Pole Streak Continues for “The Hannahs” at Road America

Shift Up Now Athletes Hannah Greenemeier and Hannah Grisham earned their third consecutive pole position—two in a row for personally for Grisham—in the Motul Sports Car Endurance Grand Prix at Road America on July 30-August 2, 2026.

Competing in the eighth event of the 2026 IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge (IMPC) season, “The Hannahs” piloted the Heart of Racing No. 26 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT4 Evo on the 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course.

The first practice took place on Thursday afternoon. The track was dry and Greenemeier’s time put the duo just outside the top ten. The following morning, cool temperatures and overcast skies provided ideal track conditions, and The Hannahs laid down significantly-faster lap times. Of the pair, Grisham was quickest, with the six-fastest lap time of the session.

Later that day, qualifying took place under overcast skies. Grisham was behind the wheel of the Heart of Racing entry, continuing to alternate qualifying duties with Greenemeier. Grisham set the fastest time of the session, claiming pole by less than one tenth of a second - marking the third pole in a row for the talented duo.

The two-hour competition began on Saturday afternoon. Rain and gloomy weather caused wet track conditions that had commentators speculating on the teams’ various strategies.

After two pace laps, Grisham led the field to green in a two-by-two formation. She had a strong start and went unchallenged into the first turn, then developed a one car-length lead by the run down into turn five. Just a couple laps into the race, she was running 1.5 seconds ahead of the second-place car.

The rain ceased and the track began to dry about 10 minutes into the race. Grisham’s lead to the second placed car decreased, however the two cars in front already had a full five-second lead over third place.

On the run down to turn five, the second-place car used a tow to pop out on the inside into the brake zone. Simultaneously, Grisham’s right side wheels caught the white line under braking, putting her GT4 car into a lurid slide as they approached the corner. She regrouped with minimal time lost, and got to work chasing the new leader.

Grisham ran cleanly for the remainder of her stint, building a 10 second gap to the third place competitor, and prepared to pit approximately 40 minutes into the race. Just before the pit window opened, a full-course caution flew for a beached car in the gravel, which eliminated the advantage Grisham and the leader had built over the rest of the field.

When the pit window opened, the entire GT4 field dove in for driver changes and dry-weather tires. A slightly-slower pit stop put The Hannahs in fourth as Greenemeier left pit lane.

The race restarted with a single-file line and just over one hour on the competition clock. Greenemeier had a strong start, and was looking to pass for third in Canada Corner. Slight contact cost as the pair then ran side by side up over Billy Mitchell corner, cost her momentum and several spots, dropping her back to sixth.

Undeterred, Greenemeier focused on making the pass for fifth. As she attempted the pass, the car ahead defended into turn one, so she moved to the outside. The two made contact at the corner apex. Once again, the loss of momentum cost her a couple places in the tightly-packed field.

A second full-course caution flew with 49 minutes remaining in the race, and most of the lead pack pitted for their final stop. This time, having taken more fuel relative to several competitors at the prior stop, the Heart of Racing Aston was able to take a little less, saving time and advancing several positions in the pits to emerge in sixth place, net third place of those who had pitted for fuel.

Another single-file restart took place with 38 minutes on the clock, and rain beginning to fall again. Greenemeier had another strong start and gained a position t0 5th. She and the car behind then began a side-by-side battle in the slick conditions. When the seventh-place car attempted to go three-wide with them, more contact ensued and pushed Greenemeier off on the outside as they came over the crest in turn six, costing her several positions.

The third full-course caution then emerged, and the additional yellow laps started to play into pit stop strategy, as cars who had elected not to stop earlier might be able to make it without the additional stop.

The final green flag flew with just over 20 minutes remaining. Greenemeier was running in ninth and had another solid start, challenging the car ahead in turn one, then settling back in line.

At the end of the first green lap, she was back up to seventh place. The battle that followed over the next few laps would see her drop back to eighth, advance to seventh again, then drop to ninth in the tightly packed field. When a massive incident in the Kink brought out another full-course caution with nine minutes to go, the race would go on to finish under yellow.

"It was definitely a challenging race with the wet conditions at the start," said Grisham. "My focus was on staying clean, making smart decisions and handing the car over to Hannah Greenemeier in one piece. I was very happy with the pace we had, and felt like we made the most of the conditions. It's tough that Hannah got caught in some contact in the second half of the race as I think we had the potential for an even stronger result. Overall there are a lot of positives to take away from this weekend, and I want to thank the Heart of Racing for once again giving us a great car."

