Meet Laura Hayes, the Fastest Woman in the 2024 Pike’s Peak Hill Climb

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is a strenuous undertaking, with steep elevations and challenging roads that highlight 156 turns over 12.4 miles. Aptly called “The Race to the Clouds,” the climb was founded in 1916 by Spencer Penrose, founder of the Broadmoor Hotel, Pikes Peak Highway and the El Pomar Foundation. Since its first event, the PPICH has attracted top runners to the 14,115-foot summit.

Wilton, California native Laura Hayes returned to the 102nd annual PPIHC on June 23. In his third outing, the 34-year-old rising star and Thunder Bunny Racing driver completed the climb in a dynamic Toyota Supra GT4 EVO. Equipped with a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine and a seven-speed transmission, the sporty Supra has proven itself. Impressively, Hayes not only reached the top of the gruesome 12.42-mile course, but also set a record. As of 2024, Hayes holds the record for the fastest woman to complete the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the history of the race with a time of 10:20:487.

” I can not believe it ; I am the fastest woman in history to climb Pikes Peak! » Hayes shared via Instagram. “I hope today brings as much inspiration to all girls who want to follow their dreams, not just in racing. It’s an honor and I’m very proud of the whole team.

I had the chance to interview Hayes after the race to get some insight into his story and his life as a driver. Here’s what she said:

What is your running history?

I started competing at the age of eight, encouraged by my parents, starting with Quarter Midgets and karts. Eventually, NASCAR became my dream when I was a teenager, so we moved into oval racing and competed in USAC Sprint Cars and late-model NASCAR Whelen stock cars.

Even after years of success, it became very difficult to get a sponsor and I thought my racing career was over. But since running was my life until the age of 20, becoming a driving instructor seemed like a good option. I started working at the BMW Performance Driving School in Greer, South Carolina.

It was there that I eventually met many of my current team members at Thunder Bunny Racing, and we formed our modest sports car team with a Nissan 350Z, which we nicknamed Thunder Bunny. We started seeing success in our endurance racing plans and people started asking if they could run with us. Nissans have transformed into BMWs, and now they have moved to the Toyota Supra GT4 platform.

What is Thunder Bunny Racing?

TBR was created in 2016 by a group of friends who loved racing. We took our money and split the weekend costs five or six ways; these were extremely humble beginnings. We towed the race car on a flatbed behind a Penske truck, and the car was worked on in a garage. High school automotive technology students were part of our team (and many of them are now current TBR employees). Once we started getting on the podium and winning races, people noticed and wanted to race under our banner.

We have since moved into a 25,000 square foot facility in Greenville, South Carolina. We service and maintain our customers’ racing cars and provide them with a finish and drive experience. So all they have to do is show up at the race track with their gear, ready to have fun. We provide crew, transportation, hospitality and driver support, and I am responsible for overseeing the motorsport side of our business. I also drive one of the race trailers to the tracks; help manage the race weekend; trainer, cook for the crew; and drive one of our Supra GT4s. We won the 2023 World Racing League National Championship in the GT0 division, which is comprised primarily of GT4 cars.

In addition to our racing program, we also work on European and exotic cars, performing everything from general maintenance to performance enhancements, we service customer track cars and we will soon be opening a club just for members which includes access to a lounge. , top-of-the-line racing simulators and top-of-the-line vehicle storage.

Why the Toyota Supra?

When the Pikes Peak Hill Climb announced the new GT4 division, I knew it would be the perfect place to compete. We had already been driving the Supra in WRL for a year; As a team we know the car and I have spent countless hours behind the wheel. Class rules require the car to remain within homologated specifications and each car must run the Yokohama Advan A052 tire. They brought in one of America’s top engineers to ensure that each of the cars would have an equal balance of performance. All of this makes each of the cars equal, with a lot of emphasis on the driver’s abilities.

We took our WRL Toyota Supra straight to Pikes Peak and it performed great. The altitude presented problems that one never encounters at sea level, but competition was fierce nonetheless. And the Mobil1 brand helped deliver the performance and protection needed for the extremes of this course by providing its lubricant technology as you climb the mountain. In qualifying, only 0.01 seconds separated me from pole position (I was second), and still a few tenths back in P3. On Sunday, I had a good run (it wasn’t perfect!) but it was enough to win the GT4 division by less than three seconds, and 14^th generally.

I love driving the Supra, it’s so much fun, plus everyone loves a Supra! It was definitely a crowd favorite.

Did you know you would set a record at Pike’s Peak?

Not really, I knew I had a chance but I wasn’t in the fastest car among the female drivers. It was a difficult day for many competitors on the mountain; as they say, it’s the mountain that decides. A lot of things had to go right for me, and most of them did. I knew I could be the fastest woman in GT4, but I didn’t think I would have the chance to be the fastest woman in the mountains. I drove the best I could and it worked.

What does this mean to you personally?

I think it was a special day for women in motorsport. It’s an exciting time in the sport, with more and more women moving up the competitive ranks and winning races. There were six women on the mountain this year, a record, and we are here to prove what we are capable of. Growing up, I didn’t have many female mentors or heroes to look up to. Honestly, I looked up to Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt.

I hope that I and other women can be that hero for a young girl who wants to do what all the boys do. It doesn’t happen without sacrifice, without extreme commitment, with some failures it will happen, but if you really believe and think about it, dreams can come true. And mine did on Sunday.

Plus, I love everything this race has to offer. There are so many unique challenges that you don’t experience anywhere else. Once you peel away from the crowd and pass under the start line, it’s just you, your car, the mountain. You fight the best fight you can because the mountain will always fight back. The last two times I did this race there was ice, snow, and crazy fog. The technology behind Mobil 1 lubricants is designed to handle the extreme conditions of racing, and I’m excited to help showcase the power of the Mobil 1 brand and products throughout the 12.42-mile course. So I finally had the opportunity, on a clear day, to prove what I could do. It was a great relief. Even so, it wasn’t a perfect race, I know I could have been faster, and that’s what keeps me coming back year after year.

What has been the biggest challenge for you in your racing career to date?

Obtain sponsorship. Running is an extremely expensive sport and there are so many hidden expenses that add up quickly. I don’t get paid to do this either. Finding sponsors is a full-time job in itself, on top of my current full-time job, and trying to live a balanced and healthy life. I don’t come from a rich family, so getting here has been a lot of work and sacrifice. I have been fortunate to surround myself with an incredible group of people who are not only my team but also my friends and have become my family. We believe in each other and because of that we’ve been able to achieve some really cool things. Without their support, none of this is possible.

There are people I met along the way, and they helped provide opportunities and open doors, and I will never forget them. This year, I had support from well-known brands like Mobil 1 and Yokohama, who were instrumental in giving me this opportunity, as well as the Shift Up Now Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides women with support, knowledge and relationships in the industry. go forward.

What advice would you give to girls who want to race like you?

If you dedicate yourself to something you love, there’s no reason why you can’t achieve great things. Outside of the race car, I’m honestly not the most confident human being ever. Inside the race car, you’re not going to stop me. Most of the work takes place outside the car, so this was an area I really needed to work on. One day I decided to take a chance because I knew I could do it, and since then I’ve become more comfortable taking on an uncomfortable challenge. So take this chance, because you will regret it if you don’t. And be yourself.

Recently, the Mobil 1 brand also announced a women-focused driving program, aimed at supporting female drivers, breaking down barriers and ensuring talented women have a platform to excel in the world of motorsport. I’m very proud to work with brands that continue to create opportunities for a more diverse and inclusive group of drivers.