Porsche 911 with a Huge Wing Flies Up Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Built by BBi Autosport, Porsche 911 set the class record and finished second overall.

Shortly before the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Betim Berisha decided that he would campaign a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo in the legendary race. In just 22 days, his team at BBi Autosport built the #19 race car, complete with a 900-horsepower engine and an aerodynamics package that would help provide the downforce needed to carve all 156 corners at speed. A key part of that aero package is the massive rear wing from Verus Engineering and with this carbon fiber piece looming over the rear end, the Porsche 911 won the Time Attack 1 class along with setting a new record.

BBi Autosport Porsche 911

The #19 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo shown here was built by BBi Autosport specifically for the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Berisha’s team modified the turbocharged Boxer engine to deliver 900 horsepower, but in addition to having big power, the car needed to be able to use that power. The first step of making proper use of power is having a well-tuned suspension setup, but every car that has a real shot of winning at Pikes Peak is a series aerodynamic setup.

Like many Porsche 911 GT3 race cars, the BBi machine has a deep-reaching front splitter coupled with dive planes on the front corners. When you get the rear end of the Pikes Peak car, that is where it differs from your average GT3 racer. The huge Verus Engineering dual-element rear wing extends out from the rear end, with large carbon-fiber end plates being attached to the long two-tier center section. The carbon fiber construction keeps weight down while the design yields huge high-speed downforce, allowing this machine to get in and out of corners in a hurry.

Once the engine and suspension systems were all set and the prominent aero setup had been installed, the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo was almost ready to race. The last step was to find a proper wheelman and BBi Autosport chose rally racer Raphael Astier; a move which turned out to be a good one.

Time Attack 2 Winner

Betim Berisha’s goals for the 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb were to win the Time Attack 1 class while setting a new record for that class. Coming into the 2019 running, the record for the class was a 9:37.152, set in 2018 by David Donohue in a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Astier and the BBi 911 GT3 Cup Turbo didn’t just beat that number, they crushed it. Even though there were some engine issues towards the end of the run, Astier laid down a 9:23.721, beating the old record by almost 14 seconds. Also, in beating the McLaren 650S by almost 25 seconds, the BBi Autosport 911 won the Time Attack 1 class in dominating fashion.

On top of winning the Time Attack 2 class, the #19 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo finished second overall, trailing only the 2018 Wolf TSC-Honda that claimed overall victory from the Unlimited class. Astier and the 911 GT3 with the huge Verus wing beat every other vehicle in every other class, defeating cars from the Unlimited and Open classes with a production-based Porsche. In fact, the BBi Autosport car beat the winner of the Open class by more than a half-second and if not for the engine issues at the end of the race, Raphael Astier may have come even closer to the overall winner. Fortunately, that engine issue didn’t prevent the team from winning the class and setting a new class record. You can ride along for that record run in the video below from the Hoonigan Bonus YouTube channel.

The 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be held this year on June 28. The roster of entries is currently available on the event website and Astier is listed with the #19 Porsche GT3 Cup Turbo once again, so it looks as though the team will look to defend their own record this year.

Photos: Verus Engineering

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Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com