Dumas claims overall honors at Pikes Peak

Le Mans star Romain Dumas was widely tipped to win overall honors at the 92nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and he delivered, although his hopes for an overall record time will have to wait another year.

The Swiss, driving an Unlimited class Norma M20 RD (ABOVE), missed his personal goal of a sub-nine-minute run for the 12.42-mile "Race to the Clouds" by five seconds on a day when gusty winds and a slippery road surface held down speeds. His time of 9m05.81s was nearly a full minute behind the all-time record set last year by Sebastien Loeb in a works Peugeot (8:13.878), but it was still 3sec clear of the nearest of his 66 competitors.

"The road was a little slippery so I took no chances, because winning was the first goal," Dumas told the Colorado Springs Gazette.

Greg Tracy finished second overall at 9:08.188 to win the new Electric Modifieds class in his Mitsubishi MiEV Evolution III, ahead of teammate Hiroshi Masuoka (9:12.241). Pikes Peak veteran Clint Vahsholtz set a record in the Open Wheel class at 9:54.700, eclipsing Robby Unser's 20-year-old record in that iconic category, although Vahsoltz readily conceded that didn't mean much since the road is now fully paved.

Six racers beat the iconic 10-minute mark, including Pikes Peak open car division winner Mike Skeen (9:55.471) and the fastest motorcycle Jeremy Toye (9:58.687, Pikes Peak open).

A pall was cast over the event by a fatal accident involving motorcyclist Bobby Goodin, 54, who crashed shortly after crossing the finish line at the summit. According to the Colorado Springs Gazette, Goodin, competing in his second Pikes Peak event, lost control of his Triumph Daytona 675R when he tried to slow down on the gravel parking lot past the finish.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Texas native lost control when he raised his hand to celebrate making it to the top, and the rider was thrown over the edge and onto the boulders below. After being worked on by paramedics at the scene, Goodin was airlifted to a nearby hospital but was later reported to have succumbed to his injuries. Goodin is the fifth competitor to die at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, the previous fatality occurring in 2005.

Click here for full results.