DAVID MEYER BACK ON THE MOUNTAIN FOR 2025 PIKES PEAK HILL CLIMB
Colorado Springs, CO – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, has released the entry list for the 103rd Running of the Race to the Clouds. Among the returning drivers is Colorado Springs’ own David Meyer making his 14th assault on the 14,115′ summit, this year in the Open Wheel division behind the wheel of an O’Maley Special.
BACK IN THE DAY
Meyer began his Pikes Peak career in 2012 in the Exhibition Powersport division aboard his 2007 Can-Am Renegade, finishing in 13:31.277 for sixth place in the division. He returned the following year on a 2012 Polaris RZR XP900 claiming 8th in 13:25.141. He made one more attempt aboard the Polaris, but scored a DNF.
FROM TWO WHEELS TO FOUR
In 2015, Meyer made the switch from two wheels to four entering a Chevy S-10 truck, formerly raced by Jim Keeney, in the Pikes Peak Challenge – Pikes Peak Open division. He race the truck for two years, the first was limited to a shortened course due to weather. In 2016, he returned with the S-10 for the 100th Anniversary of the legendary race, but recorded a DNF.
In 2017 Meyer moved to a Palatov D2TT, continuing to compete in that vehicle through 2023, sharing, “I bought that car from Dennis Palatov. I liked it because it was different and I wanted to elevate my racing. It was a mid-engine, twin turbo, with a sequential 5-speed transmission. I thought it had all the right things for racing on Pikes Peak.”
His 2020 effort placed him on the podium in 2nd place. He participated in the milestone 100th Running in 2022, finishing sixth in the division plagued by dismal weather.
Meyer clocked his best race time to date in the Palatov, a 10:38.795 in 2018.
“Respect the mountain. The moment you don’t, she’s gonna punch you right in the face.”
David Meyer
OPEN WHEEL ENTRY
“We tried for years to make the Palatov handle better and run faster, but it turned out to be better as a street car,” Meyer shared. “I was breaking too many things, so I changed it back to its stock configuration and made the jump to the open wheeler.
“I bought Dan Novembre’s former open wheel car that the O’Maley’s had built for Pikes Peak in 2016, and we made a lot of changes. Last year I kept blowing out the rear main seals…five, to be exact, including one on Saturday morning before we took the car up to pit on the mountain.”
“On my first run, I got red-flagged and turned around at Devils Playground due to another problem on the course. When I got back to the pits, I didn’t take enough of a break. I should have calmed down. On my restart, I cut a corner approaching Halfway Picnic Grounds and popped a tire, so I watched the rest of the race from there.”
AFTER PIKES PEAK
“I continued to race through the summer, in SCCA events at Pueblo and La Junta, racing in the Unlimited division, and finished on the podium, said Meyer. “It’s really different racing side by side, compared to Pikes Peak.”
“Some of the changes we’ve made for 2025 are a new intercooler and mounts, and a new front wing. We rebuilt the transmission, put in another new rear main seal and a new clutch. I also bought a simulator this year. This car is crazy fast, but I’m still fighting engine temp issues,” Meyer explained. “With these changes, I’m really hoping for a sub-10 run this year.”
Wrapping up his feelings about this race and this mountain, Meyer reflected, “No matter how early you start, it seems like there’s never enough time, but whether my result is good or bad, I just love it. And, living here, almost anywhere you go, you can look west and see that mountain.”
GET TO KNOW DAVID MEYER
Fun Facts:
“I’ve grown up near the mountain. The first time I went up Pikes Peak I was probably three or four years old. My dad worked on the Pikes Peak Highway and during the race would help recover vehicles that had crashed. He later went to work at the old Broadmoor Garage. I’d always wanted to race, but didn’t start until I could afford it.”
“I love riding snowmobiles on Wolf Creek Pass.”
“I got started in racing in the Colorado Hill Climb Association, CHCA. That’s where I met the O’Maleys, two incredible people. They’ll drop everything and give you parts off their own car if you need it. Without Earl and Rodney, I don’t know where I’d be.”
Best Memory: “The first year I raced on Pikes Peak with, and against, a good friend, Garth Butler. We both finished on our Can-Am quads. Our times were six seconds apart.”
Favorite Track: “I enjoy High Plains. It has a long back stretch where you can get up to top speed. It tests your skills, your rights and lefts. That, along with the elevation changes and the off cambers mimics a lot of the stuff you deal with on Pikes Peak.”
Daily Driver: “2022 F250 Tremor”
If you could race any car, from any era, up the mountain: “A Porsche, I’m sure, maybe a 911. But, I like to live in reality, and race what I can afford.”
Advice for a Rookie: “Ask questions. Know the mountain, know the road, memorize it. You can watch videos, but you have to drive it. The sim is not real, so don’t get confidence from your sim results. Until you physically drive it, you just don’t learn it. Learn the road, the speed will come.”
CHECK OUT DAVID MEYER IN HIS PALATOV AS HE CLOCKS PERSONAL BEST TIME IN 2018
Photos by: Larry Chen Photo; Larry Chen, Luis Garcia; Payton Smith, Charles Zhao, Jason Zindroski. Chris Johnson, SEMA, Red Bull
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