COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Miserable conditions greeted competitors in Sunday’s 100th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak Int’l Hill Climb at the famed Colorado mountain.
Fog and drizzle engulfed the 12.42-mile course to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak and unlined sections of newly paved road presented additional challenges, but in the end, it was a familiar winner taking top honors as Robin Shute claimed victory for the third time in the last four years.
Shute drove his 2018 Wolf TSC-FS to the top of the course in 10 minutes and 9.525 seconds to claim the Unlimited class and overall victory. His time was significantly slower than the 9:12.476 mark he set in 2019.
“I just found it frustrating to slow down, I love feeling this road,” Shute told The Gazette. “I’m happy to be here. It’s always great to be up here, it’s a bummer with the conditions because you can’t even see how special this is.”
The British driver explained the conditions he encountered on the race to the top of the mountain.
“I enjoyed the road itself,” Shute said. “I was basically idling towards the top when the lines disappeared. These were some of the toughest conditions we’ve ever driven in, racing or not. It was just like driving to ski resorts in bad weather, you’re not racing anymore at that point.”
David Donner finished second overall and claimed victory in the Exhibition class with a time of 10:34.053 aboard a Porsche Turbo S.
David Donohue wheeled a Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport to the top spot in the Time Attack division and Codie Vahsholtz topped the Open Wheel class.
Rhys Millen took top honors in the Pikes Peak Open category.