“Man of Steele” preps for 20th attempt in Pikes Peak Hill Climb

(COLORADO SPRINGS) — Spencer Steele is no stranger to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The 65-year-old Denver-based racer is preparing this year for his 20th attempt up America’s Mountain. But the very first time Steele drove to the summit of Pikes Peak was nearly 25 years before his first PPIHC race.

“I was a 16-year-old teenager, and I took my dad up the mountain,” he recalls. “I couldn’t believe he let me drive!”

Steele’s history on Pikes Peak began in 2000 when he competed on the 12.42-mile course in a 1994 Wells Coyote. The car was designed and built specifically for the race up Pikes Peak by PPIHC Hall of Famer John Wells . He didn’t finish the race his first year, but he was back in 2001 and finished sixth in the Open Wheel division. Steele and the Coyote finally scored a podium finish in 2005, winning second place with a time of 11:36.11.

Steel always preferred to race open wheel cars. “They were the fastest and were my favorite cars when I was a spectator,” he said. And away from the racetrack, he has a couple of other favorites.

“My daily driver is a Jeep SRT8, or my GT500 if I’m steppin’ out,” he said.

His score dipped under 11 minutes in 2010, when he won the Open Wheel division. He went on to win in 2011 and 2012 as well. He came back in 2013 with a new car, the #88 PVA Special, and earned 5th place in the Unlimited division with a time of 9:57.513.

Steele’s best time to date was in 2015. He took 2nd place in the Pikes Peak Challenge – Open Wheel division, driving the PVA Special, and clocked a time of 9:53.494. Steele competed three times between 2017 and 2022 and got two 3rd-place trophies.

He has this advice for rookies on the mountain: “Relax. Don’t take this too seriously…which is impossible.”

Steele will compete this year in the Open Wheel division in the methanol-fueled, 1800 lb., 2.1L PVA Peak Special.

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