The 100th anniversary and 94th running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, will present a strong field of approximately 100 competitors that includes past champions and record holders with impressive credentials.
The Race to the Clouds, staged for Sunday, June 26, promises to be among the best in the history of the world's most prestigious auto hill climb and America's second oldest motorsports race behind the Indianapolis 500.
ELECTRIC VEHICLES FAVORED TO DEFEND OVERALL TITLE: Fans will have their eyes on an ultra-competitive Electric Modified field once again; headlined by Hill Climb legends Rhys Millen and Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima in a rematch of last year's battle for King of the Mountain where Millen set an Electric Modified record with a time of 9:07.222, besting Tajima's run of 9:32.401. Millen will return driving for Latvia's Drive eO in his 21st appearance in the Race to the Clouds, which began with Rookie of the Year honors in 1992 when he captured the title in the Pikes Peak Open Division. Rhys, son of PPIHC dirt course record holder Rod Millen, has claimed two King of the Mountain titles, one overall course record and ten class victories, in addition to last year's historic electric powered overall victory. Tajima looks to reclaim the title of King of the Mountain for the eighth time in his radical Tajima Motor Corporation E-RUNNER. Tajima cemented himself in Race to the Clouds history in 2011 by becoming the first competitor in the history of the race to break the 10-minute barrier with a run of 9:51.27 and is the owner of ten of the 100 fastest times in a century of PPIHC competition.
FACTORY BACKED CONTENDERS: Honda Performance Development (HPD) looks to build upon their three class victories and seven podium finishes in 2015 with entries in Electric Modified, Time Attack 1, Time Attack 2 Production and Exhibition Powersport. Last year's top exhibition finisher Tetsuya Yamano will make the move to Electric Modified in a 2016 Honda 4-Motor EV Concept. After pacing the field with the next-generation Acura NSX supercar in 2015, HPD will enter two 2017 production models in this year's race. HPD Engine Research Principal Engineer James Robinson will trade in the 1991 Acura NSX that powered him to a second place finish in last year's Pikes Peak Open Class for the 2017 model. Nick Robinson, last year's Pikes Peak 250cc Motorcycle Class winner and James' brother, will be a contender for the Time Attack 2 Production title after trading in his motorcycle for Acura's new supercar. Keith Steidl will also return for his fourth Pikes Peak race with a 2015 Honda TRX1000.
Victory Racing will return to competition in the motorcycle program for a second consecutive year with their Roland Sands Designs custom built Project 156 Prototype bike that will be ridden by 2014 Pikes Peak Heavyweight Champion Jeremy Toye. Victory will also field an electric prototype motorcycle to be piloted by Cycle World's Road Test Editor Don Canet in the Electric Motorcycle Class.
HOMETOWN HEROS: Hometown heroes David Donner, Brandon "Buddy" Tubbs II, and father and son duo Clint and Codie Vahsholtz headline a group of competitors from the Pikes Peak Region that aim to defend their home turf.
David Donner, a four-time King of the Mountain, will move to Time Attack 1 after setting a new record of 10:26.896 in the Time Attack 2 Production Class last year. Also making the move from Time Attack 2 Production to Time Attack 1 with Donner is recent SCCA Hall of Fame Inductee Randy Pobst in a Nissan GT-R prepared by Pikes Peak Racing.
Buddy Tubbs, one of the race's youngest competitors at 17 years old, looks to defend his 2015 Quad Class victory in the new Pikes Peak Quad Division. The grandson of 1978 and '84 Hill Climb Stock Car winner Larry Carnes will be challenged by a strong field including past Quad Class winner Theo Bernhard and veterans Mike "Doc" Tollett and Chris Wagner.
Clint and Codie Vahsholtz, second and third generation Hill Climb racers, look to add to their family's legacy during the centennial celebration. Between Leonard (first generation - father/grandfather), Clint and Codie, the Vahsholtz family has claimed at least one class victory in every edition of the PPIHC since 1993. Clint, the winningest competitor in PPIHC history with 21 Class victories looks to compete in the Open Wheel Class after placing third in 2015. Codie looks to defend his 2015 title in the Pikes Peak Lightweight Motorcycle Division against a competitive field including Davey Durrell, the winningest motorcycle racer in PPIHC history with 15 Class victories.
