The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) is an annual event that has been happening since 1916. The race is dubbed as ‘The Race to the Clouds’ as participants climb 4720ft in the distance from start to finish. The course is 19.99km long that consists of 156 corners and the elevation at the summit is 14,115ft. The PPIHC is a challenging and difficult course because as the incline increases the air becomes thinner which begins to affect the engines performance and an engine loses almost 30 percent of its power but the time it reaches the top. Apart from this, there are steep almost vertical drops around many corners.
The entrants are divided based on division of vehicle, the divisions for the Car division are:
1. Unlimited – This is for exotic or cars built for PPIHC
2. Time Attack – This division is restricted to two or four-wheel drive vehicles with close-bodies.
3. Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama – This is a one-make race exclusively for the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport in four variants: Clubsport, Clubsport Trophy Specification, Clubsport MR, and Clubsport 2017 IMSA GS.
4. Open Wheel – This is for vehicles with a single engine, single seat, open wheeled and an open cockpit with either a front or rear engine and can be two or four-wheel drive.
5. Pikes Peak Open – This is for vehicles that are recognised as production vehicles with no change in body or styling but the engine, transmission and suspension can be modded as per terrain.
6. Exhibition - This division is for prototype or pre-production cars.
The divisions for the Motorcycle division are:
1.Pikes Peak Heavyweight – This division is for bikes with up to four-cylinders and a minimum cubic capacity of 851cc. Electric bikes can also take part in this division.
2. Pikes Peak Middleweight – This division is for bikes two or four-stroke engines with up to four-cylinders and displacement between 501-850cc.
3. Pikes Peak Light Weight – This division is made two or four-stroke engines with up to two-cylinders and a displacement of up to 500cc
Exhibition – This division is for prototype or pre-production based motorcycles.
The 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Saw a total of 85 entrants of which 58 were for the car division and 27 were for the motorcycle division. Further subdivision sees five entries for the Unlimited Division. 24 entries for the Unlimited Division. Nine entries for the Pikes Peak Open division, four entries in the Open Wheel Division, six entries in the Exhibition Division, six entries in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama and four drivers piloting the Sierra Alpha in the Car category. Nine entries for the Pikes Peak Lightweight division, three entries for the Pikes Peak Middleweight division, eight entries for the Pikes Peak Heavyweight division and seven entries for the Exhibition Powersport division for in the Bike category.
In qualifying, in the Motorcycle category, Carlin Dunne qualified the fastest with a time of 4:09:550 on the Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype and started on pole position for the event but unfortunately, on the final day, he crashed out to his demise a mere quarter of a mile before the finish line. Rennie Scaysbrook qualified second fastest with a time of 4:15:006 on the 2018 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100. Codie Vasholtz qualified third fastest with a time of 4:15:775 on the 2019 Ducati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak.
For the Car category, Robin Shute qualified fastest with a time of 3:31:047 in the 218 Wolf TSC-Honda. Raphael Astier qualified second fastest with the time of 3:51:097 in the 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo. Peter Cunningham qualified third fastest with a time of 3:51:770 in the 2019 Acura TLX GT.
RACEDAY:
Robin Shute finished first overall with a time of 9:12.476 in the 2018 Wolf TSC-Honda, he participated in the Unlimited division and Raphael Astier who participated in the Time Attack division finished second overall with a time of 09:23.721 in the 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo and Peter Cunningham finished third overall with a time of 09:24.433 in the 2019 Acura TLX GT in the Pikes Peak Open division.
Robin Shute finished first in the unlimited division with a time of 09:12.476 in the 2018 Wolf TSC-Honda roughly 42.535 seconds faster than Greg Tracey who was second fastest in the same division. Raphael Astier finished first in the time attack division with a time of 09:23.721 in the 2017 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup ahead of Clint Vahsholtz who came second in the division with a time of 9:48.716. Paul Dallenbach finished first in the Open Wheel division with a time of 09:44.630 in the 2006 PVA 003 Dallenbach Special and was faster than Andy Figueroa by three minutes 26 seconds who was second in the division. Peter Cunningham finished first in the Pikes Peak Open: division with a time of 09:24.433 in the 2019 Acura TLX GT. Rhyss Millen finished first in the Exhibition division with a time of 10:18.483 in the 2019 Bentley Continental GT while Travis Pastrana finished first in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division with a time of 11:24.287 in the 2016 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
MOTORCYCLE CATEGORY:
Rennie Scraysbrook finished first overall in the motorcycle category with a time of 09:44.963 on the 2018 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100. He participated in Heavyweight division. Lucy Glöcker who participated in the Exhibition Powersport division, finished second overall in the motorcycle category with a time of 09:58.878 on the 2019 BMW S1000R and Codie Vasholtz finished third overall in the motorcycle category with a time of 10:03.908 on the 2019 Ducati Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak in the Heavyweight division.
Renne Scraysbrook finished first in the Pikes Peak Heavyweight division with a time of 09:44.963 on the 2018 Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 ahead of Codie Vahsholtz on the Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak(10:03.908). Rafael Paschoalin finished first in the Pikes Peak Middleweight division with a time of 10:43.880 on the 2019 Yamaha MT07 ahead of Richard Kray on a 2019 MT 09 with a time of 11:20.959, while Chris Fillmore finished first in the Pikes Peak Lightweight division with a time of 10:20.819 on the 2019 KTM 450 SX-F Factory Edition ahead of Darryl Lujan on a Honda CRF 450 with a time of 11:15.666 . The fastest time in the Exhibition Powersport division was achieved by Lucy Glöcker at 09:58.878 on the 2019 BMW S1000R.