COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb presented by Gran Turismo is gearing up for its 100th running on June 26. Three female competitors join the field of 81 racers this year.
The three female drivers are celebrating Int’l Women’s Day March 8.
Kathryn Mead, 2020 Rookie of the Year and two-time third-place finisher in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division, returns for her third race up America’s Mountain, this time switching to the Time Attack 1 division. She is a retired astrophysics professor from Austin, Texas.
“This race is the coolest thing I have ever done and I’m looking forward to racing in Time Attack for the first time this year,” said Mead.
Laura Hayes, professional BMW Driving Instructor based in South Carolina, will make her second competitive attempt on the 14,115 summit. Hayes finished fifth in the highly competitive Time Attack 1 group on a weather-shortened course last year behind the wheel of her 2021 BMW M2CSR.
Hayes has a message for women working in the motorsports world.
“Take a chance on yourself,” said Hayes. “If I had known two years ago where I’d be today, I wouldn’t believe it. I suddenly had a spontaneous goal of competing in the Pikes Peak Int’ Hill Climb, and the only person who could make that happen was me. Surround yourself with a team who believes in you, and more importantly, believe in yourself. My life has changed since racing Pikes Peak and it’s all because I took chance on myself. Do it. You wont regret it.”
Loni Unser, a fourth-generation racer from one of the most prominent names in auto racing, will compete for the first time in the Race to the Clouds. Daughter of Johnny Unser, granddaughter of Jerry Unser Jr. and great-granddaughter of Jerry Unser, Loni’s 2019 Porsche GT4 Clubsport will sport the iconic Unser No. 92 when she joins the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division in June.
“Fortunately, I have a group of incredible mentors in my family that I have looked up to for as long as I can remember,” Lori Unser said. “Wanting to follow in their footsteps has motivated me to be the best I can in this industry. Their sheer passion for the sport is contagious and they were able to show me what it is like to give everything to what you love.”
The current fastest time by a female driver on Pikes Peak is 10:54.901, set by Vanina Ickx, from Belgium, a rookie at Pikes Peak in 2018. Ickx is the daughter of famed F1 driver, Jackie Ickx.
The PPIHC is the second oldest race in the U.S, first staged in 1916. The invitation-only event, often referred to as The Race To The Clouds, features a 12.42-mile course consisting 156 turns, boasts an elevation gain of 4,725 feet and reaches a finish line at 14,115 feet above sea level.