Drivers Announced for 101st Running of The Race to the Clouds
A Second Century of Auto Racing on Pikes Peak Begins
Colorado Springs, CO – The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, is pleased to announce the elite field of drivers invited to compete in the 2023 Race to the Clouds.
A full field, including 19 rookies, has been unveiled for the 101st Running with more details to be revealed in the coming weeks.
“The number of applications was impressive. Narrowing the field was not an easy job for our selection committee. Our roster this year is loaded with talent, experience, unique builds and a great variety of manufacturers.” shared Melissa Eickhoff, PPIHC Executive Director.
Four Kings of the Mountain will face off in June – Paul Dallenbach (3-time recipient and Hall of Famer), Rhys Millen (two-time recipient), Clint Vahsholtz (2020 King of the Mountain) and most recent champion, Robin Shute (three-time recipient). “It’s a true honor to be working with Aston Martin this year. It’s very special for me to drive for a brand with such storied racing roots back home in the UK, especially as Aston Martin celebrates their 110th anniversary,” stated Shute, “I can’t wait to make this Vantage GT3 roar up the mountain.”
Pikes Peak Hall of Famer Jeff Zwart will make his eighteenth appearance on the mountain. Many division winners are back on Pikes Peak including Dai Yoshihara, Codie Vahsholtz, Cam Ingram, Randy Pobst, “Texas” Dave Carapetyan and James Robinson.
Racers will compete in six divisions – the one-make Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division, Pikes Peak Open, Time Attack 1, Open Wheel, Unlimited and Exhibition.
New Zealand’s “Mad Mike” Whiddett is set to compete in the Exhibition division for the first time in a 2022 Mazda 3. Other rookies slated to run in the same division include Lew Bouchier, Bret Curtis, Rick Lind, Matt Mullins and Kyle Tilley.
Fan favorite Tanner Foust returns to Pikes Peak in a never before seen, purpose built, 2023 Radford Type 62-2.
Four drivers will pilot diesel-powered entries, diesel fuel record holder Scott Birdsall in the 2022 CG Superlite LMP1, Gregoire Blachon in a 2023 Radical SR Diesel, and Cole Powelson in a 2010 Nissan Powerstroke GT-R. The popular “Old Smokey” a1949 Ford F1 returns, this time with Tyler Pappas on board.
Several electric vehicles will challenge the mountain including a 2022 Rivian R1T driven by Gardner Nichols, a 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid with Randy Pobst behind the wheel, and a 2021 Nissan Leaf piloted by Japan’s Takashi Oi.
Three notable women are on the grid – all veterans in this famous race. Kathryn Mead, 2020 Rookie of the Year, is back with her 2019 Porsche GT4 Cayman Clubsport in the Time Attack 1 group, joined by Laura Hayes of South Carolina in a 2021 Toyota Supra GT4. Loni Unser, a fourth-generation competitor from the legendary Unser family to tackle the mountain, will move from the one-make Porsche division to the Exhibition group piloting an Acura entry this year, a 2023 Acura Integra.
The youngest competitor is a talented 18-year-old rookie, Hayden Bradley, who hopes to take the green flag in the one-make Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama division in a 2020 Porsche Cayman. Joining him in the division is the oldest competitor, 68-year-old veteran driver, George Hess III.
Another noteworthy entry is two-time motorcycle champion in the former 1205 and Heavyweight divisions, Bruno Langlois who, like Codie Vahsholtz, has made the switch from two wheels to four. Langlois will strap in behind the wheel of a 2015 Aston Martin Vantage.
Teams from 11 countries and eighteen states will take part in the June 25th Race to the Clouds as the climb continues.
2023 Competitor List
Tickets are available now at www.ppihc.org
Photo Credit: Larry Chen Photo, Jason Zindroski, Luis Garcia, Charles Naboy
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