Electric cars win again at Pike's Peak as Super Mustang Mach-E gets its revenge

Key Points:

• Ford's Super Mustang Mach-E, driven by Romain Dumas, won the 2026 Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, beating all gas-powered cars and securing victory after finishing second overall in 2025 due to partial track closure from bad weather.
• The Pike’s Peak race is a challenging 12.42-mile hill climb starting at 9,390ft and ending at 14,110ft elevation, known for difficult weather and the advantage electric vehicles have at high altitude due to not requiring oxygen for combustion.
• Last year, the race was partially closed due to hazardous conditions, limiting the EV’s advantage and resulting in a narrow loss to Simone Faggioli’s ultralight Nova Proto NP01; this year, with the full course open, the Mustang Mach-E won by over 11 seconds.
• The Mustang Mach-E set a class record with a time of 8:18.202, faster than previous Ford records but still 21 seconds slower than the all-time overall record set by Dumas in the electric VW ID.R in 2018.
• Other EV competitors like the Ioniq 5N attempted to race but faced setbacks such as damage during practice, highlighting the ongoing presence and competitiveness of electric vehicles in this iconic mountain race.