FANS WELCOME INAUGURAL PIKES PEAK GT4 TROPHY BY YOKOHAMA
Colorado Springs, Colorado — The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, along with division sponsor Yokohama Tire, are pleased to introduce the inaugural Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama. Five drivers representing three manufacturers will take part in the 2024 Race to the Clouds.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Yokohama to bring the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama to life for 2024,” said PPIHC CEO Melissa Eickhoff. “The GT4 platform is one of the most popular and versatile forms of racing in the world today, and those who have brought GT4s to the mountain in the past have had success. This is a natural expansion to more manufacturers and that tricky element of Balance of Performance – which will prove to be interesting and new ground for GT4s. We’re looking forward to watching our inaugural division do battle this June, and we hope to encourage more manufacturers to bring GT4s to the Race to the Clouds in future events.”
The Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama succeeds the popular Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama, which debuted in 2018. The Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport that competed in the former class remains eligible, while Yokohama ADVAN tires also carry over.
“Yokohama is excited to expand its presence at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb as the title sponsor of a new class, the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama,” said Tricia Wall, Motorsports Senior Manager, Yokohama. “The popularity of GT4 sports car racing is at an all-time high in North America and this class presents a unique opportunity for multiple vehicle manufacturers to compete against one another at one of the world’s most iconic racing venues. The cars will all go through a B.O.P. (balance of performance) process and compete on the Pikes Peak-proven Yokohama ADVAN A052 tire ensuring the racing will be fierce, but fair.”
PPIHC worked with SRO to obtain the licensing for the GT4 division. SRO is the world leader in GT Class Racing. After creating the GT3 class, the SRO created a GT4 class in order to have a world standard for manufacturers to fairly compete on racetracks around the globe. The SRO licenses the GT4 Class globally with either SRO owned or licensed series running in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, and North America. In 2023, the GT4 class had the largest number of competitors of any class worldwide. By licensing the GT4 Class from the SRO, manufacturers and teams can be confident they have a fair chance to compete at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
The SRO runs many of the world’s premier single and multi-class GT4 series and maintains a homologated platform for each licensed GT4 that allows for efficient balance of performance. The new division is capable of welcoming numerous other global manufacturers and GT4-spec vehicles to compete in the same division moving forward with sub-classes for normally aspirated and turbocharged cars. In 2024, PPIHC will have Porsche and Ford competing in the normally aspirated class and Toyota in the turbo class.
“Porsche and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb have a long history together,” said Volker Holzmeyer, President & CEO, Porsche Motorsport North America. “In many ways, Porsche is tied to this event like we are tied to Daytona, Sebring or Le Mans. It goes very deep. We are proud to return in 2024 supporting the new GT4 class with the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. We look forward to being part of another historic and successful weekend.”
“The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is very significant to all of us at Ford Performance,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “We have been fortunate to have seen success in this event with the record-setting SuperVan 4.2, but competing with the all-new Mustang GT4 this year during the model’s 60th anniversary will be a special moment. Events of this magnitude give us the perfect test bed for our Ford Performance products around the world and a great opportunity to develop our vehicles in the toughest environments to ultimately benefit our customers.”
“Toyota is proud to participate in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the new GT4 division,” said Paul Doleshal, group manager, motorsports, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “This historic event is a perfect opportunity to showcase Toyota’s hallmark reliability and performance attributes featured in our Toyota GR Supra GT4. Toyota continues to push the limits for greater, ever better vehicles for our customers, and participating in events like the Pikes Peak Hill Climb allows us to put our vehicles to the test in the most strenuous situations. We are confident that our GR Supra GT4 will be up to the challenge of the more than 150 turns this event requires and look forward to engaging with the many fans who will be on-site.”
All five drivers competing for the inaugural Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama have previous experience on the mountain.
#16 Chris Becker, Englewood, CO
2024 Ford Mustang GT4 (S650); 6th year
#22 Laura Hayes, Greenville, SC
2022 Toyota Supra GT4; 3rd year
#727 Hayden Bradley, Seminole, FL
2023 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport; 2nd year
#77 Nuno Caetano, Lisbon, Portugal
2023 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport; 2nd year
#99 Robb Holland, Denver, CO
2023 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport; 8th year
Bradley, Caetano, and Becker competed in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama last year, finishing first, second, and fifth respectively, while Holland was fifth in the Pikes Peak Open class last year. Hayes most recently competed in the Time Attack 1 class in 2022 and formerly drove the Parade of Champions car in 2020.
Photos: Larry Chen Photo, Ford Performance, Toyota Motor North America
Contributor: Chris Leone
Contact:
Lisa Haight
Communications Manager / Historian
lisa@ppihc.org
(719) 685-4400
www.ppihc.org
