NEED A LAST MINUTE REPLACEMENT?
CALL RANDY POBST
Colorado Springs, CO – Racing on America’s Mountain is all about expecting the unexpected, from weather to wildlife to waiting on the grid. In the 2024 edition of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, Randy Pobst (Gainesville, GA) received an urgent call during Race Week inviting him to get behind the wheel.
LEAD UP TO 2024 AND HYUNDAI ON PIKES PEAK
Asked about his race-week experience in 2024, Pobst enthusiastically explained, “2024 was a miracle for me! I’d done some consulting for Hyundai, including with the street IONIQ 5 N, and was working to be part of the Pikes Peak team last year, but it didn’t happen….until Tuesday of race week. I was at home and got a call from Bryan Herta Autosport, who built and ran the cars. A seat had become available, and would I like to drive. I grabbed my helmet and toothbrush and headed straight for the airport.
“I arrived in Colorado after midnight. By 4:00am, I was at the Pikes Peak Gateway, and by 6:00am, I was in the car leaving the start line for practice up on the middle section. It was like I’d been beamed there.”
EV ADVANTAGES
Pobst shared what made the Hyundai excel on the mountain, “The IONIQ 5 N TA Spec is electric which brings two great advantages to a race that starts in thin air at 9,000 feet in elevation, and goes a mile up. First, electric motors don’t need oxygen: perfect! So, unlike petroleum-powered cars, the IONIQ keeps its full 680 hp all the way to the summit.
“Another great advantage is the combination of very strong, and instant, torque which launches the car explosively from all those tight hairpins. Okay, and a third, the weight of the batteries in the cars is carried very low, below the floor, giving the cars an extremely low center of gravity, which helps create great handling and speed in the many corners.”
Pobst finished his Exhibition division run in 09:55.551, just three-quarters of a second from his personal best time in 2023.
NO STRANGER TO PIKES PEAK
Pobst’s decade on Pikes Peak has prepared him for the best, and worst, conditions on the mountain. He has run weather shortened courses, suffered practice week crashes, and seen clear skies and sunny days as he raced through the 156 turns.
His first appearance on the mountain came in 1995 in Pikes Peak’s IMSA division where he ran a shortened course in a BMW. He entered an Audi A4 in 2012, but suffered a race week crash, which prevented him from competing. In 2015, he entered the Time Attack 2 division in a 2009 Nissan GTR, but didn’t finish.
Back for the 2018 event, Pobst would switch to an iconic American brand, a Ford Mustang GT, racing in the Pikes Peak Open division. He would claim third place with his impressive time of 10:02.410.
Since 2019, Pobst has competed in the Exhibition division. He entered a 2019 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat the same year and finished with a time of 11:57.874 for second place.
In 2020, Pobst acknowledged the potential of electric power on Pikes Peak and competed in the Exhibition division in the Unplugged Performance Tesla Model 3 Ascension-R. The week ended up being much longer than he expected.
A TESTAMENT TO TEAMWORK
Pobst’s team photographer grabbed an amazing shot of the practice day incident, just past the Bottomless Pit wall, when the car left the course, and was significantly damaged. Undeterred, Pobst, and his crew, embraced the challenge and the car was rebuilt and race-ready as it rolled to the Start Line on Race Day. Pobst finished second in division in 11:04.131.
He was back in 2021 where, for the second time in race history, it was announced prior to the race that drivers would run only a partial course, due to weather. It’s interesting to note that Pobst is one of only a handful of drivers to compete in the only years that occurred, 1995 and 2021.
Pobst, not intimidated by the conditions, finished first in the Exhibition division in the Tesla Model S Plaid.
He continued to race the Tesla in both 2022, for the 100th Running, where he finished in the clouds, and in 2023, when he set his fastest time ever on the mountain, a 09:54.901, both times in the Exhibition division.
“For me, the most challenging corners are two fast lefts, just before Upper Gravel Pit, with the mountain on the left and nothing but blue sky on the right. The second one gets tighter and will dump you off the road if you are not ready for it. What a thrill, and also quite crazy! It’s the greatest shot of adrenaline I’ve ever felt, and I’m addicted to that!”
