MANILA: Ford Performance's F-150 Lightning SuperTruck electric vehicle demonstrator emerged as the fastest among 61 competitors at the 2024 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

At the challenging 20-kilometer-long uphill course in Colorado, the fully electric race truck showcased its exceptional performance, finishing in eight minutes and 53.553 seconds. The latter was enough for the Ford vehicle to get the top spot within the Pikes Peak Open Class.

The said record was achieved just days after the SuperTruck set a qualifying run of three minutes and 32.831 seconds, faster than the previous three-minute and 39.939-second qualifying record set by the Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 in 2023. 

According to Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook, the SuperTruck’s performance this year at Pikes Peak reflects Ford’s progressing development of electric vehicles. 

“The progression of Ford electric vehicles taking on and completing the toughest challenges is a major testament to the hard work and dedication our teams have put into the program. We learned a great deal from SuperVan 4.2 in last year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and were able to apply that knowledge to this year’s run. It’s onward and upward from here,” Rushbrook said. 

Romain Dumas, who drove the high-performance race truck at the hill climb competition, encountered some drama during his run. Specifically, he had to stop for 26 seconds due to a technical program. Nevertheless, he reset and restarted the vehicle to continue his hill climb sprint. 

“I’m honored to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Everything about this event is a challenge because it is unlike any other form of racing, you only have one shot. We faced a challenge early on but that only gave me more determination to make up the lost time in the rest of the run,” said Dumas. 

To note, the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck was developed by the Blue Oval brand in partnership with Stohl Advanced Research and Development. The EV race truck's mill can produce up to 1,600 horsepower and is equipped with Sparco racing harnesses, numerous aerodynamic bits, and bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tires, among others. 

Photos from Ford

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