Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
LocationColorado Springs, Colorado USA
38°50′N 105°02′W / 38.84°N 105.04°W / 38.84; -105.04
First race1916 (1916)
Distance12.42 mi (20 km)
Circuit information
SurfaceTarmac (historically, dirt)
Turns156
Lap record7:57.148 (France Romain Dumas, Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak, 2018, Unlimited)
Al Unser's 1961 car.
1987 Audi Sport quattro E2 'Pikes Peak'
Suzuki Escudo at the 2006 Race to the Clouds
Randy Schranz rising above treeline at the 85th Race to the Clouds, 2007
Micky Dymond on his way to winning the 2007, 1200cc class, riding a BMW HP2.
Marcus Grönholm drove an 800 BHP Ford Fiesta to 5th overall at the 2009 event.
Rhys Millen's 2011 Pikes Peak Hyundai Genesis coupé
Ralph Murdock breaking the vintage class modified (RMVR modified) record in 2011, with a time of 12:51.004 in a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro
Monster Tajima Electric Car displayed during 2013 PPIHC Fan Fest at Colorado Springs, USA
Sébastien Loeb shattered the course record in 2013 with a Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak (875 bhp and 875 kg)
Rick Knoop, Tim O'Neil, and Charlie Greenhaus with an EVSR electric race car by Entropy Racing at Pikes Peak in 2015

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA. The track measures 12.42 miles (19.99 km) and has over 156 turns, climbing 4,720 ft (1,440 m) from the start at Mile 7 on Pikes Peak Highway, to the finish at 14,115 ft (4,302 m), on grades averaging 7.2%.[1][2] It used to consist of both gravel and paved sections, but as of August 2011, the highway is fully paved; as a result, all subsequent events will be run on asphalt from start to finish.[3]

The race is self-sanctioned and has taken place since 1916.[1][2] It is currently contested by a variety of vehicle classes. The PPIHC operates as the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum to organize the annual motorsports event.[1]

  1. ^ a b c "PPIHC Rulebook" (PDF). www.PPIHC.com. PPIHC. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b "What is the PPIHC?". www.PPIHC.org. PPIHC. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  3. ^ "Paving Pikes Peak". www.PPIHC.org. PPIHC. Retrieved 27 June 2018.