The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb: the "Race to the Clouds"

Summary

• A Race Born in Colorado in 1916
• The Course: To the Summit at 4,302 Meters
• Thin Air That Stifles Engines
• The Motorcycle Category and Its Legends
• A Deadly Event: Dirt, Cliffs, and Vertigo
• 2012: The All-Paved Road Changes Everything
• The End of Motorcycles and the Legacy of the "Race to the Clouds"
• Summary Table
• FAQ

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A Race Born in Colorado in 1916

There are races that challenge drivers, and others that challenge the mountain itself. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb belongs to the latter category. Established in 1916, this American hill climb race is the second oldest automobile event in the United States, just behind the Indianapolis 500. Its nickname alone sums up its entire legend: the "Race to the Clouds."

The story begins with Spencer Penrose, a Colorado entrepreneur and philanthropist. In 1915, he transformed a narrow horse path into a true Pikes Peak Highway leading to the summit. To publicize his road and attract visitors to his Broadmoor hotel, he came up with a simple and spectacular idea: an ascension race to the top of the mountain. The very first edition took place on August 10, 11, and 12, 1916, and it was Rea Lentz who won in an automobile, in 20 minutes and 55 seconds. Like so many other great events that have captured the imagination of enthusiasts, such as the legendary Daytona 200, Pikes Peak was born from a mix of commercial audacity and pure sporting madness.

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The Course: To the Summit at 4,302 Meters

The Pikes Peak track is nothing like a classic circuit. It is a unique mountain road, carved into the mountainside, 12.42 miles (approximately 20 kilometers) long and studded with 156 turns. The start is at an altitude of approximately 2,862 meters (9,390 feet), a height already greater than many Alpine passes. But that's just the beginning.

Because the finish line is at the very top, at the summit of Pikes Peak, at 4,302 meters (14,115 feet). Over the 20 kilometers of the course, competitors climb 1,440 meters of positive elevation gain, on an average gradient of 7.2%. As one ascends, the landscape changes completely: leaving the pine forest to emerge above the treeline, into a mineral, barren, wind-battered world. Few events offer such vertical drama, and among the great mechanical adventures that motorcyclists dream of, only the mythical Paris-Dakar can boast such an unforgiving setting.

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Thin Air That Stifles Engines

What makes Pikes Peak so formidable is not just the void at the side of the road. It's the altitude. At over 4,300 meters, the air contains nearly 40% less oxygen than at sea level. A motor burns a mixture of air and fuel: less oxygen means less power. A naturally aspirated engine can lose nearly a third of its horsepower by crossing the finish line.

This constraint has long been a tremendous breeding ground for innovation. Engineers had to be cunning: recalibrated carburetors, specific mixtures, and, above all, the widespread use of supercharging (turbo and supercharger), which partially compensates for the thinning air. The driver also suffers: the lack of oxygen numbs reflexes and blurs concentration, precisely where the slightest mistake is fatal. Driving at this height is a bit like driving while holding your breath. This explains why preparing a machine for the mountain is an art in itself, very different from the closed circuits of MotoGP where air is never lacking.

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The Motorcycle Category and Its Legends

Contrary to popular belief, motorcycles are not last-minute guests at Pikes Peak: they have been there since the very first edition. As early as 1916, a two-wheel category was contested, and Floyd Clymer won on an American Excelsior. That year, 19 of the 29 entrants were on Excelsiors. So, motorcycles are part of the race's DNA, even if their presence has been intermittent over the decades.

The modern era has written its own legends. In 2012, American Carlin Dunne made history by becoming the first motorcyclist to break the 10-minute barrier, with a time of 9'52 on a prepared production Ducati Multistrada 1200. Nicknamed the "King of the Mountain," he would win the event four times. The performance of his machine perfectly illustrates the expertise of the Bologna brand, whose entire journey is traced in the fascinating history of Ducati.

