Electric Mustang Wins the Pikes Peak Hill Climb at 4,300 Meters

This week in the United States, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, better known as the Race to the Clouds, again showed why it remains one of America’s oldest and most unusual motorsport events. Unlike Formula 1, NASCAR or the World Rally Championship, it has very few rules, so nearly any fast vehicle can enter, from ATVs and motorcycles to sports cars, pickup trucks and electric cars. That freedom, combined with the mountain setting in Colorado, has also made the race dangerous, with seven recorded deaths so far, including the last in 2019.

The event dates back to August 10, 1916, when the first race was held after local interest grew around the rough road built to the summit of Pikes Peak. The course starts at 2,862 meters above sea level and climbs 20 kilometers to 4,302 meters, with 156 turns, many beside steep drop-offs. Because the road is snow-covered for much of the year, the race is usually held in summer. Drivers face changing weather, wind, rain, melting snow and thin air, which robs internal combustion engines of power as they climb.

The winner this week was Swiss driver Romain Dumas, who set the fastest time in a Ford Mustang Super Mach E, a heavily modified production-based electric car, in 8 minutes and 18 seconds. The overall record remains 7 minutes and 57 seconds, set in a Volkswagen electric car. The Mustang used three electric motors, 1,400 horsepower and a 50 kWh battery, enough for the course’s 20-kilometer distance.

The article said electric vehicles are increasingly suited to Pikes Peak because their power does not fade with altitude. The top finishers from second through eighth this year were special prototypes, while ninth place went to a hybrid all-wheel-drive Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X in 9 minutes and 30 seconds. The race, once dominated by local garage-built cars, has become more professional as major manufacturers have joined, and the rise of electric cars may force another rethink of its categories.