Billy Johnson and Alegra Motorsports Set All-Time Production Chassis Record at Pikes Peak

Open Class victory and 6th overall marks fastest production unibody car in Pikes Peak history

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado - June 21, 2026 — Billy Johnson and Alegra Motorsports claimed victory in the Open Class at the 104th running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, reaching the summit of America's Mountain in 9:12.723 aboard the No. 122 Porsche GT3 Turbo Cup, recently renamed "Lucy 2."

The class win and sixth place overall stands as not only the fastest Porsche to have ever climb the 12.42-mile, 156-turn mountain course, but it is the fastest time ever recorded at Pikes Peak by a production unibody or carbon monocoque road car chassis, with only dedicated open-wheel cars and purpose-built prototypes finishing the hill climb quicker. The previous unofficial record was set by Raphaël Astier in 2023, driving the Alpine A110 GT4 EVO Pikes Peak Special to a 9:17.412. In a remarkable historical footnote, Astier himself piloted the same BBi Autosports-built Turbo Cup, then known simply as "Lucy", to the 2019 Time Attack 1 class record with a time of 9:23.721.

The win holds special significance on multiple fronts. Johnson (Loxahatchee, Fla.) made his Pikes Peak debut alongside Alegra Motorsports in their first-ever hill climb competition, tackling the mountain as a “Florida Flat-Lander” effort based out of Tampa, Florida. With a time of 9:12.723 Johnson becomes the fourth fastest rookie in Pikes Peak history, the fastest rookie of 2026 earning the “Rookie of the Year” title, and the fastest rookie ever to pilot a production-chassis sportscar up America's Mountain.  This was accomplished on a special year, the 250^th anniversary for the United States, the 150^th anniversary for Colorado, the 110^th anniversary of the first Pikes Peak Hill Climb, and the 104^th running of the event.

"It has always been a dream of mine to compete at Pikes Peak," said Johnson. "Growing up, I competed in Time Attack events driving high horsepower cars with one lap to set a fast time. I have always viewed Pikes Peak as the ‘Super Bowl’ of Time Attack and hill climb competition. I felt right at home in this style of racing, and to achieve a result like this with a team that has done so much for me over my career, alongside people I've known my entire racing career, made this event truly special."

Alegra Motorsports is no stranger to succeeding at the highest levels of motorsports, having claimed multiple GT class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Yet the 4,725-foot elevation gain to the 14,115-foot summit of Pikes Peak represented an entirely new challenge technically and physically for a sea-level based operation from Tampa, Florida.

"Lucy 2" began life as a 2015 Porsche 911 GT America, originally built to contest in the newly created IMSA GT Daytona (GTD) class. BBi Autosports acquired and transformed the car in 2019, replacing its original 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six with a hill-climb-specific 3.8-liter Mezger turbocharged engine. Equipped with CP Pistons, Carrillo rods, custom BBi-engineered sleeves, twin Garrett turbos, and calibrated by Sander Marques of Obsidian Motorsports Group, the powerplant produces between 800 and 1,000 horsepower at the tire in race trim, running Ignite Red (E90) racing ethanol fuel. BBi also developed a bespoke aerodynamic package with a wide-body front end, full splitter, rear wing, and diffuser engineered to maximize downforce at elevation.

Under recent Alegra Motorsports ownership, the car was renamed "Lucy 2" after undergoing a complete overhaul. Every component and system was audited, upgraded, or replaced to bring the car back to life to the standards of a 2-time 24 Hour of Daytona-winning race team before the car turned a wheel at altitude.

The week before race day brought the program's greatest test: a mechanical issue was discovered during testing on the mountain which required the car to be trailered from Colorado to California, where BBi disassembled and rebuilt the engine entirely before returned it to the mountain, race-ready.

"I can't thank Carlos De Quesada enough for the opportunity, and the entire Alegra Motorsports team for their hard work and sacrifice this year to get the car rebuilt and running flawlessly from first practice to the summit run," said Johnson. "It was so great to work with Larry Hahn again, who engineered the car to handle great which gave me the confidence to push. Sander Marques did exceptional work tuning the engine and the traction and stability control systems, which were critical to getting the power down out of the corners. A huge thanks to Betim, Dimitry, and everyone at BBi Autosports for coming to the rescue and rebuilding the engine with a week to go, that took an extraordinary commitment. And to Ignite Racing Fuel for keeping the engine running cool and making tons of power, AntiGravity Batteries for greatly reducing weight in the car, and Yokohama Tires for keeping the car glued to the road, this result belongs to you as well."

The margin between first place and oblivion at Pikes Peak is unlike any other form of motorsport. The course climbs through ecosystems, from pine forest to alpine tundra to bare rock, in under ten minutes, with conditions shifting radically from start to summit. Johnson found in that challenge something he had not encountered elsewhere in a career that spans NASCAR, IMSA, and international endurance competition.

"This event is like nothing else," said Johnson. "The brotherhood among competitors, organizers, and everyone involved is something I have never experienced in any other form of racing. Competitors lend hands, share knowledge, and make real sacrifices to help each other safely summit the mountain. The treacherous nature of the event makes it truly man and machine against the mountain, and every person here has come to help each other succeed. That spirit is unlike anything else in motorsport."

For Alegra Motorsports, the result validates a bold first step into a discipline that humbles seasoned hill climb specialists. For Billy Johnson, it is the realization of a lifelong ambition, delivered on the sport's most unforgiving stage, in a record that will stand until someone dares to push a road-car-based chassis faster than 9:12 to the summit of America's Mountain.