Next up, “the Hannahs” head to Virginia International Raceway for the ninth event of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge series, the Michelin GT Challenge at VIR, on August 21-23, 2026.

Career-Best Porsche Carrera Cup Finish for Cook at Road America

Shift Up Now Athlete Sabré Cook earned a fifth-place finish—her best finish yet in Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation—during the third race of a triple-header weekend at Road America on July 31-August 1, 2026.

Driving the all-white privé products No. 37 911 Cup Car for JDX racing, Cook’s race weekend began with two practice sessions and qualifying on Thursday.

Track temps were cooler and conducive to fast laps for the first practice session, which gave teams helpful data for the first and third races of the weekend. But with warmer temps looming that afternoon for qualifying, most teams chose not to run new tires during the first practice.

Later that day, Cook and her Carrera Cup competitors used the second practice to dial in the speed for qualifying. Cook was fourth-fastest in the session, posting top-five sector times in each sector of the 4.048-mile, 14-turn permanent road course.

To cap off the day, Cook completed one of her strongest qualifying sessions of the season, running the seventh-fastest lap time to start seventh in race one, and the sixth-fastest second- lap time, to start sixth for race two. She would also start sixth in the third race—a makeup round from the rained-out Miami weekend—based on her second fastest lap from Miami qualifying.

Friday’s schedule featured two races in order to accommodate the third on Saturday. Race one began Friday morning under overcast skies that commentators described as “iffy.” The 40- minute competition began after one pace lap, with Cook starting on the inside of row four.

The field ran two-by-two up the steep front straight to the flag stand, and as Cook tried to defend the inside line into turn one, the driver from the outside of row four swept around the outside of her. The two battled side-by-side through turn two and three, then onto the back straight, where Cook’s competitor had the inside line into turn five.

She got a better run up the hill into six and was ahead entering seven, however on the run from turn seven into eight, a car ahead was defending on the inside. This forced Cook to also take the inside line, putting her competitor side-by-side with her again on her outside. He then had the clearer run off the corner and the inside line into the carousel, dropping Cook back to eighth. She spent the rest of the race trying to pass with no avail, and would cross the finish line in seventh.

Later that day, race two began on Friday afternoon. Due to the overcast conditions in race one, creating lower track temps, some drivers were able to better their second-fastest times from qualifying, which reordered the grid and put Cook on the inside of row four again.

Once again, the field lined up two-by-two after one pace lap as they came up the hill to the starters stand. Unlike the first race, the action in turn one was much messier with contact at the very front of the field, and two of the contenders running wide into the track’s paved run off area outside turn one.

Cook avoided the chaos and kept the car clean, picking up three positions to advance to fourth. But the first-lap contact continued as several cars came together on the run down to turn five, and a full-course caution flew before the field had cleared turn eight.

When the race went green again, 30 minutes remained. Almost immediately, a car ended up in the concrete barrier on the run from turn three to turn five, causing another caution flag.

Cook had a strong restart with 17 minutes to go. She was working to try and pass the car ahead of her for the final podium spot. She looked around the outside for the first couple corners, but had to tuck back in on the exit of three. She then swung back to the outside again on the run down to five as the car ahead defended.

As the pair entered turn five, Cook was dropping in behind the car ahead when an overly-ambitious move from the car behind tagged her rear corner, pitching both cars into a spin with race-ending damage. With a potential podium position on the cards, the finish was disappointing for the entire No. 37 crew.

The final race of the weekend took place on Saturday morning as a make-up race for the second Miami event earlier in the year, which had been canceled due to lightening.

Heavy rain poured down at Road America as the drivers prepared for the first race in the rain for the all new 992.2 911 Cup Cars. The 40-minute competition took place after two pace laps and a single-file start due to the amount of water on track.

Cook started sixth in the single-file line, then the field immediately fanned out, trying to find visibility, after the green flag. Cook set her sights on the fifth-place spot amid the treacherous track conditions.

As the field came to the run from turns three to five that caused so many issues in the second race, the spray behind the leaders made visibility minimal. The entire field managed to make it cleanly through, but the first caution came out at Canada Corner when two cars made contact.

Twenty minutes remained at the restart, and a mistake from a car ahead of Cook allowed her to advance into the top five. The field only got a few more laps of green-flag racing before another full-course caution flew.

