Anecdotes from the illustrious history of the race at Pikes Peak
Winners need pioneer-mentality
1916 premiere – in a surprising turn of events, Rea Lentz, who was entirely unknown in motorsport circles, won the first mountain race on Pikes Peak in the Romano Special
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second-oldest race in the US, with a 100-year history full of records, heroes and legends. Here are some highlights of the history of the illustrious race to the summit.
The Expedition from Captain Zebulon Montgomery Pike failed 1806 on the towering mountain at the southern end of the Rocky Mountains. In his wildest dreams he probably would never have imagined that some day someone would manage to reach the summit. But, in fact, the first mountain climber made it to the top of the 4,302-metre peak in 1820.
Around 80 years later, two men from nearby Colorado Springs were able to make it to the summit using a steam-powered vehicle along a supply route set up by the army shortly before the turn of the century. It took them over nine hours to reach the top.
Object of desire – Spencer Penrose donated the first winner’s cup, made entirely from silver, in 1916
Louis Unser (Stutz Special) was the first member of the now legendary racing driver family to win Pikes Peak in 1934
And then there was Spencer Penrose, an entrepreneur who had made his fortune by investing in mining. His idea to build an actual road on Pikes Peak, which had become a popular observation point, was just as bold as the budget of $500,000, an unbelievable sum at that time in history.
In order to publicise his “Pikes Peak Highway” and the Colorado Springs region as a holiday destination and ultimately to earn money with the toll road, Penrose organised the first-ever mountain race for cars and motorcycles on Pikes Peak from 10 to 12 August 1916. And thus the “Race to the Clouds” was born, offering an irresistible attraction for racing drivers and vehicle manufacturers of all kinds: in addition to prize money of $2,000, the victor would win an impressive trophy and lots of prestige – due in large part to the extremely difficult outside conditions. Entirely unsecured at that time, the route was skirted by the occasional drop of hundreds of metres, with ominous names such as Devil’s Playground and Bottomless Pit. Much to the dismay of the local leading lights, Rea Lentz of Washington, who was just 22 years old at that time, won the race in 1916.
So it’s no wonder that the best and most fearless drivers of their time get together again every year. The name of today’s legendary racing driver dynasty, Unser, appeared in the list of winners for the first time in 1934, with Louis Unser securing the first of his family’s currently 38 class and overall wins.
A look at route records reveals just how quickly Pikes Peak racing cars have developed over time. In 1916, it took Lentz nearly 21 minutes to complete the route, whilst Chuck Meyers undercut the 18-minute mark in 1925. In the world of motorsport, a minute is an eternity. Louis Unser was the first to finish in less than 16 minutes in 1938. His nephew Bobby Unser pushed the record to below 14 minutes in 1958 and, ten years later, was also the first to rush upon the summit in less than 12 minutes. In 1994, when the route was still all gravel, New Zealander Rod Millen fell just short of the magical 10-minute mark.
Louis Unser celebrated another of his nine wins in 1946. His Maserati 8CTF was originally built for the 500-mile Indianapolis 500 race
Top speed on gravel – Rod Millen was victorious in the Toyota in 1994. His driving time was only beat once stretches of the route were tarmacked
From 2001 more and more stretches were tarmacked for environmental reasons. The rain rinsed thousands of tonnes of gravel every year into the surrounding nature reserves. This should finally stop, yet it nearly put an end to the traditional race. But that didn’t stop the event organisers, who carried on undeterred despite a dramatic drop in the number of participants.
With sections of the route now tarmacked, the speed of the race increased significantly, resulting in much better records on the faster route. Nobuhiro Tajima of Japan was the first to finish in less than 10 minutes in 2011. The last stretch of gravel disappeared in 2012, with racing motorcycles now also reaching the summit of Pikes Peak in less than 10 minutes for the first time. In 2013, nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb of France set a new record with an extraordinary time of 8 minutes and 14 seconds, which he still holds to this day.
Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb set the route record of 8 minutes and 13.878 seconds in 2013, which remains undefeated to this day. Copyright: Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool
This vehicle is supposed to be a new milestone: the ID. R Pikes Peak from Volkswagen
In addition to around 600,000 tourists annually, Pikes Peak has long attracted more than just drivers of two and four-wheel motor vehicles. The legendary route now even plays host to a bicycle race and running event. In 2017, Pikes Peak, also called America’s Mountain, was the scene of a spectacular drift video published by YouTube superstar Ken Block. There’s no better promotion than the millions of clicks on the YouTube channel of the rally- and rally-cross-driver. Not even Spencer Penrose himself, who once have built the first proper street on the summit, could have come up with a better ad.
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Milestones and records in the history of the famous race to the hill
1916:
Rea Lentz won the first mountain race on Pikes Peak in the Romano Demon Special with Curtiss aircraft engine. His time: 20 minutes, 55.6 seconds.
1928:
First of eight wins for Glen Shultz in the Stutz Special (17 minutes, 41.6 seconds). Shultz was named King of the Mountain.
1929:
Introduction of the Super Stock class for modified production saloons.
1933:
The race was broadcast on the radio for the first time.
1934:
Louis Unser was victorious in the Stutz Special (time: 16 minutes, 1.8 seconds), placing the Unser family on the list of winners for the first time.
1941:
First time that a team from abroad had participated – the Talbot factory team of France took third and fourth place.
1946:
The race was included in the IndyCar Championship for the first time (until 1970).
1953:
Introduction of a class for sports cars. The overall win went to Louis Unser in the Kurtis Offenhauser (15 minutes, 15.4 seconds).
1964:
The race was broadcast on TV for the first time, with the catchy name Race to the Clouds.
1968:
Bobby Unser (Rislone Special) finished in under 12 minutes for the first time (11 minutes, 54.9 seconds).
1969:
Mario Andretti (King-Chevrolet), later a Formula 1 Champion, won at 12 minutes and 44.07 seconds.
1981:
Introduction of the Open Rally class for European-style rally cars.
1985:
Michèle Mouton won in the Audi Sport quattro – the first overall win in a rally car and the first win for a woman. Her time: 11 minutes, 25.3 seconds.
1987:
Walter Röhrl undercut the 11-minute mark, driving the Audi Sport quattro E2 to victory with a time of 10 minutes and 47.850 seconds.
1994:
At 10 minutes and 4.060 seconds, New Zealander Rod Millen (Toyota Celica Special) achieved the final fastest time on the completely unpaved route.
1996:
‘International’ was added to the name of the race.
2001:
Efforts to tarmac the route began.
2004:
Because the route had to be shortened during the race due to worsening weather conditions, there were two Kings of the Mountain for the first and – so far – only time.
2010:
Nobuhiro Tajima (Suzuki) of Japan lowered the record to below 10 minutes (9 minutes, 51.278 seconds).
2011:
The route was fully tarmacked.
2012:
Tajima reached the summit again in less than 10 minutes, this time in an electric vehicle, a self-developed prototype.
Romain Dumas, 2018 driver of Volkswagen’s electric racing car, set a new record for the Pikes Peak Open class in the Porsche 911 GT3R at 9 minutes and 46.181 seconds.
2013:
Nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb set a new record that remains undefeated in 2018, in the Peugeot with Le Mans technology: 8 minutes, 13.878 seconds.
2015:
Rhys Millen secured the first overall win in an electric vehicle of his own construction.
2016:
Rhys Millen set a new record for electric vehicles with a time of 8 minutes and 57.118 seconds.
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