COLORADO SPRINGS, Conn. — Qualifying for the 104th Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo concluded Thursday on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain.
While fog delayed activity in the middle and upper sections early in the morning, conditions improved as the day progressed. Thursday marked the official qualifying session for the Unlimited Division (both classes) and Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama (both classes), with drivers competing for starting position and a place in the HELLA Fast 15.
With qualifying now complete, the starting order for Sunday’s Race to the Clouds has been set.
The lower section qualifying session produced a familiar trio at the top of the leaderboard. Reigning King of the Mountain Simone Faggioli earned the pole position for Race Day with a blistering 3:21.858, followed by Robin Shute at 3:24.917 and Romain Dumas at 3:28.919.
The battle for P4 and P5 positions was equally intense, with rookie Franco Caruso turning heads once again by qualifying fourth overall ahead of veteran European hill climb standout Diego Degasperi, both in a 2018 Nova Proto NP01 Bardahl.
In the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama division, Laura Hayes continued her strong week by posting the fastest qualifying time in the turbo class at 4:13.608. Hayes, the fastest woman on four wheels at Pikes Peak, led a tightly contested GT4 field that saw Catesby Jones qualify second at 4:18.734. Carlos de Quesada and Zach Lumsden completed the top four, setting the stage for one of the closest class battles on Race Day, with less than 13 seconds separating the four drivers.
In the naturally aspirated GT4 category, King of the Mountain Clint Vahsholtz qualified first with a time of 4:26.985, while Tad Cusack posted a time of 4:29.573.
For the middle section, once the morning fog lifted, competitors made the most of their limited time and navigated the technical switchbacks.
Billy Johnson once again set the pace in Pikes Peak Open, posting the fastest time in the section at 2:24.878 in his Porsche GT3 Turbo Cup “LUCY.” Behind him, Jimmy Ford continued his consistently strong Race Week performance with a 2:37.090.
One of the day’s best comeback stories belonged to Kash Singh. After suffering an engine failure on Tuesday and enduring multiple sleepless nights to source parts and complete repairs, Singh returned to the mountain Thursday with a best run of 3:06.914.
The upper section faced the most challenging conditions of the day. Morning fog delayed activity near the summit, and an on-course incidents limited available runs once the session got underway. Despite the interruptions, Codie Vahsholtz posted the fastest time in Open Wheel at 2:39.946, followed by Dan Novembre at 2:42.298. In Time Attack 1, Emelia Hartford led the division with a 2:45.395, ahead of both David Donner and Jeff Zwart.
Defending Time Attack 1 division winner Robb Holland, went off course at Cog Cut. Holland was uninjured, but the incident brought an early end to the morning.