Despite a lengthy cleanup, race control was able to set up a two-lap shootout to the finish on the still-rain-soaked track. With strong pace in the challenging conditions and no mistakes, Cook came home in fifth place, earning her best finish yet in Porsche Carrera Cup.

"Road America was a special weekend for me, earning my best Porsche Carrera Cup finish with a fifth place result," said Cook. "It's been rewarding to see the progress we've been working toward start translating into results, but I know there is still a lot more potential to unlock. I'm grateful for the incredible effort from JDX Racing and all of my partners who continue to support this journey, and I'm excited to carry this momentum into IMS and keep pushing for more."

Next up, the Porsche Carrera Cup North America presented by Solairus Aviation series heads to the historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for round six of the 2026 season on September 18-20, 2026.

Loni Unser Announced as Featured Guest at A Night with the Shift Up Now Foundation

The Shift Up Now Foundation is thrilled to announce that fan favorite Loni Unser will be a featured guest at the third-annual “A Night with the Shift Up Now Foundation”presented by PenFed Credit Union and Tom Wood Porsche, on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at the Tom Wood Aviation Hangar and event space at the Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport in Fishers, IN.

Unser has been a Shift Up Now Athlete since 2020 and before the Foundation existed. After the 501(c)(3) was created, she has been awarded a grant every year.

In 2025, Unser was awarded the “fastest Porsche up the mountain” at the 103rd running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) presented by Gran Turismo on June 22, 2025. The prize included a $1,000 donation to any organization, and she chose the Shift Up Now Foundation as the recipient.

Unser’s on-track resume is impressive, including winning the 2023 World Racing League (WRL) Eastern and National Championship in the GP1 class. In her rookie year at PPIHC, she took second place in the Porsche Trophy by Yokohama class.

In 2025, she took second place in the Porsche Sprint Challenge championship with nine podiums and one win, bettering her third-place finish in the championship from the year prior. In addition to her racing accolades, Unser is a stunt driver, professional driving instructor and keynote speaker.

For the 2026 season, Unser and teammate Ashley Freiberg are competing for female-owned race team Kellymoss in Pirelli GT4 America.

In addition to being a featured guest at “A Night with the Shift Up Now Foundation” and being interviewed by Julia Landauer, Unser’s No. 24 “Be Your Own Hero” Porsche Cayman GT4, supported by PenFed Credit Union, will be on display.

“Shift Up Now has been instrumental to both my professional career and my life outside of racing,” said Unser. “It has helped amplify my mission of getting more women involved in racing. It has led me to lifelong friendships and relationships. I feel incredibly honored to be a featured guest this year, and I cannot wait to connect with old friends and make new ones. I also feel so lucky to be one of many grantees. I believe that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, and Shift Up Now has helped me and so many other realize their goals, no matter how big.”

Victoria Thomas, Kellymoss Principle and Chief Business Officer added, “Shift Up Now is an essential partner in creating meaningful and visible opportunities for women in motorsports. At Kellymoss, we believe the driver is the first and most visible domino in growing participation across the entire industry. When women see women competing at the highest levels, it expands what they believe is possible, whether as drivers, engineers, technicians, team leaders, or fans. This season, we are proud to support three female drivers competing in SRO, Loni, Ashley and Erika with the support of Shift Up Now, and to work together to build the visibility, credibility, and momentum necessary to grow our sport.”

Tickets for the event are nearly 50% sold out, so fans and supporter should act fast and reserve a spot HERE. Members of The Inside Track by Shift Up Now should log into their dashboard to claim their 2026 ticket discount code.

Sponsorship opportunities are also available for companies and brands that want to support the Shift Up Now Foundation and its mission. Please reach out to foundation@ShiftUpNow.org to learn more.

Lastly, fans who want to join the ‘Race to a Million’ but are not able to attend the event can donate HERE.

Win Streak Continues for AE Victory Racing at Road Atlanta

Shift Up Now Athletes Alana Carter, Michele Abbate and Hannah Grisham earned their third victory of the season piloting the No. 120 Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 for AE Victory Racing (AEVR) in the World Racing League (WRL) at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on July 24-26, 2026.

Together with fellow Shift Up Now Athletes Ashley Freiberg, Brenna Schubert, and Sarah Montgomery piloting the No. 119 entry, the AEVR team left the weekend with a race victory, multiple podium finishes, and the pace to sweep the weekend despite changing weather, countless full-course cautions, and temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.

