When American motorsport fans discuss hill climbs, Pikes Peak dominates the conversation. Yet the Climb to the Clouds on New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Auto Road (officially known as the Paul Giblin Memorial Climb to the Clouds) predates the Colorado spectacle by 12 years. First run in 1904, it holds the title of America’s oldest hill climb, challenging drivers with a narrow, relentless 7.6-mile ribbon of tarmac that snakes up the highest peak in the Northeastern United States.
subaru shatters mt washington hillclimb record
This past weekend, Subaru Motorsports USA driver Scott Speed wrote another chapter in the event’s history, piloting the ultra-specialized Subaru WRX: Project Midnight to a new overall course record of 5:11.982.
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The result shatters the previous mark of 5:28.67, set in 2021 by Travis Pastrana behind the wheel of the 862-horsepower “Airslayer” STI. (Take that Travis)! While Pastrana’s run was completed on a mixed-surface track, recent infrastructure changes mean the 7.6-mile Mount Washington course is now fully paved. (Nevermind, that earlier remark Travis). The shift to an all-tarmac surface set the ideal stage for Project Midnight, a machine purpose-built by Vermont SportsCar for asphalt time-attack and hill-climb duties rather than traditional loose-surface rally stages.
subaru shatters mt washington hillclimb record
Achieving the record was far from straightforward, as Mount Washington’s notoriously volatile weather intervened on Sunday’s final runs. After two days of practice limited to half-course runs on Friday and Saturday, a dense blanket of fog rolled over the upper peak on Sunday morning. Event organizers were forced to shorten the first scheduled run, placing the finish line mid-mountain and leaving competitors with only a single opportunity in the afternoon to complete a full-course ascent.
Speed made his sole full run count. Benefiting from a set of bespoke Yokohama ADVAN A005 racing slicks engineered specifically for immediate heat cycle response over the short distance, Speed navigated the summit ascent to lower the overall record by 16.688 seconds.
subaru shatters mt washington hillclimb record
“This was a big mental challenge for me,” Speed noted after the run. “With us going last, you can wait until it looks clear at the top and it still might not matter, because it takes five minutes to get there. This was the only time I ran the full mountain this weekend, and a lot of things had to go right.”
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Originally unveiled at the 2024 Goodwood Festival of Speed, Project Midnight represents the most aggressive flat-four racing package Subaru Motorsports USA has fielded to date. Featuring extreme carbon-fiber weight reduction, intense aerodynamic downforce, and a highly tuned turbocharged Boxer engine, the chassis complements Speed’s varied driving background across Formula One, Global Rallycross, and time-attack disciplines.
The performance marks the fifth consecutive time Subaru Motorsports USA has reset the overall benchmark at Mount Washington across five appearances, further solidifying the brand’s modern dominant footprint on America’s oldest hill climb.
