Two veterans of and one newcomer to the annual “Race to the Clouds” will try to pilot their Class 8 race rigs in the fastest time during the 80th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Saturday, June 29.
The semi-trucks are one of the most popular classes among spectators who attend the race. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is on a 12.42-mile racecourse with its 156 turns.

For the third year in a row, veteran racer and custom truck builder Bruce Canepa will drive the Kenworth T2000/CFI Peak Performer in the world-renowned event.
Canepa will again face off against Mike Ryan, driver of the No. 77 Freightliner Unlimited SuperTruck and four-time champion at Pikes Peak. Ryan currently holds the Class 8 Trucks time record of 13:39.02, which he set on July 4, 2000. But he spun out early in last year’s attempt and did not finish the race.
And new this year is Ryan’s teammate, Molly Morter, who will be driving the No. 33 Sterling Trucks Special. Morter, an off road racing native, will make her first attempt at Pikes Peak in a three-axle Class 8 Sterling powered by a 1,000-horsepower Detroit Diesel Series 60 engine.
Canepa’s tandem-axle Kenworth T2000, entered in the Big Rig - Highway Division, has been prepared by a team of 12 volunteer members from Kenworth's Engineering Department.
"We found out during our test runs that the T2000 corners even better with the new suspension set-up," said Canepa, who has raced everything from go-karts to sprint cars to sports prototypes during his career. "And CAT has delivered even more power this year, making the truck even faster on the straightaways than before. We'll definitely have a good shot at beating our record time from 2001. But our basic goals again this year are the same – be safe, go fast, have fun and win!"
In 2001, the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based driver deftly piloted the T2000 entry to a record-setting victory of 13 minutes 59.6 seconds, a 35-second improvement over his inaugural appearance on The Hill. During the race, Canepa passed the course's major radar checkpoint at 90 mph. He averaged just over 53 mph on a course with 156 turns and an elevation gain from 9,400 feet to 14,110 feet.
The T2000 uses a Caterpillar C-16, 6-cylinder engine. Available in stock form up to 600 horsepower, the Peak Performer's engine has been modified to provide an estimated 1,375 horsepower at 2,600 rpm and 4,000 pound-feet of torque at the starting line elevation. By the time the vehicle reaches the summit, the thin air at this altitude drops the power to 1,290 horsepower at 14,000 feet.
Ryan is confident that the changes instituted on the No. 77 in 2001 will prove to result in a quicker run this year.
"We made a lot of adjustments for the 2001 race that made the truck faster than ever," said Ryan. "My practice times in 2001 were 58 seconds quicker than my previous record. Unfortunately we had some trouble during the race and I didn't make it to the top. I am ready to go back this year and regain my championship status and break my current record."
Ryan's race-modified Freightliner Century Class features a race version of the Mercedes-Benz 501 V-6 twin turbo that produces up to 1,450 horsepower as well as riding on Michelin X-1 tires, Accuride wheels, a Meritor rear axle and Shell Rotella-T oil. The 7800-plus-pound big rig saw speeds of up to 96 mph during the Pikes Peak race.