ROOKIE CLASS READY TO TAKE ON AMERICA’S MOUNTAIN
16 First-Time Competitors Prepare for Their Debut in the Race to the Clouds
Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 9, 2026 – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, has challenged competitors from around the world for more than a century. This year, 16 drivers will join that legacy as they make their first attempt at the Race to the Clouds on June 21, 2026.
The 2026 rookie class features everything from sports car racers and off-road champions to garage-built competitors and lifelong Pikes Peak enthusiasts. Despite their varied backgrounds, all 16 newcomers share a common goal: reaching the 14,115-foot summit after conquering the 12.42-mile course and its 156 turns.
Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama – Turbo
Catesby Jones (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) arrives at the mountain with an impressive resume behind the wheel of his BMW M4 GT4 EVO. A winner of One Lap of America, Jones regularly competes in World Racing League, IMSA and SRO competition.
Running alongside him in a sister BMW M4 GT4 EVO is broadcaster and automotive journalist Carlos de Quesada (Tampa, Florida), who will trade the microphone for a helmet as he makes his first attempt at the Race to the Clouds. Both entries feature art car-inspired liveries through their shared program with Alegra Motorsports.
Pikes Peak Open
The Pikes Peak Open division welcomes an international entry alongside two accomplished American competitors.
Billy Johnson (Loxahatchee, Florida) enters Race Day as one of the most recognizable names in the rookie class. Driving the 2015 Porsche GT3 Turbo Cup known as “Lucy,” Johnson brings extensive NASCAR, sports car and endurance racing experience to America’s Mountain.
Nick Plocienik (Minneapolis, Minnesota) will make his debut in a 2023 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE. Plocienik brings IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge and endurance racing experience to the mountain.
Representing France, Valentin Simonet will campaign a 2015 Renault RS01, marking the first appearance of a Renault in PPIHC competition. Simonet competes in the French GT Championship.
Time Attack 1
Two rookies with strong credentials from the hill climb and time attack worlds join the Time Attack 1 division.
Maciej Serafin (Gorlice, Poland) arrives at Pikes Peak as a multi-time Polish Hill Climb Champion and two-time European Hill Climb Champion. Driving a 2019 Honda Civic TCR/JAS, Serafin will also become the first Polish driver to compete at Pikes Peak.
Rob Wilmoth (Apex, North Carolina) brings experience from the Appalachian Hill Climb Series and will pilot a 2018 Audi RS3 under the FasterSkunk Racing banner. Wilmoth and his team have partnered with Racing for ALS, carrying the foundation’s message to the mountain as part of their rookie campaign.
Unlimited
The largest rookie contingent can be found in the Unlimited division, where five newcomers will take on some of the fastest and most diverse machinery in the field.
Unlimited – Production Based
Kurt Dieker (Maize, Kansas) has spent the past four years supporting the Dusold Designs Camaro program before launching his own effort in a 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback.
Joshua Briggs (Savannah, Georgia) will challenge Pikes Peak in a 1995 Mazda Miata.
Jim Morris (Coventry, Great Britain) will drive a 2014 Volkswagen Golf. Morris hopes to build on his success at Goodwood while chasing a place among the fastest front-wheel-drive competitors in Hill Climb history.
Unlimited – Super Unlimited
John Annunziata (Sandy, Utah) co-founded Stryker Motorsports, which fielded its first PPIHC entry in 2025. This year, he climbs into the cockpit himself, piloting a 2025 Wolf Extreme.
Franco Caruso (Comiso, Italy) brings more than three decades of racing experience in European cup and hill climb competition. He will campaign a 2018 Nova Proto NP01 Bardahl in his first appearance on America’s Mountain.
Exhibition Ultra4 USA
For the first time in 15 years, Ultra4 USA returns to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in an official capacity, bringing four decorated off-road racers to the mountain.
Phillip McGilton (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) brings a 2020 Campbell Enterprises entry to Pikes Peak. The reigning Ultra4 National and Eastern Champion in the Unlimited 4400 class.
Casey Currie (Norco, California) will drive a 2025 Jeep Gladiator. Currie made history in 2020 as the first American driver to win the UTV category at the Dakar Rally.
Loren Healy (Farmington, New Mexico) arrives in a 2021 Ford Bronco. A five-time Ultra4 champion and two-time King of the Hammers Stock Class champion, Healy is among the most accomplished drivers in American off-road racing.
Paul Wolff (Alton, Illinois) will pilot a 2018 UFO 4400 Truck. He holds the record for the most race wins in the Ultra4 series by a single driver.
While their paths to Pikes Peak have been vastly different, all 16 rookies now share the same challenge. On June 21, they’ll make their first run at the summit and join the long list of competitors who have tested themselves on America’s Mountain.
Photo Credit: Patrick Daly, Jake Bond, Elizabeth Wyman