FAN FAVORITES: Fans will be delighted to see the return of Colorado's own Paul Dallenbach who will return to the Peak in the Unlimited Division after breaking the race's Open Wheel Class record in 2015 with a time of 9:36.496. Hollywood stuntman Mike Ryan and his 1,500+ horsepower Freightliner Semi-Truck will once again compete in the Pikes Peak Open Class that will also include second generation PPIHC competitor Layne Schranz and Aaron Kaufman, host of the Discovery Channel's Fast N' Loud, competing in his third Race to the Clouds.
ESTABLISHED ROOKIES: The 2016 field will see 12 rookies challenge America's Mountain and despite a lack of experience on Pikes Peak the group is far from inexperienced. Notable newcomers included David Higgins, Daijirro "Dai" Yoshihara, and Robb Holland debuting in Time Attack 1 and Tony Quinn in the Unlimited Division.
David Higgins, a native of Isle of Man racing for Vermont Sports Car, has claimed 14 rally championships including seven in Rally America and owns the 4-Wheeled full lap record on the Isle of Man TT course and the overall record at the Mount Washington Hill Climb.
Dai Yoshihara, one of drifting's biggest names and the winner of the 2011 Formula Drift Championship as a driver for Rhys Millen Racing looks to join his former boss and countless other past and present Formula Drift competitors that have had success in the Race to the Clouds.
While 2016 will officially be Denver, Colorado resident Robb Holland's rookie race, the talented driver is familiar with the event and was scheduled to compete in the 2012 race but was forced to withdraw his entry when the devastating Waldo Canyon Fire postponed the original race date to August, creating a conflict with another event. Holland is the first American to compete full-time in the British Touring Car Championship and World Touring Car Championship in addition to being one of the nation's most well-known experts on Germany's Nurburgring.
Successful Scottish Businessman Tony Quinn might be a PPIHC rookie but his is no stranger to hill climbs. The owner of Australia's Highlands Motorsport Park not only revived and promoted the Race to the Sky, the world's longest dirt hill climb, after an eight year hiatus in 2015 but he also competed against the likes Nobuhiro Tajima in an 850 horsepower Ford Focus. Quinn, a veteran of Target Tasmania and Target New Zealand competition hopes to become an immediate contender in Pikes Peak's Unlimited Division.
Click HERE for a complete list of entries (subject to change), including other notable competitors.
ABOUT THE BROADMOOR PPIHC: Founded in 1916 by Spencer Penrose (also the founder of The Broadmoor Hotel, Pikes Peak Highway and El Pomar Foundation), The Broadmoor PPIHC takes place on a 12.42 mile (19.99 km) public toll-road boasting 156 turns, while competitors climb 4,720 ft. (1,440 m.) from the 9,390 ft. (2,862 m.) Start Line at Mile 7 marker on the Pikes Peak Highway to the 14,115 ft. (4,300 m) Finish Line at the mountain's summit.
The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Brought to you by Gran Turismo is the second oldest motor sports race in America and a long-standing tradition in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak Region. First competed in 1916 and this year marks the 100th anniversary & 94th running of the "Race to the Clouds."
The current record is 08:13.878 and was set by Sebastien Loeb in 2013.
There is no other race course in the world like The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. That is why it attracts race crews that are willing to spend several hundred thousand dollars and months of preparation to compete for the right to be the King of the Mountain.
The race is self-sanctioned and is the most diverse one day motorsports event in the world with everything from Sidecars, Motorcycles, Semi-Trucks, and 1,400+hp EV & Unlimited Racers being able to compete in the same event.
To purchase tickets and learn other information on the PPIHC, visit www.ppihc.com
Upcoming Major Events
Sports Corp Golf Tournament: May 18
Pikes Peak Airstrip Attack: June 18-19
The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb: June 26
Rocky Mountain State Games: July 22-24 & 29-31
Rio Olympic Downtown Celebration: August 5
The Broadmoor Pikes Peak Cycling Hill Climb: August 13
USA Cycling Hill Climb National Championships: August 13
Labor Day Lift Off: September 3-5
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