Lightning strikes twice with Pikes Peak record

0 0 June 28, 2024 Edit this post

Ford's F-150 Lightning SuperTruck has taken out the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hillclimb setting a new record in the process.

Frenchman Romain Dumas posted a time of 8m53.553s to claim his fifth title, followed by Christian Merli in the Wolf Aurobay GB08 2.0 HP, who was a 11 seconds behind the Ford, with WRC rookie Dani Sordo in third place in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N TA Spec.

A field of 60 vehicles started the even, but 12 failed to finish the torturous 20km climb which includes over 156 turns and 1.4km of elevation.

Ford's success comes just days after the SuperTruck set a new qualifying record for the open class with a time of 3:32.831 -- more than seven seconds faster than the previous record of 3:39.939 set by the Ford's own SuperVan 4.2 in 2023.

Dumas overcame a technical hitch which saw him come to a complete stop which cost him 26 seconds.

Quick thinking however helped the Frenchman overcome the issue, by completely resetting the 1193kW the SuperTruck.

“I’m honored to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” Dumas said.

“Everything about this event is a challenge because it is unlike any other form of racing, you only have one shot.

"We faced a challenge early on but that only gave me more determination to make up the lost time in the rest of the run.”

The construction of the Ford Performance F-150 Lightning SuperTruck is testament to the power of collaboration.

STARD (Stohl Advanced Research and Development) played a crucial role in helping create the 1193kW beast.

It was also equipped with top-of-the-line Sparco racing harnesses and safety equipment and bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tires, ensuring its stability on the challenging mountain roads.