Romain Dumas claimed his fifth outright victory in the famous Pikes Peak climb aboard the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck electric demonstrator, despite stopping briefly and having to restart.
Dumas explained that the glitch that required him to perform a power cycle had never happened before during the prototype’s two-year development and was estimated to cost about 26s.
But the Frenchman’s time of 8m 53.553s on the 12.42-mile course, slightly behind his climb of 8m 47.682s in the 2023 Ford SuperVan 4.2, was still good enough to set the fastest overall time of 61 registered.
Dumas, who holds the absolute track record of 7m57.148s from 2018 in a Volkswagen ID R, admitted it “was quite stressful, I have to say, I think the most stressful I’ve had since I’ve been here in Pikes Peak”.
“I don’t know what happened at the start, the car completely shut itself off, it’s never happened before,” he told the Pikes Peak YouTube channel.
The two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner revealed there was some confusion after the restart over whether he would be able to complete his run to the 4,302m summit.
“They told me on the radio that it was a red flag because I suppose they saw that I was stopped on the track,” he explained.
Romain Dumas, 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck
Photo credit: Ford Performance
“But I had already restarted so I didn’t know if I should stop or not. There was a bit of confusion, but in the first split I know exactly when I should have time.”
“I saw I had 26 seconds, I compared my stipulations [qualifying time] slower. So I said, ‘Okay, I just need to push and it should be fine’. So I’m catching a few seconds.”
Dumas, who took his first victory at Pikes Peak in 2014 before taking the race to the clouds in 2016, 2017 and 2018, added: “Pikes Peak is so difficult because you have one shot, one chance, one run. small problem or big problem, you can lose everything.
“We prepared everything perfectly. In two years, this is the first time this problem has come, I don’t know why.
“I happened to read all the procedures and came to restart the car; so I was quite glad at this point that I read again last night what I should do in case [an] problem!”
Co-developed by Austrian company STARD, the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck produces over 1,600 horsepower and rides on custom Pirelli P-Zero tires.
It is the latest product of the Blue Oval’s strategy to develop demonstrators outside the regulations of the existing electric racing championships as it continues to build towards a return to Formula 1 in partnership with Red Bull in 2026.
Its four-pronged motorsport strategy is complemented by off-road disciplines including the World Rally Championship and, from 2025, the Dakar Rally, and its Mustang programs in GT3, GT4, Australian Supercars and NASCAR.
“The progression of how the Ford EV has met and met the toughest challenges is a prime testament to the hard work and dedication our teams have put into the program,” commented Ford Performance Motorsports Global Director Mark Rushbrook.
Romain Dumas, 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck
Photo credit: Ford Performance
“We learned a lot from the SuperVan 4.2 at last year’s Pikes Peak International and were able to apply that knowledge to this year’s run. It just goes from there.”
“Achieving this amazing feat was no small feat,” said Sriram Pakkam, Formula 1 and High Performance EV Manager at Ford Performance Motorsports.
“It was a real team effort across the board from our super talented aerodynamicists to our powertrain specialists.
“We also had to work as a team on details like keeping weight down and maximizing downforce, and I think the team did a fantastic job.”
Meanwhile, Hyundai World Rally Championship driver Dani Sordo won the Exhibition class. The Spanish IONIQ 5 N TA, also with an electric drive, clocked a time of 9m30.852s.