Bad weather couldn’t stop the 100th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday, June 26. Robin Shute of the United Kingdom won the overall title, taking 10 minutes, 9.525 seconds to drive his 2018 Wolf TSC-FS up the 12.42 miles of highway. He bested 61 other drivers for his third win in four years.
The weather did impact racers’ times. By comparison, Romain Dumas set a record of 7:57.148 in 2018; Shute won the 2019 race in 9:12.476.
The course takes 156 turns as it rises from the 9,390-foot altitude at the start to the 14,115-foot-tall summit.
Several local drivers placed well in the race. They included: David Donner of Colorado Springs, second overall in his 2022 Porsche Turbo S; Codie Vahsholtz of Woodland Park, fourth in his 2013 Ford Open; and Dan Novembre of Colorado Springs, 16th in his 2013 Wolf GB08S TC Special.
In addition to Vahsholtz, three other drivers represented Pikes Peak racing dynasties. They are Paul Dallenbach of Basalt; Layne Schranz, now of Birmingham, Alabama; and Loni Unser of Sun Valley, Idaho.
The latter, who finished in 48th place, is the daughter of Johnny Unser, whose uncles were racing legends Al and Bobby Unser. She was one of three women who raced on Sunday. The others are Laura Hayes, who finished 37th, and Kathryn Mead, who finished 47th.
Levi Shirley of Dodge City, Kansas, flipped his 2014 Campbell Enterprises Single Seat IFS two or three times on his way up the course. He landed on his wheels, uninjured, and finished the race in 57th place.
For complete information: ppihc.org.
