FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, June 29, 2023
BEHIND THE WHEEL
PPIHC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR SYLAS MONTGOMERY
Colorado Springs, CO – The 101st Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, welcomed 66 drivers from around the world and across the USA on June 25. A strong field of seventeen first-time competitors arrived to challenge the 12.42 mile course, but it was Sylas Montgomery (Sonoma, CA) competing in the Open Wheel division who laid down the fastest time of the day, clinching the top rookie honor on Race Day.
Drawing a Crowd
Kicking off the race week with an impressive qualifying time of 4:05.374, Montgomery locked in his place in the 101st Running Fast 15 qualifiers. His car was proudly displayed in the Fast 15 Alley in downtown Colorado Springs at the annual Fan Fest.
Hard Work Pays Off
Montgomery and his homage to the early sprint car days on Pikes Peak enjoyed an autograph session with race fans in the Fast 15 Alley.
Montgomery embraced the Race to the Clouds like a veteran taking advantage of each practice session on the mountain, eagerly meeting fans at every opportunity, and explaining the #44 build to curious reporters. As first-timers on Pikes Peak, the MFG Motorsports team included pro driver Tim Barber as well as members of Montgomery’s close knit family.
Rookie of the Year
Montgomery accepted his Rookie of the Year award along with a second place trophy in the Open Wheel division for his finish time of 09:55.993.
Quick, Quick, Quick
With a sub-10-minute time, Montgomery’s expectations for the day were more than satisfied by his rookie run.
While practice day weather proved unpredictable, clear skies welcomed Montgomery to the Start Line on Race Day as he launched toward the summit. Montgomery piloted his 2007 MFG Road Course Sprint Car to the checkered flag exclaiming, “When I approached the checkered flag at the summit, I was relieved to have done it for the team. It was emotional coming to a stop, seeing all the other competitors happy that you made it. Also, having David Donohue greet me and help me out of the car, how cool is that!?”
GET TO KNOW SYLAS MONTGOMERY
Three Things For Fans To Know:
I got into racing taking a highway survival course.
I am from Sonoma, CA where MFG is based.
My favorite color is pink but MFG gold is a close second!
Pikes Peak Hero:
Bobby Unser
What does racing Pikes Peak this year mean to you?
“Racing Pikes Peak is a dream I never knew I would have the opportunity to fulfill. Watching the onboards of Bobby Unser is a vision that has stuck in my mind.”
ABOUT MFG RACING
Founded in 2021 with the goal to shake the motorsport community with the most unconventional speed machines, MFG is a fabrication shop that specializes in the obscure and fast. MFG stands for Montgomery Fabrication Group and is a family owned race shop located at Sonoma Raceway in Northern California.
Photos by:
Larry Chen Photo – Larry Chen, Luis Garcia, Charles Zhao; Sylas Montgomery
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
lisa@ppihc.org
(719) 685-4400
The UK’s Robin Shute, now residing in Long Beach, CA, sent his 2018 Wolf TSC-FS to the summit in a sizzling 08:40.080, claiming first in the Unlimited division and earning his fourth King of the Mountain crown.
Romain Dumas of Azier, Switzerland, four-time King of the Mountain and overall course record holder, grabbed top honors in the Pikes Peak Open division in the purpose-built 2023 Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 with a sub-eight run of 08:47.682. His time beat the 2019 record set by Peter Cunningham, setting a new mark in the Pikes Peak Open division. The PPIHC overall course record set by Dumas in 2018 in the Volkswagen I.D. R Pikes Peak, a blistering 07:57.148, still reigns.
David Donohue of West Chester, PA returned to Pikes Peak in his 2019 Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport. He not only won the division, but bested the former record set in 2020 by David Donner. Donohue would step to the top of the podium with his record time of 09:18.053 – a prestigious win for Brumos. As the fastest Porsche on the mountain, Donohue also received the Bergmeister Award, given by Porsche of Colorado Springs and Fred Veitch. The award also allowed the winner to designate a cause or charity of their choice to direct the $1,000 cash award. Donohue graciously awarded the funds to the newly established 43 Institute Foundation in honor of the late Ken Block.
Codie Vahsholtz of Woodland Park, CO piloting the 2013 Ford Open Vahsholtz Custom, clocked a new Open Wheel division record, besting his father Clint’s record set in 2020 – in the same racecar. Codie’s time was 09:19.192.
In a tight race, the spec-Porsche division welcomed three PPIHC rookies to the podium. The difference in their finish times spanned only seven seconds. Hayden Bradley, an eighteen year old up-and-coming driver from St. Petersburg, FL took the win with a time of 10:48.387 in the 2020 Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport.
Tanner Foust of Newport Beach, CA was tapped by Radford to take their Ant Anstead/Jenson Button build to the summit for the 101st running. Foust’s division win in the 2023 Radford Type 62-2 put him in first in the eclectic Exhibition division with a time of 09:37.326.
In his diesel-fueled Exhibition division entry, the #20 Radical SR Diesel, Frenchman, Gregoire Blachon, racing out of Nashville, TN, roared to the summit in 10:25.071, smashing Scott Birdsall’s 2020 record of 11:24.065.
Kathryn Mead of Austin, TX edged the time set by Vanina Ickx in 2018 – 10:54.901 – with her 4th place finish in the Time Attack 1 division, marking her as the fastest woman to race a car on Pikes Peak. Mead’s time of 10:53.074 gave her the distinction. Only Germany’s Lucy Glockner aboard her BMW motorcycle in 2019, notching a sub-10-minute run of 09:58.878, has been faster. Notably, Mead also earned Rookie of the Year honors in 2020.
Gardner Nichols, a PPIHC Rookie from Basalt, CO set the initial record for the Electric Production Truck/Van entry, racing his 2022 Rivian R1T in the Exhibition division to a finish time of 11:23.983.
Can’t watch the race or attend in person? Listen to the Official Live Radio Broadcast on KRDO 105.5FM, 1240AM, 92.5FM or KRDO.com
The #59 Brumos Porsche colors that Haywood helped make famous over more than four decades of racing will be present in the race as well, with David Donohue once again competing in a Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport in hopes of setting a new Time Attack 1 record.