On race day, it was a 2:30 am wake-up call. We hit the road around 3 am and reached our first hint of traffic for the 101st running of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb around 4 am. After around 2 hours of only moving around 1.5 miles, something changed and the traffic started flowing and we finally made it through the entrance gate. It took us around 30 minutes to make it to some semblance of a parking space right next to a porta-potty. We threw our media gear on and walked the .75 miles to the festivities.
We were on a mission to see the EVs. We walked through the chaos of the race area, where we could smell the race fuel and hear the ICE vehicles revving up. It was a sight to behold. We saw big-budget teams with their large crews of experts, as well as small-budget teams with their DIY drivers. We had incredible access to them all. We fist-bumped the drivers, asked them about their setups, and chatted with the team owners about their race strategies. It was an awesome experience.
Everyone was part of the race. Our goal was EVs though. We had to see the giant winged Tesla Dark Helmet piloted by Randy Pobst, the still tonneau-covered Rivian R1T driven by Gardner Nichols, the Sierra Echo EV driven by Lucy Block, the 735 horsepower BMW xM Label Red hybrid driven by Matt Mullins, and of course one of the stars of the show, the Ford SuperVan 4.2 driven by the Pikes Peak record-holding Romain Dumas.
Don’t let anyone tell you that EVs are boring. Just look at these amazing vehicles and you’ll be blown away. The Tesla and the SuperVan have stunning aero features, the Rivian has a stripped-down interior with a roll cage that says race car all over, the Sierra Echo has a beautiful suspension system, and the BMW has a mind-blowing acceleration that proves EVs can compete in the motorsport world. These vehicles drew a lot of attention and admiration from the crowd.
We had to wake up at 2:30 am, but it was totally worth it. We felt the thrill of being among the cars and the fresh air. We congratulate all the drivers who took part in the race. Sadly, the BMW crashed in Section 1, but Matt was fine. The other drivers finished the course with impressive times:
- Romain Dumas- 8:47.682
- Randy Pobst- 9:54.901- Pikes Peak Modified Production Electric Vehicle Record
- Gardner Nichols- 11:23.983- Production Truck Record
- Lucy Block- 11:25.315
- Matt Mullins- DNF
We had a blast at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and can’t wait to see more EVs next year.
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