The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Front-Wheel-Drive record has been broken by Jim Morris in another successful weekend for British motorsport.
Jim, who was recently appointed Chair of the British Motorsport Trust, set the record in a self-prepared and custom-built 2014 Volkswagen Golf. Despite being his first attempt at the world-famous event and pressure from the factory-backed Honda USA/Acura team, he set a time of 10:33.104, not only beating his rivals but shading the previous Front-Wheel-Drive record of 10:48.000, previously set in 2018.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the world’s oldest and most famous motorsport events. Held annually in the Rocky Mountains in the USA, the ‘Race to the Clouds’ event is 110 years old.
Starting at an elevation of approximately 2,862 metres, the course ascends to the summit of Pikes Peak at 4,302 metres over a 12.42-mile route that features 156 turns. The dramatic increase in altitude tests both drivers and machines to their limits.
Since the course was fully-asphalted in 2011, a wide variety of vehicles, including purpose-built race cars, motorcycles, electric vehicles, and specially modified production cars have contested the famous hill climb, with race and rally drivers including Sébastien Loeb and Roman Dumas among the winners.
Hill climb is also a highly accessible form of motorsport which can be contested using everyday road cars as well as modified and race machinery. For more information on the speed disciplines, including hill climb and sprint, read our demystifying article in this month’s Revolution magazine here.