Practice and qualifying begin for 104th running of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

The first day of practice and qualifying for the 104th Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb got underway Tuesday morning under sunny skies and cool temperatures on Pikes Peak – America's Mountain.

The 12.42-mile course is divided into three sections for Race Week activities: Lower, Middle and Upper. Competitors are assigned to a different section each day, where they complete three practice runs. The Lower Section serves as the event's qualifying section, where competitors best time determines the starting order for Race Day.

As is often the case on the opening day of Race Week, several teams worked through mechanical issues while others focused on gathering data and refining setups. Despite a handful of early challenges, competitors completed multiple runs across all three sections of the mountain.

Tuesday's most significant action came in the Lower Section, where Open Wheel and Time Attack 1 competitors recorded their official qualifying times. Open Wheel veteran Dan Novembre led qualifying with a best run of 3m42.746s, followed by Codie Vahsholtz at 3m51.323s.

Mirl Swan posted the third-fastest Open Wheel qualifying time at 3m58.994s before making contact with the guardrail just beyond the finish line at Gilly's Corner. The incident briefly brought out a red flag, but Swan was uninjured.

In Time Attack 1, IndyCar veteran JR Hildebrand paced the field with a time of 3m57.504s in his Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X (below). Jeff Zwart was second quickest at 4m02.927s in his Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport, while three-time King of the Mountain David Donner rounded out the top three with a 4m05.988s in his Porsche Turbo S.

Elsewhere on the mountain, some of the event's biggest names began making their presence known during practice sessions. Five-time King of the Mountain Romain Dumas posted the fastest time in the Middle Section at 2m10.079s, followed by defending King of the Mountain Simone Faggioli at 2m12.726s. In the Upper Section, rookie Billy Johnson topped the day's timesheets with a run of 2m34.701s.

Practice and qualifying continue Wednesday as competitors look to build momentum and secure favorable starting positions for Race Day on June 21.

Who’ll be on top of the world in 2026? RACER Network will bring live coverage of the Race to the Clouds to viewers across the world. Pikes Peak Live, presented by Mobil 1, coverage begins at 9:00am ET/7:00 a.m. MT on Sunday, June 21.Fans worldwide can also stream the race live on RACER+, free with email registration, ensuring motorsports enthusiasts everywhere can experience one of the world’s most challenging and iconic competitions in real time.

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