Pikes Peak – Day 2: Dayraut at the top

Today, the Unlimited, Time Attack and Open Wheel categories competed on the first portion of the Pikes Peak route. After Romain Dumas, it is therefore another Frenchman who has distinguished himself. Jean-Philippe Dayraut, who took third place last year, covered the 8,3 kilometers on the day's program in 3'54"956 to beat Paul Dallenbach by almost five seconds. The Toulouse native, however, was unable to improve his time during his second pass. “ It was a difficult session because unlike my direct competitors, I was only able to do one run, a driver having gone out in front of me, explains Dayraut. Despite this, the organizers did not allow me to restart. Fortunately, my first attempt was the right one since I set the new record for the lower part of the route. »

More than ever, Jean-Philippe Dayraut is the favorite for this 90th edition of Pikes Peak, even if he knows it won't be easy. “ The day before, I improved Rhys Millen's old record in the upper part of the circuit by three seconds, he adds. The improvements made by Tork Engineering to the car and my knowledge of the terrain allow me to perform better. Sunday's race will still not be easy because with these 156 turns, Pikes Peak remains very tricky and at the speed our cars are going this year, it is very easy to make a mistake. »