Unser family continues Pikes Peak tradition, local David Donner races to second

Rallying

Jun 27

No name is more synonymous with success at the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb than Unser. For her first time, Loni Unser took the wheel up the hill, finishing second in the Porsche Pikes Peak Trophy by Yokohama Division in her 2019 Porsche GT4 Clubsport with a 12:55.774 mark. As she cooled down after completing the hill, the gravity of her journey hit.

Just two days ago, Unser wrecked in a practice run after hitting the bumps of the course too hard, or, in her words, 'not respecting the road.' It was a lesson her family's passed down for generations, and Sunday, she took it to heart after seemingly the entire city helped to put back together her car in time to run the course.

"Everybody was amazing in getting me here," Unser said. "We actually had to reach out to a local brain surgeon to ask if we could borrow the bumpers off of his Porsche for the race.

"He drove right over, we clipped them off and put them on mine. It's amazing what people did to get me from my wreck to today, I can't thank them enough."

David Donner finds success once again

David Donner, a resident of Colorado Springs, knew the conditions would require a different mindset. In his run to second place, and first in the Exhibition Division, he simply thought about making it to the top of the mountain. Survival, almost more than victory, was the common thread among drivers. The car didn't fail him, by any means, despite being a production car.

"What a car, it was just a kick in the pants to drive," Donner said of his 2022 Porsche Turbo S.

Donner led all local finishers, capturing a second-place finish with a 10:34.053-second mark to win the Exhibition Division.

Codie Vahsholtz, from Woodland Park, also captured a win in his division, finishing fourth overall and atop the Open Wheel group with a 10:38.259 time. Clint, Codie's father, has aided his efforts and even won King of the Mountain in 2021.

With a top-five finish and 2021's best Open Wheel qualifying time in 2021, it seems to be a matter of time before another King of the Mountain is awarded to the racing family.