COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The first day of practice and qualifying for the 104th Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, got underway Tuesday morning under sunny skies and cool temperatures on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain.
The 12.42-mile course is divided into three sections for Race Week activities: Lower, Middle and Upper. Competitors are assigned to a different section each day, where they complete three practice runs. The Lower Section serves as the event’s qualifying section, where competitors best time determines the starting order for Race Day.
As is often the case on the opening day of Race Week, several teams worked through mechanical issues while others focused on gathering data and refining setups. Despite a handful of early challenges, competitors completed multiple runs across all three sections of the mountain.
Tuesday’s most significant action came in the Lower Section, where Open Wheel and Time Attack 1 competitors recorded their official qualifying times. Open Wheel veteran Dan Novembre led qualifying with a best run of 3:42.746, followed by Codie Vahsholtz at 3:51.323.
Mirl Swan posted the third-fastest Open Wheel qualifying time at 3:58.994 before making contact with the guardrail just beyond the finish line at Gilly’s Corner. The incident briefly brought out a red flag, but Swan was uninjured.
In Time Attack 1, IndyCar veteran JR Hildebrand paced the field with a time of 3:57.504 in his Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. Jeff Zwart was second quickest at 4:02.927 in his Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport, while three-time King of the Mountain David Donner rounded out the top three with a 4:05.988 in his Porsche Turbo S.
Elsewhere on the mountain, some of the event’s biggest names began making their presence known during practice sessions.
Five-time King of the Mountain Romain Dumas posted the fastest time in the Middle Section at 2:10.079, followed by defending King of the Mountain Simone Faggioli at 2:12.726. In the Upper Section, rookie Billy Johnson topped the day’s timesheets with a run of 2:34.701.
Practice and qualifying continue Wednesday as competitors look to build momentum and secure favorable starting positions for Race Day on June 21.
