Porsche enjoyed another successful outing at the 104th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, with class victories for Billy Johnson and Clint Vahsholtz highlighting a strong weekend for the marque at one of motorsport’s most storied events.
Known as the “Race to the Clouds,” the annual hill climb challenges competitors to tackle the 20-kilometre course that winds from the base of Colorado’s Pikes Peak to its summit. Once a dirt road and now fully paved, the route has attracted competitors from around the world for more than a century.
This year’s event featured 10 Porsche entries spread across three classes. In the Open category for modified vehicles, Porsche was represented by a 718 GT4 Clubsport, a 2002 911 GT-R, a 2013 911 GT2 and a 2015 911 GT3 Cup. The Time Attack 1 class for near-stock, street-legal machinery included three 911 GT2 RS Clubsport models and a 2022 911 Turbo S. Porsche’s naturally aspirated contingent was represented in the GT4 Trophy class by two 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport entries.
The driver lineup ranged from first-time competitors to some of the event’s most experienced veterans. Vahsholtz made his remarkable 32nd appearance at Pikes Peak in a 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, while David Donner returned for his 28th start in the 911 Turbo S fielded by 000 magazine. Jeff Zwart, competing for the 21st time, returned with a GT2 RS Clubsport, while retired astrophysicist Kathy Mead—still the fastest woman ever to compete at Pikes Peak—made her seventh appearance.
Among the newcomers was Billy Johnson, better known for his success in circuit and oval racing. Making his Pikes Peak debut, Johnson piloted a heavily modified 911 GT3 producing more than 1,000 PS at the rear wheels.
For Donner and the 000 magazine team, the objective was another shot at overall honors in the Time Attack category with their road-legal, unmodified 911 Turbo S. Donner, a three-time overall winner and eight-time class winner at Pikes Peak, arrived targeting the course record after narrowly missing the mark three years ago.
However, the weekend proved frustrating for both Donner and Zwart. Despite strong performances, they finished second and third in class, respectively, behind the winning Corvette ZR1X.
Mead once again demonstrated her pace and consistency, securing ninth place in Time Attack and finishing less than a second behind fellow GT2 RS competitor Raymund Guerrero.
In GT4 Trophy, experience paid dividends as Vahsholtz claimed class victory in his naturally aspirated 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, adding another chapter to his long and successful history on the mountain.
Porsche’s strongest result came in the Open class, where Johnson delivered one of the standout performances of the event. The former NASCAR driver stormed to victory with a time of 9:12.723 in his highly modified 911 GT3, finishing ahead of several purpose-built open-wheel hill climb cars.
Johnson’s benchmark time also placed him less than a minute behind overall winner Roman Dumas, the former Porsche factory driver who claimed victory in the Unlimited class aboard a 1,400-horsepower electric prototype developed specifically for Pikes Peak.
Above contents © 2026 Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG reviewed and edited by Rex McAfee , @rexmcafee 🏁
#Porsche #PikesPeak #Porsche911 #Motorsport #HillClimb #RaceToTheClouds #BillyJohnson #RomanDumas #SportsCars #PerformanceCars