Other manufacturers have etched their names at the summit. In 2017, Chris Fillmore set a new motorcycle record on a KTM 1290 Super Duke R, in 9'49 — an achievement befitting the Austrian manufacturer's sporting reputation, whose meteoric rise we recount. And in 2019, Australian Rennie Scaysbrook set the absolute motorcycle record for the mountain in 9'44, astride an Aprilia Tuono V4, a time never beaten since.

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A Deadly Event: Dirt, Cliffs, and Vertigo

If Pikes Peak is so fascinating, it's also because it has long been one of the most dangerous races in the world. For nearly a century, much of the track was nothing more than a dirt and gravel road, slippery, dusty, and above all devoid of guardrails. On either side, it wasn't a gravel trap that awaited a mistake, but vertiginous cliffs plunging hundreds of meters.

On this ribbon of earth suspended in the void, the slightest slip could turn into a fatal fall. The mountain left a lasting mark in 2019: Carlin Dunne, in the lead and on track to break the record, suffered a highside in the last turn, just a few meters from the finish. The 36-year-old driver lost his life. This tragedy reminds us that, as with the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy, the aura of a race sometimes comes at a high price, and the courage of the riders commands as much respect as it causes concern.

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2012: The All-Paved Road Changes Everything

The face of Pikes Peak changed dramatically in the early 2010s. Under regulatory and environmental pressure, the complete paving of the Pikes Peak Highway was carried out in stages: the first paved mile dates back to 2002, and the work was completed in August 2011. The 2011 edition was thus the last to include dirt sections (approximately 25% of the track), and the 90th Hill Climb, in 2012, was the first to be contested on an entirely paved surface.

This change revolutionized the race. On asphalt, times plummeted dramatically: it was precisely in 2012, on this new pavement, that Carlin Dunne first broke the mythical ten-minute barrier. Safety and grip improved, but some purists still regret the wild soul of the dirt track, where driving was as much rally as road racing. This shift illustrates an eternal tension in motorcycle sport, between pure performance and living heritage.

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The End of Motorcycles and the Legacy of the "Race to the Clouds"

Carlin Dunne's death left a deep scar. As early as 2020, organizers excluded motorcycles from the event, initially on a provisional basis. Then, in August 2021, the board of directors made a difficult decision: the motorcycle category was simply abandoned. Since then, the "Race to the Clouds" has once again become an automobile affair, and no return of two-wheelers has been formalized to date.

Nevertheless, Pikes Peak's motorcycle legacy remains immense. For over a century, from leather-clad pioneers to modern hyper-roadsters, the mountain has witnessed some of the most daring feats in two-wheeled history. It pushed manufacturers and riders to push the limits of mechanics and courage, in a breathtaking setting — both literally and figuratively. Even today, to mention the name Pikes Peak to a motorcyclist is to evoke an immediate image: that of a machine launched skyward, devouring turns on the edge of the void, on its way to the clouds. A myth that joins the pantheon of great adventures that shaped motorcycle culture.

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Summary Table

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FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

• What year was the Pikes Peak race established?
  The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was established in 1916 by entrepreneur Spencer Penrose. It is the second oldest automobile race in the United States, after the Indianapolis 500.
• What is the finish line altitude of Pikes Peak?
  The finish line is located at the summit of Pikes Peak, at an altitude of 4,302 meters (14,115 feet). The start is already at approximately 2,862 meters, for a total elevation gain of 1,440 meters.
• Why does the altitude make the race so difficult?
  At over 4,300 meters, the air contains nearly 40% less oxygen than at sea level. Engines lose a large part of their power, and the drivers themselves suffer from the lack of oxygen, which dulls reflexes.
• When was the Pikes Peak road fully paved?
  The paving was carried out in stages from 2002 to 2011. The 2011 edition was the last with dirt sections, and the 2012 Hill Climb was the first contested on an entirely asphalted surface.
• Do motorcycles still participate in Pikes Peak?
  No. After the death of rider Carlin Dunne in 2019, motorcycles were excluded from 2020, and the motorcycle category was definitively abandoned in 2021. The motorcycle record for the mountain is still held by Rennie Scaysbrook (9'44 in 2019, on an Aprilia Tuono V4).