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On Sunday, June 23, the Ford F-150 Lightning SuperTruck EV Demonstrator found success at the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a time of eight minutes and fifty-three seconds, claiming fastest on the mountain overall at the 2024 event.
This comes just days after setting a new qualifying record for the Open Class 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.
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The achievement was hard-earned by driver Romain Dumas, after experiencing a technical issue and coming to a complete stop on course. The stop added a delay of around 26 seconds over his initial qualifying time, but quick thinking from Dumas helped to minimize the issue. The Frenchman was able to complete a full reset of SuperTruck quickly, and continue his climb, pushing more aggressively than ever to still claim the top spot of all 61 competitors.
“The progression of Ford EV’s taking on and completing the toughest challenges is a major testament to the hard work and dedication our teams have put into the program” said Mark Rushbrook, Global Director, Ford Performance Motorsports. “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 onwards and upwards from here.”
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Romain Dumas, the overall record holder for the Race to the Clouds and expert in pushing Ford’s electric vehicle demonstrators to the very limit, piloted the 1,600hp F-150 Lightning SuperTruck. “I’m honored to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb” said Dumas “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.”
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The construction of the Ford Performance F-150 Lightning EV Demonstrator was a testament to the power of collaboration. STARD (Stohl Advanced Research and Development) played a crucial role in helping create the 1600+ horsepower Electric Demonstrator. SuperTruck was also equipped with top-of-the-line Sparco racing harnesses and safety equipment and bespoke Pirelli P-Zero tires, ensuring its stability on the challenging mountain roads.
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“To achieve this amazing feat was no small effort,” said Sriram Pakkam, Formula 1 & High-Performance EV Manager, Ford Performance Motorsports. “This was a true team effort across the board from our super-talented aerodynamicists to our powertrain specialists. We also had to work as a team to sweat the details such as keeping the weight down while maximizing the downforce and I think the team did a fantastic job.’
This debut appearance of SuperTruck is just the beginning. Stay tuned to see where in the world this F-150 Lightning EV Demonstrator will appear next.
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