Woodland Park Racers Confident of Taking Home the Bacon, Again
Trevor Phipps
This year, the 104th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb snuck up on many sports fans and race enthusiasts.
Instead of taking place during the last weekend of June (its normal date), the famous race takes place this Sunday (Father’s Day June 21).
Race week begins this Monday as competitors start their practice and qualifying runs leading up to the big race day. To usher in the festivities, the public is invited to the race’s annual Fan Fest, which takes place in downtown Colorado Springs from 5 to 9 p.m. this Friday. Race enthusiasts get the chance to check out the cars and meet the racers that will be testing their skills on the acclaimed Fourteener dubbed “America’s Mountain.”
Most fans in the area have all their eyes set on the local father and son duo: Clint and Codie Vahsholtz. In fact, the three generations of Pikes Peak racers in the family have prompted insiders to call the famous peak, “Vahsholtz Mountain.” Either Clint, Codie or patriarch Leonard Vahsholtz have entered the epic race every year since 1977.
Clint Vahsholtz is back this year with his Rotek Racing 2023 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport. Codie Vahsholtz will return to the mountain with his new and improved Vahsholtz open wheel car.
Clint Vahsholtz Looks for 25th Win on America’s Mountain
Clint Vahsholtz this year sports the same car he raced with last year, but with a new look. Woodland Park’s America’s Mountain Festival is Clint’s prime sponsor this year along with Teller Wifi, Tava House, Park State Bank and Pikes Peak Polaris. The new wrap on the car sports the festival and its paint resembles the stars and stripes of the American flag.
Clint said he is confident regarding his winning chances for the June 21 showdown, since this will be his second-year racing in the GT4 Naturally Aspirated (NA) Class with the same car. He said that the GT4 is different than any other car he has raced in the past.
Clint said that keeping momentum with the car is a key factor, since it drops from around 500 horsepower at the start line to 250 horsepower at the summit. He also said that he has gotten accustomed to not using the rev limiter for braking, which is what he used with other race cars. This was a mistake that killed his chances of winning last year.
Clint said he is now getting used to how the car drives. Plus, with the warmer weather, he has had chances to practice on the Peak already. According to the veteran racer, the track has been in good shape due to the recent dry weather conditions.
“The past few days the road has been great,” Clint Vahsholtz said. “I haven’t seen any runoff across the road yet, but there are some snowbanks that will run off. It’s a lot different pre-season than what I’ve seen in the past. The upper section is way worse than I have ever seen it though.”
He said that there are big bumps on the upper section of the course that have made it dangerous by adding a risk of cars getting airborne. He did say that race officials are expected to do work to grind down the bumps and improve the pavement along the last mile of the racetrack.
Overall, Clint is confident that he can improve from his third-place finish last year. His goal is to win his GT4 NA class and gain his 25th career win on Pikes Peak. He also believes he can place in the top three overall. He also hopes that Mother Nature allows the racers to go all the way to the top. Last year, the race was limited to half the course due to high-speed winds.
Codie Vahsholtz Hopes to Make History with Rare Engine
Codie Vahsholtz almost took home the open wheel trophy last year. He finished in second place, just five seconds behind open wheel winner Dan Novembre.
Codie is racing the same car he and his father Clint have raced up the mountain for years. But this year he decided to add twin turbo to give his engine an extra boost. He said that the twin turbo won’t add a lot of power to the car, but it will help compensate for the power the car will naturally lose once it gets up to high elevations.
“What I’m hoping the twin turbo does is allow the motor to make the torque that it’s designed to make, which is going to help me exit the corners quicker,” Codie Vahsholtz said. “And the horsepower we were making around 500, but now at seas level we are making 880 to almost 900 horsepower. It’s going to be a pretty good jump so theoretically our top speed should be much higher.”
Even with a more powerful car, Codie Vahsholtz is a little worried about the competition he will face. His open wheel class has seven competitors this year, which he says is much more than the division has experienced in the past.
“I would love to win,” Codie Vahsholtz said. “One thing I have my eyes set at is to strengthen my personal record which is 9:19.192 currently. It’s hard to say but I think with the difference and the times I have seen so far, I think 9:08 to 9:05 is a possibility. If we have a really, really good day there is a potential we could break into the eights (eight second range), which would be insane.”
The race starts at 7:30 a.m. on June 21, and for those who don’t have tickets to see it live, they can watch it on the hill climb website’s live stream or listen to KRDO’s radio coverage.
