Ford F-150 Supertruck conquers Pikes Peak

The Ford F-150 Lightning Supertruck has emerged as the fastest vehicle at the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, completing the 20km, 156-turn course in 8:53.553.

With French motorsport legend Romain Dumas behind the wheel, Ford’s wild battery-electric pick-up outclassed 60 other competitors racing up the mountain this year to the 4302m summit.

It also finished seven seconds faster than the Ford Performance SuperVan 4.2 clocked in 2023.

Based on the Ford F-150 Lightning EV that so far remains unavailable via Ford Australia, the race-prepped Supertruck features three STARD UHP six-phase electric motors powered by ultra-high-performance Li-Polymer NMC battery cells, generating over 1400hp (1045kW).

The one-off pick-up has carbon-ceramic brakes, Pirelli P Zero tyres and bespoke inboard suspension, while its enormous aero enables the highly modified racer to produce over 2700kg of downforce at 240km/h.

Ford’s Pikes Peak campaign this year was not without drama, with the Supertruck almost failing to make the start line.

Hit by a technical fault, Dumas was forced to stop mid-run during early qualifying to reset the F-150 before continuing his climb.

From then on it appears the Supertruck was trouble-free up on its way to being dubbed 2024’s King of the Mountain.

“I’m honoured to achieve this victory with Ford Performance at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” Dumas said.

“Everything about this event is a challenge because it is unlike any other form of racing, you only have one shot.

“We faced a challenge early on but that only gave me more determination to make up the lost time in the rest of the run.”

Ford Performance Motorsports F1 and EV boss Sriram Pakkam added: “To achieve this amazing feat was no small effort.

“This was a true team effort across the board from our super-talented aerodynamicists to our powertrain specialists. We also had to work as a team to sweat the details such as keeping the weight down while maximising the downforce and I think the team did a fantastic job.”

It’s thought some of the tech used in the Supertruck could filter through to be used on an inbound high-performance version of the F-150 Lightning.

The F-150 Switchgear concept unveiled earlier this year was a possible precursor, adopting race-spec suspension, carbon-fibre body panels and extra bash plates.

For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales' Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast

Join the conversation at our Facebook page
Or email us at editor@carsales.com.au