FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 13, 2023
BEHIND THE WHEEL
PRILIKA RETURNS TO AMERICA’S MOUNTAIN
WITH TEAM SHELBY AMERICAN FOR
2023 RACE TO THE CLOUDS
Colorado Springs, CO – The 101st Running of The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – brought to you by Gran Turismo saw many familiar faces back on America’s Mountain to challenge the 12.42 mile course. Along with familiar faces were iconic brands, including a Ford Shelby Super Snake Sport. Robert Prilika of Larkspur, Colorado climbed behind the wheel of this beast, racing for Shelby American, in the Exhibition division. It was Prilika’s seventh race on this famous mountain course. He crossed the finish line in 13:03.579.
Prilika first experienced the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2013 when he competed as a rookie in the Pikes Peak Open division, claiming third place. He returned in 2014, but didn’t take a green flag. In 2016, Prilika was back for the 100th Anniversary, again, finishing third.
The Time Attack division ran in two classes in 2017 – Time Attack 1, and Time Attack 2 Production. Prilika, driving a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette, finished the course in 12:17.282 for a TA2 Production win.
A crash in practice prevented him from competing in 2018. By 2020 he was back in the Unlimited division in another Porsche, taking fourth. “It is the people and the cars that have brought me back,” he shared. “Racing the 101st Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was an honor and coming back this year to celebrate the 100th birthday of Carroll Shelby is special. Last year I was chosen to drive for the 60th anniversary of Shelby American in a Shelby GT500SE,” stated Prilika. “This year I raced a Shelby F150 Super Snake Sport truck, based on the Ford F150. The roots of this F150 are traced back to the famous Shelby Cobra muscle cars. Shelby American worked closely with partners FOX, Ford Performance and Borla to transform the F150 Super Snake Sport into a muscle truck. Driving this truck up Pikes Peak was a great way to expose fans to the ultimate street truck available at local Ford dealers.”
Prilika’s Porsches
Get to Know Robert Prilika
Three Things for Fans to Know – “I’ve won 20 championships and 370 races in various series formats including Open Wheel, Stock Cars, road courses and circle tracks.”
“I was inducted to the Colorado Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2019.”
“I graduated from the University of Colorado with degrees in Biology, Law, and Engineering.”
Pikes Peak Heroes – “Bobby Unser, Paul Dallenbach and David Donner”
Favorite Section of Pikes Peak – “The bottom section. I like how it flows, and I find it more challenging than the other sections.”
Favorite Track – “Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Texas”
Photo credits: Larry Chen, Louis Yio, Scott Payne, Luis Garcia, Danyella Prilika
ABOUT THE PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB
First staged in 1916, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest race in America. The invitation-only event, often referred to as The Race to the Clouds is held annually on the last Sunday of June on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, near Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA. The famous 12.42-mile (20 km) course consists of 156 turns, boasts an elevation gain of 4,725 feet (1,440 m), and reaches a finish line at 14,115 feet (4,302 m) above sea level. The PPIHC’s six race divisions feature a wide variety of vehicles – from production-based Time Attack challengers to purpose-built Open Wheel racers and state-of-the-art Unlimited vehicles. The current race record was set in 2018 by Romain Dumas and Volkswagen in the all-electric I.D. R Pikes Peak – 07:57.148.
Contact:
Lisa Haight
Communications Manager / Historian
(719) 685-4400