The 2026 season reached its halfway point with the back-to-back races on the 2.54-mile, 12 turn permanent road course. Throughout practice and testing, both AEVR Toyota Supra GT4 EVO2 entries showed excellent pace as the crew focused on race preparation rather than chasing outright speed.

Friday morning began with rain and a lightning delay before conditions steadily improved. As the track dried following the opening Radical Cup race, Freiberg qualified the No. 119 in fifth with a lap of 1:32.665, while Abbate placed the No. 120 third with a nearly identical 1:32.611.

Saturday’s eight-hour race started with much-appreciated cloud cover. When the green flag dropped, both entries immediately settled into the fight at the front of the GTO field. Despite multiple lengthy full-course cautions that continually reshuffled strategy, the AEVR crew executed flawlessly on pit lane, maximizing every caution period with efficient fuel stops, tire service, and driver changes.

One of the defining moments of the race came midway through the event when AEVR’s two most recent Driver Development Shootout winners found themselves running first and second.

2025 Shootout winner Carter drove the No. 120 into the overall class lead while current Development Driver Schubert maintained second in the No. 119. It marked another significant milestone for the team's development program as both drivers demonstrated race-winning pace in one of WRL's most competitive events.

By the checkered flag, the No. 120 crossed the line first while the No. 119 secured third.

Following post-race technical inspection, however, the No. 120 was disqualified after exceeding the allowable horsepower limit by just two horsepower. The unusually-high ambient temperatures affected turbocharger performance, resulting in the car falling outside the class regulations despite running within expectations throughout the event.

Rather than dwell on the disappointment, the team quickly regrouped for Sunday's finale.

Starting the No. 120, Grisham wasted no time charging through the field, gaining six positions before the opening corner and immediately placing the team back in contention. Throughout another caution-filled endurance race, pit strategy consistently placed the No. 120 in the strongest possible position.

Following on-track contact while battling in traffic, Schubert was assessed a one-lap penalty in the he No. 119. Despite the setback, the crew remained focused and recovered to finish fifth.

Meanwhile, the No. 120 delivered the redemption the team had been looking for. Grisham, Abbate, and Carter combined for another commanding performance, executing every pit stop and strategy call to perfection before taking the checkered flag for the team's second victory of the weekend on the road.

While the official record will show one victory from the weekend, the performance of both cars told a much larger story. From Carter and Schubert leading the field together on Saturday to Sunday's strategic masterclass, AEVR once again demonstrated the strength of its all-female driver development program and the organization surrounding it.

“Road Atlanta tested every part of our program,” said Erin Vogel, AEVR team owner. “We dealt with changing weather, long caution periods, extreme heat, and the disappointment of losing a win in post-race inspection, but nobody hung their heads. We came back on Sunday, executed another fantastic race, and left with important points in the championship. As a development program, we make room for mistakes but we are all learning valuable lessons about what it takes to win.”

Next up, the Shift Up Now Athletes will embark on the second half of their WRL season, heading to historic Watkins Glen International on August 28-30, 2026.

Podium Streak Continues for Tabor at Rally Colorado

Shift Up Now Athlete Madelyn Tabor earned a second-place finish in class with co-driver Sophia McKee in Rally Colorado, the fifth event of the 2026 American Rally Association National Championship, in Rangely, CO on July 18-19, 2026.

Driving the No. 209 Madelyn Tabor Racing / Matrix Motorsports Ford Fiesta Rally 3 nicknamed “Jellybean” in the National L4WD class, Tabor is supported by Shift Up Now, WIMNA, and Steven Redd Racing.

The Rally Colorado event, one of the most demanding on the ARA National Championship calendar, took place in the high desert country around Rangely. The stages alternated between brutally rough rock-strewn tracks and wide-open, silty terrain that rewards commitment but punishes mistakes.

Temperatures exceeded 90°F, with flash flood warnings active across western Colorado throughout the weekend. Eleven of the 13 planned stages were completed however the SS8 and SS11 stages were cancelled.

After an uneventful pre-event recce on Friday, Tabor and McKee were ready for Saturday’s race, where they would start fifth in class and 13th overall.

Saturday opened with three stages — Dragon Trail (12.26 miles), Cathedral (4.26 miles), and Valley of the Gods (13.24 miles) — each run twice across the morning and afternoon in the desert heat. The conditions were immediately demanding: relentlessly rough surfaces required careful management of pace and car, while the fast, silty sections pushed grip limits and kept dust hanging in the air long after each car passed.

