GRR

Video: How to win Pikes Peak in terrifying conditions

20th July 2022
Seán Ward

You know those videos of Pikes Peak International Hillclimb where the course is clear, the sun is shining, the road surface is dry? Well at the 2022 Pikes Peak event the weather did what it could to make life tricky for competitors, which is why videos like this are all the more insane. As if throwing yourself 1,438m up a mountain along a 12.42-mile, 156-corner section of road wasn’t challenging enough, imagine doing it with a mixture of sunshine, fog and snow, and dry, wet and icy tarmac? British racer Robin Shute took it all in his stride.

Driving a Wolf TCS-FC, essentially a modified Wolf GB08 with a Mountune engine, a BorgWarner turbocharger, 600PS (441kW) and Mountain-ready aero, Shute claimed his third ‘King of the Mountain’ title with a time of ten minutes and 9.525 seconds for what was the 100th running of the event.

The onboard is suitably silly. Shute sets off in fog with a road surface that’s damp in places before rocketing onto a section that’s as dry as any stretch of road in the USA. Before long, though, he’s back into fog and the higher he climbs the colder it gets, meaning there’s snow on the ground and less tyre temperature… Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Wait, no, that’s not it, it sounds terrifying. Pikes Peak is nicknamed the ‘race to the clouds’, this was a race through the clouds. Credit to you, Shute, you’re a braver man than us. Perhaps you’d be interested in trying another hillclimb, maybe one at sea level in the south coast of England? If only we knew a place…

Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the last video: Casually drifting two Porsche 550 Spyders in the snow

  • Elevenses

  • Video

  • Onboard

  • Pikes Peak

  • Wolf

  • Mountune

  • Hillclimb

  • Robin Shute

BOOK NOW

2025 Motorsport tickets now on sale
Video Alt Text
elevenses-robin-shute-pikes-peak.jpg

Modern

Video: How to win Pikes Peak in terrifying conditions

20th July 2022

bentley-continental-gt3-pikes-peak-2021-main-goodwood-24062021.jpg

Modern

2021 Pikes Peak hillclimb preview

24th June 2021

derek-boyd-2020-pikes-peak-international-hill-climb-onboard-video-goodwood-02062021.jpg

Modern

Video: Pikes Peak still looks terrifying

02nd June 2021

toyota_tacoma_pikes_peak_goodwood_28022024_list.jpg

Historic

Video: Insane 1,000PS Tacoma returns to Pikes Peak

28th February

Elevenses Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Pikes Peak.jpg

Modern

Video: Hyundai Ioniq 5 N sets electric production record at Pikes Peak

21st August

Pikes_Peak_Dumas_F150_Goodwood_Video_31072024_list copy.jpg

Modern

Video: Romain Dumas’ Pikes Peak wild ride

31st July

elevenses-travis-pastrana-mt-washington.jpg

Modern

Video: Travis Pastrana obliterates an American hillclimb

05th January 2023

1996-suzuki-escudo-pikes-peak-video-goodwood-15112021.jpg

Historic

Video: Savage 1,000PS Suzuki Escudo smashes Pikes Peak

17th November 2021