Race to the Clouds will be held for the 100th time at the 2022 Pike Peak International Hill Climb, scheduled for June 26, and Pike Peak veteran David Donner will return to restore a record.
Donner is a Colorado Springs native and has won three overall (1991, 2002 and 2005) overall at Pikes Peak. He has also set a number of class records, including the most recent production vehicle record he set in 2014 with the 991-generation 911 Turbo S.
Donor time was 10: 26.896, although the record was set in 2019 by Sahapix Peak veteran Rice Millen, who set the Bentley Continental GT behind the wheel at 10: 18.488. Now the donor is out to restore the record.
This time he will use a 992-generation Porsche 911 Turbo S, paired with the available lightweight package of a car. By removing package components or switching to lighter options the carb saves about 80 pounds from weight.
The car he will use was re-ordered by Porsche collector Jim Edwards, and will feature a special Lever game highlighting the quarterly Porsche enthusiast magazine “000”.
“Jim volunteered a new car and I volunteered to drive,” Donner said in a statement. “Jim’s ability to see big pictures and how things happen, with a huge dose of optimism, has made this project a lot more fun.”
The 911 Turbo S is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged Flat-6 with an 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel-drive system. The maximum output is 640 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque, or 0-60 mph acceleration in 2.6 seconds and a maximum speed of 205 mph.