Pikes Peak isn’t just a race, it’s a community at 14,000 Feet
Dylan Foreman
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) — Right before my first trip up Pikes Peak, veteran driver Fred Veach leaned over from the driver’s seat and gave me a warning I didn’t fully understand at the time.
He said the race was a combination of the Indy 500 and Woodstock.
After experiencing it firsthand, it turns out he was exactly right.
The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb isn’t your typical race. It’s a global showcase, bringing together 75 drivers from multiple countries, all competing across seven classes.
Every single one of them shares the same goal: get to the summit as fast as possible
But before they ever touch the mountain, they have to get cleared to race at tech inspection.
Before engines roar to life on the 12.42-mile course, every team must prove their car is ready.
“I’ve raced different places and there’s nothing like Pikes Peak,” driver Matus Huska said.
That uniqueness showed itself long before race day for Earl O’Maley and his team.
O’Maley’s group arrived with high hopes, but those quickly turned into a week-long battle just to get their car running.
“We’ve been fighting it for over a week,” Earl O’Maley’s wife, Katie O’Maley explained.
The mechanical issues with the engine and other electrical issues nearly ended their race before it began.
But then, something unexpected happened.
A rookie driver from Poland, Maciej Serafin, and his team stepped in, not as competitors, but as teammates.
“We are happy that he goes, close to the race. So it was amazing,” Serafin said of the opportunity to help.
The group worked together, diagnosing and fixing the issue that had threatened to sideline O’Maley’s car.
“They found the problem, and they can start it for Pikes Peak,” Gabriel Kubit, who is acting as the lead mechanic on Maciej’s car, said.
Just like that, a race entry that was nearly done was back on track.
For the O’Maley team, the moment meant more than just getting to race.
“Never in a million years did I ever think these angels would come into our lives,” Katie said. “They really are. They are truly our guardian angels. We wouldn’t have been able to do it without them.”
It’s a reminder that while every driver is chasing a clock, something bigger is happening behind the scenes.
At Pikes Peak, competition and camaraderie exist side by side.
Drivers become friends. Teams become support systems. And everyone becomes family.
“You become friends and eventually family with everybody,” O’Maley said. “It doesn’t matter if you’re in our class or not. If you need help, just ask.”
For Kubit, what goes around, comes around.
“When I can help, I help,” another driver said. “Because I don’t know when I’ll need help.”
The race to the top begins June 21 on Father’s Day.