THREE KINGS LEAD FIELD AS RACE DAY STARTING ORDER IS SET
Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 18, 2026 – Qualifying for the 104th Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo concluded Thursday on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain. While fog delayed activity in the middle and upper sections early in the morning, conditions improved as the day progressed. Thursday marked the official qualifying session for the Unlimited Division (both classes) and Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama (both classes), with drivers competing for starting position and a place in the HELLA Fast 15.
With qualifying now complete, the starting order for Sunday’s Race to the Clouds has been set.
FULL PRACTICE RESULTS
RACE DAY RUN ORDER
QUALIFYING
The lower section qualifying session produced a familiar trio at the top of the leaderboard. Reigning King of the Mountain Simone Faggioli earned the pole position for Race Day with a blistering 3:21.858, followed by Robin Shute at 3:24.917 and Romain Dumas at 3:28.919.
The battle for P4 and P5 positions was equally intense, with rookie Franco Caruso turning heads once again by qualifying fourth overall ahead of veteran European hill climb standout Diego Degasperi, both in a 2018 Nova Proto NP01 Bardahl.
In the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama division, Laura Hayes continued her strong week by posting the fastest qualifying time in the turbo class at 4:13.608. Hayes, the fastest woman on four wheels at Pikes Peak, led a tightly contested GT4 field that saw Catesby Jones qualify second at 4:18.734. Carlos de Quesada and Zach Lumsden completed the top four, setting the stage for one of the closest class battles on Race Day, with less than 13 seconds separating the four drivers.
In the naturally aspirated GT4 category, King of the Mountain Clint Vahsholtz qualified first with a time of 4:26.985, while Tad Cusack posted a time of 4:29.573.
For the middle section, once the morning fog lifted, competitors made the most of their limited time and navigated the technical switchbacks.
Defending King of the Mountain Simone Faggioli posted the fastest time of the day in the Upper Section with a run of 2:18.819, narrowly edging five-time King of the Mountain Romain Dumas at 2:19.402. Four-time King of the Mountain Robin Shute remained close behind at 2:21.659 as one of the most anticipated battles heading into Race Day continued to take shape.
Possibly the most impressive run of the session came from rookie Franco Caruso, whose time of 2:22.248 placed him just behind the trio of Kings of the Mountain and ahead of several accomplished veterans in the Super Unlimited Division.
Billy Johnson once again set the pace in Pikes Peak Open, posting the fastest time in the section at 2:24.878 in his Porsche GT3 Turbo Cup “LUCY.” Behind him, Jimmy Ford continued his consistently strong Race Week performance with a 2:37.090.
One of the day’s best comeback stories belonged to Kash Singh. After suffering an engine failure on Tuesday and enduring multiple sleepless nights to source parts and complete repairs, Singh returned to the mountain Thursday with a best run of 3:06.914.
The upper section faced the most challenging conditions of the day. Morning fog delayed activity near the summit, and an on-course incidents limited available runs once the session got underway. Despite the interruptions, Codie Vahsholtz posted the fastest time in Open Wheel at 2:39.946, followed by Dan Novembre at 2:42.298. In Time Attack 1, Emelia Hartford led the division with a 2:45.395, ahead of both David Donner and Jeff Zwart.
Defending Time Attack 1 division winner Robb Holland, went off course at Cog Cut. Holland was uninjured, but the incident brought an early end to the morning.
HELLA FAST 15 AND RACE DAY RUN ORDER
The Race Day run order is set and an accomplished field of seasoned Pikes Peak veterans and a few promising rookies make up the HELLA Fast 15. Make sure to swing by Fan Fest, presented by Toyo Tires, on Friday June 19 from 5-9pm in downtown Colorado Springs and get your autographed poster.
