If the famed Nordschleife was disconnected at the start/finish line and laid out along the side of the mountain, the two courses would be eerily similar. The official course for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb consists of a narrow, two-lane road that stretches 12.42 miles from 9,390 to 14,115 feet above sea level and winds through 156 turns to the summit. Despite now being paved from start to finish, the course is no less daunting- frost heaves, dust, decomposed granite, and the changing weather conditions only add to the challenge the competitors face as they sprint to the top of the mountain on their quest for the fastest time.
Throughout the practice sessions, the Time Attack 1 class appeared to be a closely matched race with David Donner, David Donahue, and Jeff Zwart qualifying first, second, and third in class. The GT2RS Clubsports and the 935 were all performing extremely well and proved to be exceptionally fast in the hands of the three talented drivers.
Just before race day, the temperatures on the mountain plunged to below freezing temperatures and left the upper sections of the course covered by a sheet of ice, and in the lower sections were covered with a thin layer of dust and decomposed granite pebbles from the previous night’s rain. The start was delayed by several hours to ensure the course was safe for all drivers, but the course remained slippery in many sections.
In the end, Jeff Zwart piloted the Ingram Collection 935 to a second-place finish in class and a fifth-place overall with a time of 9:43:921, and despite losing some time in the first sector set the fastest time in the final sector. David Donner took the victory in class in the 000 magazine GT2RS and a third-place overall finish, and David Donahue pushed hard through the first two sectors before suffering a puncture in the final sector that forced his car into retirement before the finish line.
Congratulations to David Donner for the in-class victory, and of course to Jeff Zwart for his exceptional performance in piloting the 935 into history as being the first of its kind to have been campaigned in one of the most challenging and historic races in motorsports.
Watch Zwart’s run to the peak in the 935.