Ford returned to the winding mountain roads of Pikes Peak in the USA last weekend where the radical 100% electric F-150 Lightning SuperTruck, developed by the Ford Performance team, was the fastest model in the open class among the 61 participating vehicles.
Victory at @PPIHC! @RomainDumas piloted the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck up America's Mountain to earn quickest overall time at the 102nd running of the hill climb! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/LACerwI8aQ
— Ford Performance (@FordPerformance) June 24, 2024
After achieving a new qualifying record with a time of 3:32.831 minutes, over seven seconds faster than the previous record of 3:39.939 minutes set by the Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 in 2023, SuperTruck driver Romain Dumas completed the 20 km mountain road in the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck in 8:53.553 minutes, but did not beat the record set by the SuperVan 4.2 last year of 8:47.682 minutes.
However, the victory over the competition achieved by Romain Dumas is even more remarkable since the radical pick-up unexpectedly stopped during the race, losing some time. However, Dumas remained calm and managed to restart the 100% electric model and still win the race in his category.
It should be noted that the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck that participated in the 102nd edition of the Pikes Peak race is equipped with three STARD UHP electric motors with 6 phases and high-performance lithium polymer NMC cells, which allow it to generate over 1400 hp of power.
With improved aerodynamics that provide an impressive downforce of about three tons, the radical pick-up features a huge goose neck-shaped spoiler that hangs at the rear and projects above the roof. In addition, the rear section also highlights the enormous diffuser. In the front, the generous splitter stands out.
“I am honored to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” said Dumas. “Everything in this event is a challenge because it is different from any other race. We faced a challenge at the beginning, but it only gave me more determination to make up for lost time in the rest of the race.”
