Romain Dumas overcomes early issue to win fifth Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Romain Dumas‘ Pikes Peak Worldwide Hill Climb began with a close to catastrophe when his Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck got here to a sudden halt with {an electrical} difficulty. It ended together with his fifth crown.

Regardless of the truck immediately stopping and including roughly twenty-six seconds to his time, Dumas was capable of restart the automobile earlier than continuing. Though this prevented him from setting the absolute best time up the freeway, he nonetheless managed to be the one driver within the area to set a time beneath 9 minutes. He beforehand claimed the 2014 and 2016 to 2018 editions, however 2024 was his first with Ford.

“Every little thing about this occasion is a problem as a result of it’s not like some other type of racing, you solely have one shot,” Dumas said. “We confronted a problem early on however that solely gave me extra dedication to make up the misplaced time in the remainder of the run.”

The F-150 Lightning SuperTruck is an electrical automobile developed by Ford Design and STARD Superior Analysis and Growth. It’s able to 1,600 horsepower from three LMC (lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide) batteries and over 6,000 kilos of downforce at 150 miles per hour (93.20 km/h). Previous to the hillclimb, Dumas smashed the qualifying document with a time of three:32.831, surpassing that set by its predecessor SuperVan 4.2 of three:39.939 in 2023.

FIA European Hill Climb Champion Christian Merli completed second in his Pikes Peak début, driving a Wolf Aurobay GB 08 within the Limitless class.

“To be trustworthy I’d hoped to do higher although it was my first time each on the observe and with the 380-hp Wolf,” stated Merli. “On this month of testing we at all times did the observe in three separate sections and solely on race day did we run it in a single go. I’m very moved. I’ve been right here for a month and I take first place within the Limitless class and second general on my debut in what’s a loopy race. I used to be afraid of constructing a mistake and I attempted to maintain all the things underneath management. I’m actually comfortable.”

World Rally Championship driver Dani Sordo rounded out the general podium in his Hyundai IONIQ 5 N TA Spec. Like Dumas, a fellow rally raid part-timer, Sordo’s automobile is an electrical automobile; the IONIQ 5 N TA Spec produces extra 37 horsepower than its manufacturing counterpart. Randy Pobst additionally raced one, whereas Ron Zaras took half within the manufacturing model. Paul Dallenbach was initially scheduled to race certainly one of his personal however withdrew on account of accidents sustained in observe.

IndyCar and IMSA veteran Katherine Legge completed twenty-seventh general and fifth within the Time Assault 1 class in her first Pikes Peak. Her automotive, an Acura Integra Kind S DE5, relies on the Kind S sport compact.

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