The variety of surface types at Rally Colorado, combined with heat and dust, made for a real-world test of everything Tabor and McKee had worked on earlier in July at Oz Rally Pro — a professional pace note training program.

With temperatures above 90°F and a two-day event ahead, Tabor’s priority was reading the road, trusting the new note structure, and keeping Jellybean in one piece. Early in the race, on the SS2 (Cathedral), Tabor arrived at a corner faster than expected. She reacted instinctively and killed the car but recovered cleanly with minimal time lost and no damage to the car.

At the end of the day Saturday, the duo was running third in class and 11th overall.

On Sunday, temperatures neared 100°F and flash flood warnings threatened western Colorado. With overnight thunderstorms having passed through the region the night before, the organizers needed time to assess stage conditions before sending the cars. This resulted in an unexpected hour-long delay to start the day, along with the cancellation of stages 8 and 11.

Once the competition got started, another car went off course, causing another full hour delay. Racing resumed in stage SS9 (Gods of the Valley), which had been run Saturday. But this time, they ran in reverse direction and the terrain was rougher, with water having worked into the ruts overnight and mud adding a new variable to the surface.

Stage SS13 (Earl’s Bad Day) closed the rally, completing the 11-stage, two-day event. Tabor and McKee crossed the final control second in class and 9th overall.

"Rally Colorado is the kind of event where the rally itself is your biggest competitor,” said Tabor. “The stages are rough, the silt is relentless, the heat is real, and on Sunday the whole region was on flash flood watch.

Finishing second in class out of a weekend like that — I'll take it. Huge thank you to Sophia, our entire TRT crew and interns, Matrix Motorsports, Shift Up Now, WIMNA, and Steven Redd Racing. Being the first rally athlete recognized and funded by Shift Up Now means everything to me, and results like this are for all of them.”

Next up, Tabor heads to Detroit Lakes, Minnesota for the sixth event of the 2026 American Rally Association National Championship, the 2026 Ojibwe Forests Rally on August 27-29, 2026.

Gossett and Traynor Awarded “Top Finishing Female” Awards Consecutively at CTMP

Shift Up Now Athletes Ellie Gossett and Charlotte Traynor each earned the title of “Top Finishing Female” during rounds seven and eight, respectively, of the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup championship at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP) on July 10-12, 2026.

Gossett piloted the No. 77 Salty Dog Cafe car for BSI Racing, led by one of Shift Up Now’s original Athletes, Shea Holbrook. Traynor, who was awarded the 2026 Mazda Women’s Initiative Scholarship, drove the No. 43 entry for Parker DeLong Racing (PDR).

In the series’ only event north of the border, both Gossett and Traynor were making their debut on the 2.459-mile, 10-turn CTMP road course, known for its challenging and high-speed layout. Two practice sessions took place on Friday. While both Shift Up Now racers used the sessions for learning the track and cars’ handling, they each achieved new personal bests in the afternoon session, with Gossett running inside the top 20.

Qualifying took place on Saturday morning. Gossett was 21st on the time sheets in an incredibly-competitive field where her time was only 0.3 of a second away from the ninth-place qualifier. Meanwhile, Traynor set a new personal best time in qualifying to line up just a couple rows behind Gossett for the first race.

Later that afternoon, race one began at 5:25pm EDT. The 45-minute competition took place in hot, humid conditions with track temps over 100 degrees, creating a slippery surface for the 30+ car field.

After one pace lap, the field lined up side-by-side for the green and, despite a few three-side moments, made it cleanly through the first lap. Gossett had a solid start and advanced into 19th place.

After the first two laps, the field still hadn’t started to separate. A long green-flag stint ensued, ending near the halfway point when a caution flag flew for a single-car incident.

Fifteen minutes remained when the race went green again. At the restart, Gossett was running 21st and Traynor in 25th. Both drivers then moved forward, Gossett into 18th and Traynor to 20th.

When the white flag emerged, Gossett advanced to 16th and Traynor to 19th just before another full-course caution flew. After a post-race penalty was assessed to a competitor, Gossett moved to 15th and Traynor to 18th, both racers’ best finishes of the season so far. Gossett was also awarded the “Top Finishing Female” honors for round seven.

On Sunday morning, race two began at 10:05am EDT. Once again, the 45-minute competition began after the pace lap as the field ran in a tight two-by-two formation. In a repeat of the evening before, the first lap was clean.

However on the second lap, Gossett found herself in a huge spin, putting flat spots on all four tires. She was able to get going again without going a lap down or causing a full-course yellow, but now significantly behind the pack.

