
1989	Robby our	Peugeot 405 Turbo 16	10: 48.340
1990	Robby our	Our Chevy	11: 32.860
1991	David Donner	Donner-Dykstra Chevy	11: 12.420
1992	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki Swift	12: 51.630
1993	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki Swift	10: 44.220
1994	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica AWD Turbo	10: 04.060
1995	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki Escudo	7: 53,000 *
1996	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica	10: 13.640
1997	Rod Millen	Toyota Celica	10: 04.540
1998	Rod Millen	Toyota Tacoma	10: 07.700
1999	Rod Millen	Toyota Tacoma	10: 11,150
2000	Per Eklund	Saab 9-3	11: 21.580
2001	Yutaka Awazuhara	Suzuki Vitara	11: 01.770
2002	Per Eklund	Saab 9-3	11: 13,200
2003	Paul Dallenbach	2000 PVA-01	11: 34.700
2004	Stig Blomqvist	Ford RS200 E.	5: 16,800 *
2005	Koichi Horiuchi	Mitsubishi FTO	11: 34.570
2006	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special	7: 38,900 *
2007	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special	10: 01,408
2008	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special	10: 18,250
2009	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki SX4	10: 15.368
2010	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki SX4	10: 11.490
2011	Nobuhiro Tajima	Suzuki SX4	9: 51.278
2012	David Donner	Palatov D4PPS	10: 04.652
2013	Sébastien Loeb	Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak	8: 13.878
2014	Romain Dumas	Norma M20 RD Limited	9: 05,801
2015	Dominic Dobson	Radical SR8	10: 15.289
2016	Romain Dumas	Norma M20 RD Limited	8: 51.445
2017	Romain Dumas	2017 Norma MXX RD Limited	9: 05.672
2018	Romain Dumas	VW ID R Pikes Peak	7: 57.148
2019	Robin Shute	Wolf TSC Honda	9: 12.476

* Shortened route

Brand wins in the Unlimited class (from 1981)

Victories	brand	Year (s)
10	Suzuki	1992, 1993, 1995, 2001, 2006-2011
6th	Audi	1982-1987
5	Toyota	1994, 1996-1999
3	Peugeot	1988, 1989, 2013
	Norma	2014, 2016, 2017
2	Saab	2000, 2002
1	Wells Coyote	1981
	Our	1990
	Donner-Dykstra	1991
	2000 PVA	2003
	ford	2004
	Mitsubishi	2005
	Palatov	2012
	Radical	2015
	Volkswagen	2018

Current Pikes Peak records

year	category	time	driver	nationality	vehicle
2018	Electric prototype	07: 57.148	Romain Dumas	FRA	VW ID R Pikes Peak
2018	Unlimited	07: 57.148	Romain Dumas	FRA	VW ID R Pikes Peak
2013	Time attack	09: 46.001	Paul Dallenbach	United States	Hyundai Genesis Coupe
2017	Pikes Peak Open	09: 33.797	Peter Cunningham	United States	2017 Acura TLX GT
2016	Electric Vehicle	08: 57.118	Rhys Millen	NZL	2016 eO PP100
2017	1205cc	09: 49.625	Christopher Fillmore	United States	KTM 1290 Super Duke R.
2013	Exhibition powersport	10: 00.694	Carlin Dunne	United States	Lightning LS-218
2017	Open wheel	09: 35.747	Clint Vahsholtz	United States	2013 Ford Open
2013	Superbike 750cc	10: 31.499	Michael Henao	United States	Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6 R
2015	diesel	11: 37.149	Uwe Nittel	GER	Mercedes C300d 4MATIC
2013	450cc	10: 32.964	Jeffrey Tigert	United States	Honda CRF 450
2012	Exhibition	10: 56.240	Rick knoop	United States	Lister Knoop / Mann Special

Others

Since 1998, the annual Race To The Sky in the Cardrona Valley ( Central Otago District ) has been the New Zealand counterpart to the Race To The Clouds , but was held for the last time in 2007. And the two hill climbs on the Erzberg in Austria in 1988 and 1989 were called “Europe's Pikes Peak Race” .

The Pikes Peak race has appeared in several video games. Gran Turismo 2 contains a shortened, non-original interpretation of the unpaved route. The track can also be driven in Colin McRae: Dirt and DiRT Rally , both from the Colin McRae Rally racing game series. In the latter, both the unpaved and the asphalt route of the Pikes Peak race are modeled.

literature

• Claus-Peter Andorka: The race to the clouds Heel Verlag, Königswinter, 2014, ISBN 978-3-86852-639-4 .

Web links

Commons : Pikes Peak International Hill Climb  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (English)
• The Pikes Peak website of the PPIHC record holder Nobuhiro Tajima (English)

Remarks

1. ↑ In 1935 there was no official competition, but a recognized truck test.
2. ↑ That year the event was run as a non-championship of the American Automobile Association National Championship.
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i} This year the event took place as part of the American Automobile Association National Championship.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} This year the event was run as a non-championship of the United States Auto Club National Championship.
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e} This year the event took place as part of the United States Auto Club National Championship.
6. ↑ ^{a b} The event was carried out on a shortened route.
7. ↑ In 2002 it was decided to completely pave the road by 2012. At the time of the event in 2002, 6% of the route was paved.
8. ↑ In 2003 6% of the route was paved.
9. ↑ In 2004, 21% of the route was paved.
10. ↑ In 2005, 21% of the route was paved.
11. ↑ In 2006, 35% of the route was paved.
12. ↑ In 2007, 46% of the route was paved.
13. ↑ In 2008, 46% of the route was paved.
14. ↑ In 2009, 46% of the route was paved.
15. ↑ In 2010, 57% of the route was paved.
16. ↑ In 2011 the route was 76% paved.
17. ↑ From 2012 the route was completely paved.
18. ↑ electric car
19. ↑ electric car

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Reiner Kuhn: Suber-Séb shoots out into new hemispheres in Motorsport-aktuell from July 2, 2013, p. 23.
2. ^ Electric power lights up Pikes Peak
3. ↑ Electric car wins title at Pikes Peak race ( Memento of the original from June 29, 2015 in the web archive archive.today ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ Rhys Millen wins Pikes Peak under all-electric power
5. ↑ Pikes Peak 2015 winner electric car at auto-motor-und-sport.de
6. ↑ Record hunt at Pikes Peak: Electric beats combustion engines at motorsport-total.com
7. ↑ Volkswagen sets a new record with e-car at spiegel.de
8. ↑ VW triumphs in the toughest hill climb in the world at auto-motor-und-sport.de
9. ↑ All-time kings of the mountain (PDF) PPIHC. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
10. ↑ Official results up to 2015 ( Memento from March 19, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
11. ↑ Official results 2016 ( Memento from August 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
12. ↑ ^{a b} 2017 Official Overall Results. Retrieved January 21, 2018 . 
13. ↑ Gregor Hebermehl: VW ID R Pikes Peak breaks all records: Romain Dumas is the first driver in under 8 minutes. In: auto-motor-und-sport.de. June 24, 2018, accessed June 24, 2018 . 
14. ↑ https://ppihc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-Overall-Results.pdf
15. ^ Historic Division & Class Records. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 22, 2018 ; accessed on January 21, 2018 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
16. ↑ KTM: Chris Fillmore with a new “Pike's Peak” record / Products SPEEDWEEK . In: SPEEDWEEK . ( speedweek.com [accessed June 6, 2018]).
17. ↑ Gran Turismo 2 - gran-turismo.com . Retrieved August 3, 2018.

Coordinates: 38 ° 50 '25 "  N , 105 ° 2' 38.4"  W.