AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER PAUL HUBERS TACKLES PIKES PEAK AND GIVES CREW KUDOS AT EVERY TURN
Colorado Springs, CO – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, will welcome drivers, and their race teams, from around the world to take on the 156 turns on America’s Mountain in June. While drivers may receive all the glory, racer Paul Hubers, points to the role the crew plays as the major factor in team success.
In fact, the first time Hubers experienced Pikes Peak was as a crew member for the Acura team in 2018. He recalls, “It was a super cool experience to watch the sun rise over the clouds. Having a bunch of racecars show up shortly after only made it better.”
His exposure to the PPIHC in 2018 was inspiring as Peter Cunningham joined by brothers Nick and James Robinson, along with first-time driver, Jordan Guitar, all finished the race and Hubers saw the team’s hard work pay off. Nick Robinson claimed the Front Wheel Drive record in 10:48.094 as he crossed the line at the snowy summit. James Robinson would capture the alternative fuel Hybrid Record in 10:02.448, and Peter Cunningham bested his own Pikes Peak Open record in 09:27.352.
FORMULA SAE TO PIKES PEAK
“Like many automotive engineers, I participated in Formula SAE competitions during my tenure as a college student,” explained Hubers. “While the classwork was interesting, I spent many more hours designing the chassis of our Formula car in the evenings. When the competition came around, our car was assigned the number 41 and I’ve stuck with it. To me, designing and fabricating that car was my true education. I’ve learned a lot more since then, but I’ll always appreciate the experience of conceiving that car from scratch.”
Hubers would eventually spend four seasons racing in club Miata, autocross and rally events before he was tapped to drive at Pikes Peak.
EYES ON THE SUMMIT
Hubers transitioned from crew member to driver and has now challenged the mountain three times. In 2022, Hubers was behind the wheel for the first time in the 100th running of this legendary race. Weather was everyone’s enemy that year with heavy fog, cold temps, rain, sleet, and snow. Driving a 2023 Acura Integra in the Exhibition division, Hubers completed his rookie run in 13:06.931 for a ninth place division finish.
Skies were brighter for his second attempt in 2023. Piloting the same car, Hubers entered the Pikes Peak Open division where he finished 10th and ran nearly a full minute quicker than the previous year with a 12:08.535.
In 2024, Hubers was back in Pikes Peak Open, back in the same Integra, and again finished 10th in division. Impressively, he shaved almost 30 seconds from his prior time with his clocking of 11:40.736.
PIKES PEAK PROVEN
As a Senior Engineer for Chassis Development at Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, Hubers described his unique race team. “Honda of America Race Team, or HART team members are associates of Honda’s Development and Manufacturing Organization. The personal experience gained from Pikes Peak’s extreme challenges really conditions our mindset and allows us to apply proven technology as we develop the product for our customers.”
Offering lessons learned from Acura’s participation in the PPIHC, Hubers shared, “We’ve learned that the Acura Integra is an extremely capable platform for the hill climb environment. Similar to all teams on the mountain, the improvements we made this year allowed us to maintain performance as we ascended the course. The results of our efforts are evident in the time reduction during our 2024 run.”
“In 2024, I hit 108 mph right before Bottomless Pit. Between the capability of the Acura Integra, and a stellar team, it was easy to feel confident at that speed.”
Paul Hubers
GET TO KNOW PAUL HUBERS
Instagram: @hartroadrace
Fun Facts:
“While I love the thrill of a race car, I also love slowly adventuring through forest roads on my Honda CB500X motorcycle. I’m planning a couple multi-day adventures this year!”
“For me, building a race car by hand is equally as exciting as driving it. There’s a unique sense of accomplishment when fabricating something yourself.”
Favorite Section: “I’d have to say Blue Sky through11-Mile Water Station. The Integra loves to take that string of lefts as one long, fast turn!”
Most Challenging Corner: “The right-hander after Glen Cove. It can’t be practiced at speed, so you just have to commit on race day!”
Good Luck Charm: “The best good-luck-charm I can come up with is the crew our Acura team brings to the mountain each year. Racing really is a team sport, and any driver is just a small part of the machine. My teammates are true professionals and they all work tirelessly to put on a good show.”
Three Must-Haves in the Trailer:
- Zip-ties – the gold standard of motorsports fasteners!
- Coffee machine – it’s the small luxuries that make a 2:00 am wake-up call tolerable!
- Crew – It cannot be said enough that racing is a team sport no matter how many seats there are in the race car! A crew made of good friends is more important than any amount of horsepower.
Favorite Track: “Although I’ve never driven it, I really like Road Atlanta. My friends in college and I would go to Petit le Mans each year when we were in school. It was such a cool event to share with those guys, and it definitely inspired me to pursue motorsports as a part of my career.”
Advice for a PPIHC Rookie: “A basic driving simulator is by far the best way to learn the course prior to actually driving up the hill. I logged hundreds of virtual runs before our Pikes Peak Integra was even built, and I would do it again for any race track. There’s no excuse for not knowing the course. And, as with any race, you can’t win if you don’t finish. Plan to get to the top, even if it means taking it easy on your rookie run. Being a PPIHC finisher is a huge accomplishment in its own right.”
PROFESSIONAL AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER, PAUL HUBERS, PROVES ACURA TECHNOLOGY ON PIKES PEAK
Photos by: Larry Chen Photo; Larry Chen, Luis Garcia, Louis Yio, Charles Zhao, Jason Zindroski.
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Contact:
Lisa Haight
Communications Manager / Historian
lisa@ppihc.org
(719) 685-4400
www.ppihc.org
