► Ford takes second successive Pikes Peak win
► All-electric F-150 with around 1,600bhp
► Driven by veteran Romain Dumas
Ford has claimed an overall victory at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event, besting 60 other competitors with a juiced up, F-150 Lightning prototype electric vehicle (EV).
The circa 1,600bhp monster– known as the SuperTruck – was piloted by seasoned Ford EV specialist and former 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Romain Dumas.
He made it up the hill in eight minutes and 53 seconds to top the day’s time sheet, beating silver medallist Christian Merli and his Wolf Aurobay GB08 by 10 seconds.
The win marks a second successive Pikes Peak class victory for Ford Performance, the team having taken last year’s Pikes Peak Open class top spot (second overall) with a massively overpowered all-electric van in the style (ish) of a Transit, known as the SuperVan.
On race day, this year’s SuperTruck couldn’t beat the SuperVan’s time of eight minutes and 47 seconds, but it was able to eclipse the latter’s qualifying result by over seven seconds with a record time of 3:32.8. Both were set by Dumas.
Dumas could’ve potentially set a faster final result time this year had he not experienced a technical issue within the first few corners of his run. Instead of retiring, the French veteran was able to perform a reset on the car while stationary, then continue his climb up to an incredible victory.
‘I’m honoured to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,’ he said after the win.
‘Everything about this event is a challenge because it is unlike any other form of racing, you only have one shot. We faced a challenge early on but that only gave me more determination to make up the lost time in the rest of the run.’
What is the Pikes Peak hillclimb?
Though it may lack the polished genteel of other racing events, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb is still, unequivocally, a member of the motorsport event royal family.
First held in 1916, race day tasks competitors with ascending a 12.42 mile track to the summit of the Pikes Peak mountain as fast they can – a course that includes over 156 turns and 2,862m of elevation change between the starting line and the chequered flag.
Needless to say, making it up the mountain in rapid time is an incredibly dangerous feat, and several people have lost their lives at the event since its inception.
The most recent fatality was in 2019 when motorcyclist Carline Dunne lost control of his Ducati Streetfighter V4 at the final corner, a tragedy that swiftly prompted organisers to ban the motorcycle class altogether from then on.
With such great risk, the event has garnered a uniquely unhinged pool of followers and competitors over the years. You’ll find the most eclectic mix of battle-worn machinery in the paddock, but for the bigger manufacturers like Ford Performance, it presents an opportunity to indulge in some engineering appetite.
The fastest time ever recorded up the track was set by none other than Romain Dumas in 2018, driving a one-off Volkswagen I.D. R prototype specifically designed for the course. He was able to set a hugely impressive 7:57.1 – faster than the next best ever time by over 16 seconds.