The Ford Lightning Supertruck, piloted by Pikes Peak champion Romain Dumas, faced a setback just two corners into the hill climb when it suddenly came to a halt. Despite losing 26 seconds in the first sector due to the technical issue, Dumas managed to set the fastest run of the day and clinch his fifth PPIHC title.
On Sunday, the Lightning Supertruck completed the course in eight minutes and 53.55 seconds, securing a victory with a ten-second lead over the second-placed car. However, the time fell short of Dumas’ 2023 record in the Ford Supervan 4, which clocked in at eight minutes and 47.68 seconds. Notably, his Ford EV attempts also failed to surpass his performance in the Volkswagen ID.R, which holds the overall Pikes Peak record with a time of seven minutes and 57.14 seconds.
Reflecting on the power issue that plagued his run, Dumas stated, “This run was very difficult. I don’t know what happened at the start, just the car switched off completely. It never happened before. I didn’t panic, I just looked at all the numbers, everything was looking OK. I made a power cycle on my own because the main was red. I do two times the power cycle and restart, and suddenly it was working again.”
Looking ahead, it would be exciting to see Ford further enhance the Supertruck and have Dumas make another attempt at his record time in 2025. The potential for improvements and the thrill of witnessing Dumas tackle the challenge once more make for an intriguing prospect for motorsport enthusiasts and fans of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.