Randy Pobst
RACING PAST RACE WEEK
Recalling an amazing racing season after he competed at Pikes Peak in 2024, Pobst shared, “I won overall at a WRL 13 hour endurance road race at High Plains Raceway, in an AMG GT4 with NFC Racing. I won overall at Targa Newfoundland, a 1200-mile rally with 300 miles of timed stages on closed public roads, like mini Pikes Peaks. I won overall in my own Flyin’ Moose Volvo 760 Turbo endurance car at Barber Motorsports Park and Rockingham Raceway 7 hour Lucky Dog races.
“I hosted the Miata Reunion at Sonoma Raceway, and the N Festival for Hyundai, also at Sonoma.
“I had an amazing week at Monterey Motorsports Reunion, raced the Champion Racing Audi S4 I drove in 2004, and saw the Pebble Beach Concours.
“I also hosted the Race Against Kids Cancer for the Morgan Adams Foundation at High Plains Raceway. Was a great year!”
PLANS FOR RACE WEEK 2025
Pobst is not listed (yet) on the 2025 Competitor List, but he shared, “Oh, I’d love to drive again, just don’t have a ride this year. If you need a driver, call me, even if it’s during race week…been there, done that, in under ten minutes! And best of luck to the terrific racers for 2025!”
GET TO KNOW RANDY POBST
Instagram: @randypobst
Fun Facts:
“I’ve been vegetarian for 33 years, and I love fake-chicken Buffalo wings!”
“My treasures are my motorcycles. My collection ranges from vintage Japanese, to cafe racers, to modern adventure bikes like BMW GS and KTM 690 and 390.”
“Some of my favorite movies are animated films like Shrek, Up and Toy Story. So cleverly written.”
“I’ve also done a lot of video creation with Hagerty Icons, Drag Race, and Motor Trend’s Best Driver series.”
Between you, Dani Sordo and Ron Zaras, the Hyundai team from 2024, who could eat the most summit donuts? “Ron Zaras is the Doughnut King for sure!”
Favorite Corner: “So many great ones! I’m going to call out Upper Gravel Pit, about 3/4 of the way up, a fast right-hand sweeper that I love because it starts downhill, then banks inside and bends back up. The bank and the uphill both increase traction, making the car feel so connected, really grabbing the road. It feels like the positive g’s of an aerobatic airplane.”
Top Racing Achievements: “I have nearly 100 pro road-racing wins. I was inducted to the SCCA Hall of Fame. I also have 10 driver’s championships.”
Advice for a rookie on Pikes Peak: “Study the road until you can run the entire length of it in your mind. Get it into your subconscious by racing SIM and watching single point of view in-car videos.”
Any Bucket List Races? “I never got to race the 24 Hours of LeMans, would love to make that, or the vintage version. Also, Colorado Hill Climb series events on dirt. And I’d love to race at Goodwood in England, I’ve seen so many great videos.”
If you could race absolutely any car from any era up the mountain, what would it be? “Easy! That dual-wheeled Auto Union V-16 hill climb car from the 1930s. It’s an incredible car of my dreams!”
RANDY POBST TALKS ELECTRIC POWER ADVANTAGE ON PIKES PEAK IN 2024 PPIHC
Photos by: Larry Chen Photo; Larry Chen, Luis Garcia; Louis Yio, Charles Zhou. Unplugged Performance/Dan Oldfield/MotorTrend, SuperCars.net, PPIHC Archives.
ABOUT THE COLORADO SPRINGS AIRPORT
The Colorado Springs Airport provides a travel experience that prioritizes friendliness, safety, and comfort. Enjoy the speed and convenience of a small airport with options on daily nonstop flights and hundreds of connections worldwide. COS is committed to delivering exceptional service and a warm welcome to all our passengers, making your journey memorable from start to finish. For more information visit FlyCOS.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Your adventure begins here at the Colorado Springs Airport.
Contact:
Lisa Haight
Communications Manager / Historian
lisa@ppihc.org
(719) 685-4400
www.ppihc.org
