Jeff Denmeade has driven an Australian designed and built Skelta sportscar to a class podium at the 90th running of the legendary Pikes Peak hillclimb.
The pint-sized Honda powered car completed the 20km, 156 turn course in a best time of 11:19.72s to finish third in the Pikes Peak Open class and 23rd outright.
Kiwi Rhys Millen took the overall victory with a 9:46.16s pass in his Hyundai Genesis Coupe – edging out Porsche factory driver Romain Dumas by just 0.02s.
Rookie Dumas had been the favourite for victory, but left the event vowing not to return due to the class-based running order which had allowed his rival to complete his run in significantly better conditions.
Millen, meanwhile, now holds the record time on the recently fully paved course, following on from the legendary Pikes Peak feats of his father Rod Millen in the 1990s.
It was a difficult day for the most famous of all Pikes Peak runners, Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, who competed in a battery-powered car for the first time. The car, officially known as a ‘Monster Sport E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special’, failed to finish with engine problems.
