PPIHC ROOKIES IN TIME ATTACK 1 AND OPEN WHEEL ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE OF RACING ON PIKES PEAK

PPIHC
July 23, 2024

PPIHC ROOKIES IN TIME ATTACK 1 AND OPEN WHEEL ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE OF RACING ON PIKES PEAK

Colorado Springs, Colorado — The talent and skill of the rookies on hand for The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, ran deep. Five rookies in the Time Attack 1 division and one in the Open Wheel group made their initial assault on the 12.42 mile course in June.

Time Attack 1

The lone Romanian on the entry list, Jerome France, brought the support of the RD Limited Team, founded by all-time PPIHC record holder Romain Dumas, to the event. Earlier this spring, France and the team’s Porsche 911 GT3 RS competed at the Saint-Jean-du-Gard Hill Climb. Both France and teammate Philippe Marion made it to the finish, but it was France who claimed a podium finish, placing third in the division with a time of 10:44.501 behind the wheel of his Porsche 997 GT3 RS.

Katherine Legge has been one of the fastest women in American racing ever since she burst onto the scene with an Atlantic Championship win in her debut race at Long Beach in 2005. Since then, she’s won multiple IMSA races, qualified for four Indianapolis 500s, and inspired countless women on their racing journeys. Her first Pikes Peak experience saw her take the wheel of the all-new Acura Integra Type S DE5, Honda’s newest race car, to a fifth place division finish with a time of 10:51.359.

Zach Sober was one of many Time Attack experts on the grid this year, bringing his familiar orange 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX STI to the mountain. The Texan holds Global Time Attack records in the Enthusiast AWD class at both Buttonwillow and Road Atlanta in the car, both of which were set on his way to the 2022 class championship. In his first PPIHC, Sober placed seventh in the division with an 11:14.233 run.

New Hampshire native Chris du Bois rounded out the Time Attack 1 rookie finishers, but he may have the most hill climb experience of the group. He’s been a regular at the Mt. Washington Hillclimb over the past decade, most recently finishing eighth in the P3 class in its last running in 2021. It was du Bois who rounded out the TA1 top 10 with a time of 12:32.938.

If you think the name Jim Hall II sounds familiar, you’re spot on. Hall’s father was an iconic racer before becoming the driving force behind the legendary Chaparral build that won everything from the Indianapolis 500 to the Nürburgring 1000km. Hall II, meanwhile, became a double World Karting champion, and ran the Jim Hall Kart Racing School for more than three decades. However, the mountain wasn’t kind to him in his first attempt, as he spun out at Engineers Corner ending his run.

Open Wheel

Racing the American X Kart Crosskart, which made its return to the mountain for the first time since 2021, Ryan Cheek made her Pikes Peak debut as the only Open Wheel division rookie. With an extensive resume of time trial, autocross, and hill climb events over her career, Cheek’s no stranger to precision driving. In fact, she’s no stranger to the summit of Pikes Peak either—she volunteered to work at the 14,115′ finish line in 2023. Unfortunately, her first attempt ended due to a mechanical issue. She’ll have to wait until next year to see those checkered flags welcoming her back to the top of America’s Mountain.