KING OF THE MOUNTAIN: Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck Wins 2024 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
June 25, 2024
Posted by Barrett-Jackson
Driver Romain Dumas in the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck at Pikes Peak.
With a groundbreaking performance, the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck EV Demonstrator triumphed at the 102nd running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Driven by Romain Dumas, the electric vehicle clocked in at an astounding 8 minutes and 53 seconds, ultimately emerging as the fastest overall time in the 2024 event among its 61 competitors. To put that into perspective, it took Ford’s Model T 28 minutes and 3 seconds to reach the 14,115-foot summit at Ford’s first running of the race in 1916.
During the 2024 race, the Lightning SuperTruck came to an unplanned and complete stop, which added 26 seconds to the run. Dumas was quick to react and minimized the issue by completely resetting the 1,600-horsepower F-150 Lightning and continued his climb.
“I’m honored to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” Dumas said. “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.”
Prior to the race, the Lightning SuperTruck set a new qualifying record for the Open Class on the lower section of the road with a time of 3:32.831, over seven seconds faster than the previous record of 3:39.939 set by the Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 in 2023.
“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,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “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.”
The SuperTruck was created by Ford Design and STARD Advanced Research and Development with the goal for it to excel in the extreme conditions of Pikes Peak. As a result, this truck showcases advanced aerodynamics, generating 6,000 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. Highlights include a triple-element front wing, headlight ducts, hood ducts and louvers, front dive-planes, side diffusers, rear diffuser and multi-element rear wing to maximize aerodynamics.
The Lightning is powered by three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors and Ultra High-Performance Li-Polymer NMC cells. The SuperTruck rides on magnesium-forged wheels wrapped in Pirelli P Zero tires, with stopping power coming from a set of carbon ceramic brakes.
According to Ford, the debut performance of the SuperTruck is just the beginning. Barrett-Jackson is excited to see where it makes its next appearance. Who knows – it might just be at one of our upcoming auctions!
