Porsche powers to class wins at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2026

The 20-kilometre ribbon of road – once dirt, now tarmac – that winds its way to the summit of Pikes Peak in Colorado has been a draw for daredevil drivers for more than a century. At the weekend, the 104th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb saw another diverse international roster of drivers and cars competing in multiple classes, with 10 Porsche entries spread across three categories.

In the ‘Open’ class for modified cars, a single 718 GT4 Clubsport lined up alongside a 2002 911 GT-R, a 2013 911 GT2 and a 2015 911 GT3 Cup. In the ‘Time Attack 1’ class for near-stock, street-legal cars, three 911 GT2 RS Clubsport cars took to the start, as did a 2022 911 Turbo S. Meanwhile, a pair of 718 GT4 RS Clubsport cars flew the flag for Porsche’s naturally-aspirated flat six engine in the ‘GT4 Trophy’ class.

The list of drivers choosing to tackle the so-called ‘Race to the Clouds’ in a Porsche varied from rookie to veteran. Clint Vahsholtz, driving his 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport in the GT4 Trophy class, was competing for an incredible 32nd time. Not far behind was David Donner, making his 28th appearance at Pikes Peak and once again driving the 911 Turbo S entered by 000 magazine. Other familiar faces included Jeff Zwart, back on the mountain for the 21st time with his GT2 RS Clubsport, and retired astrophysicist Kathy Mead, who enjoyed the title of fastest woman to have ever competed at the event, who this year returned for the seventh time.

No less impressive was the sight of Billy Johnson, a circuit and oval racer by trade, making his debut at the event in a highly modified 911 GT3 that put more than 1,000 PS through the rear wheels.

For the 000 team it was another chance to go for the outright win in Time Attack with its road-legal and unmodified 911 Turbo S. Donner, one of the most successful drivers in the hillclimb’s history with three overall wins and eight class victories, arrived with the course record in his sights, having narrowly missed out on the top spot three years ago. In the end it was a frustrating weekend for Zwart and Donner, who came second and third in class respectively behind the winning Corvette ZR1X.

Mead once again demonstrated her skill with a ninth-place finish in Time Attack, less than a second behind fellow GT2 RS driver Raymund Guerrero. Vahsholtz, meanwhile, took a superb first place in the naturally-aspirated GT4 Trophy class, underlining the value of experience in this unique and challenging event.

There was even better news for Porsche in the Open class, however, where debutante Johnson proved that experience could be matched by sheer tenacity. The former NASCAR driver put in an astonishing performance in his highly modified 911 GT3 to win the Open class with a blistering time of 9:12.723. In so doing, Johnson went faster than several open-wheel entries developed especially for Pikes Peak and was less than a minute behind the overall winner, former Porsche works driver Roman Dumas, who was competing in the Unlimited class in a 1,400 horsepower EV built specifically for the event.