The race ran green for approximately 15 minutes before contact between several cars brought out the first full-course caution. At that point, Traynor was running 22nd, and the yellow allowed Gossett to catch up to the back of the pack for the restart.

The clock showed 21 minutes remaining at the restart, and Traynor advanced into the top 20. She hung on to the back of the lead pack with Gossett close behind her in 21st.

Another full-course caution occurred with nine minutes to go, and without enough time for cleanup, the race finished under yellow. Traynor was classified as 15th, her new best finish of the season so far, and earning her that day’s “Top Finishing Female” award.

Both Shift Up Now racers showed significant personal improvement during the CTMP weekend, making some of their best runs to date in Mazda MX-5 Cup.

“This series is incredibly competitive, the top 20 are all within a second of each other," said Gossett. "I had a fast car all weekend, however small mistakes unfortunately hindered my results. There’s no better place to develop as a driver than MX-5 Cup. I'm already looking forward to coming back even stronger at VIR next month.”

"Canada was definitely a great step up in terms of pace for me", added Traynor. "The track was challenging, but I had such an incredible time learning and getting up to speed throughout the weekend. It was rewarding to be able to stay with the lead pack during race 2 and continually improve on my times. I'm looking forward to keeping this momentum rolling into Virginia and hopefully aiming for some top-10s heading into the second half of the season!"

Next up, the Whelen Mazda MX-5 Cup series heads to Alton, Virginia, for rounds nine and ten of the championship, at VIRginia International Raceway on August 21-23, 2026.

Hayes Wins Second Victory at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb

Shift Up Now Athlete Laura Hayes backed up her 2024 victory with a statement win in the 104th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 21, 2026.

Driving a Toyota Supra GT4 for TCB Racing, Hayes was supported by TCB Energy Services, Yokohama Tire, Encore Oilfield Services, Southern Transport, JTX Forged and Toyota of Colorado Springs, and was the only Supra in the GT4 Trophy presented by Yokohama class.

After missing the 2025 event, this year marked Hayes’ third attempt at “the race to the clouds.”

Practice began on Tuesday in the middle section of the notoriously unpredictable 12.42-mile, 156-turn course. With an elevation gain of 4,720 feet, racing conditions are known to be warm and sunny at the start, and ending with freezing fog or snow at the finish. Due to several delays on Tuesday, Hayes and her competitors only got three runs in, with Hayes clocking the fastest time in class.

On Wednesday, practice in the upper section began on the “Devil’s Playground,” located just above the tree line and known for its highly-technical, fast-flowing sequence of corners. Hayes’ first run took place at 5:15am in the dark. After her third run as the sun began to rise, she was second-fastest in class.

Thursday marked the start of qualifying in the lower section. With the fastest time in class—and bettering her qualifying attempt from two years ago by two seconds—Hayes earned pole position and would roll off 10th overall on race day.

On Friday, she was back to the middle section for practice, where she and her competitors got more run time. The preparation helped Hayes learn more about what she needed to do on race day and boosted her confidence heading into Sunday.

After practicing the course in segments all week, race day is the first attempt drivers get to connect the entire course in one run. Sunday dawned sunny with clear blue skies and ideal conditions for race.

Hayes had her sights set on a second GT4 class victory, along with besting her own record for the “Fastest Woman Up the Mountain.”

The first runs took place around 7:30am MDT, with Hayes being the 10th driver—and last GT4 car—to take her turn. She set the fastest time of the day with a 10:17.583, knocking three full seconds off her previous record, and finishing fully seven seconds ahead of her nearest in-class competitor. This also put her in the top 20 overall.

Hayes’ run looked to set her up for the “Fastest Woman Up the Mountain” title again, but was bettered later in the day by Emilia Hartford driving a Corvette ZR1 in the Time Attack 1 class with a 10:11.018.

To this day, Hayes still holds the record for the only woman ever to complete a sub-ten-minute run at Pikes Peak. However, her record-breaking run was set outside of the race weekend, and with spec modifications. Nevertheless, Hayes continues to break records wherever she goes.

“Months of prep and practice, early mornings, late nights, all came down to this,” said Hayes. “I couldn’t have done it without the entire team behind me, sponsors and partners supporting me, and all of the amazing motorsport fans and community.

“It has been incredible to watch this event continue to grow, even with such a long and iconic past. This year was full of fierce competition. Congratulations to everyone who made it to the summit!”