Colorado Springs, CO – The recent 100th Running of the iconic Race to the Clouds on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain drew first time competitors and seasoned veterans from around the world.
Eleven rookies waited on the starting grid for the green flag to welcome them to the 12.42-mile course for their inaugural run. Five of the six divisions included a rookie driver within their ranks. The Open Wheel division was the only group composed entirely of veteran drivers.
Henry Hill of Cedar City, Utah, earned Rookie of the Year honors with his time of 11:36.502, finishing 5th in the Unlimited division and 23rd overall in the field of 72 competitors. His radar speed through Halfway Picnic Grounds, perhaps the fastest part of the course, was an impressive 122 mph. Hill’s #8 2021 Wolf GB08 F1 Extreme was one of three Wolf racers in the powerful Unlimited division. Returning two-time King of the Mountain, Robin Shute, made it a three-peat with his overall win again this year. Former open wheel competitor, Dan Novembre, made his move to the new division in his Wolf entry.
Q&A with Henry Hill
Q: Talk about the Wolf and why you chose it?
I chose the Wolf GB08 Extreme because it’s a great platform to be competitive in at a very low running cost. This is Wolf’s first production unit of this new model so as a team we’ve been learning a ton. It has the newest FIA safety equipment and Halo integrated into the platform. Plus, the fans love it. I know with everything we learned from this event the car can be extremely competitive for the overall win in the future.
Q: What other tracks have you raced the Wolf?
I’ve run it at Miller Motorsports Park, Button Willow, Willow Springs, a few tracks in AZ and at Daytona.
Q: What made it well-suited for Pikes Peak?
The car is very light with large amounts of aero. That combo is always strong at Pikes Peak, but this also has great support from Wolf which is vital when putting a new car into a new environment. It gives me great visibility and a big V8 engine. Everything on it is easy to access and service which you need with such short turnaround times.
Q: Compare your experience on Pikes Peak to racing at other venues:
I think most other race events are the same. You show up, register, qualify, then start the race. Pikes Peak isn’t that way because you’re not lapping, you just get the one run. At other races, you lap over and over again throughout the week so you can easily have a course memorized. No matter what you try with PPIHC you may have corners you’ve only seen 2 or 3 times. I think the mountain rewards you each year you come back by letting you build on that knowledge.
Q: Let’s talk highs and lows from your rookie year.
The low – this would 100% be the transmission. The lowest point of the event was getting back from Wednesday’s Practice/Qualifying to find out that my transmission had several holes in the case. The damage was so bad we made plans to just pack up and spectate the remainder of the event. Luckily a local shop – Cole/Crew @ 4D Engineering – saved the day. We made some aluminum inserts and tig welded the entire rear of the case back together. I should say the transmission is amazing – this was just an issue missed during service. It really provided a challenge that forced the entire team to work from Wednesday morning until that car had to go back on the mountain to repair all the damage. I had an awesome crew that continued work during all hours.
We also lost a practice day because of a stripped wheel stud. I think it’s good to be humbled and this event never misses a chance to remind you!
The high – Crossing the finish line after the week we all put in. I didn’t even know my time until I left the mountain. I just wanted to get to the top because that is what we had worked so hard to achieve as a team.
Q: Let’s talk Race Day weather.
These were the most difficult race conditions I’ve ever run in! I hadn’t had a chance to use rain tires on this car and I should have run on slicks when I went up the mountain. The rains overheated right away, and we had a oiling issue causing the tire to get slightly coated
Q: Favorite part of the course?
Cove Creek up to Ragged Edge. You come out of the tree line and get this amazing view of the entire valley while going flat out towards a hair pin. I never got tired of this section.
Q: Best advice you received?
Robin Shute told me, “Don’t worry about being fast – just focus on spending the maximum amount of time learning the mountain. That holds the most value.”
Q: Any plans to return in 2023?
100%! We’re hoping to have a highly upgraded version for next year along with incorporating the knowledge from this year to put down a much faster time.
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.
Photo Credit: Louis Yio, Luis Garcia
Contact:
Lisa Haight
Event Coordinator / Media / Historian
lisa@ppihc.org
(719) 685-4400
