GYEON at Pikes Peak

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the oldest and most dangerous races in the country. The course covers 12.42 miles and 156 turns while climbing nearly 5,000 feet to a finish line 14,115 feet above sea level. Up there, the air runs thin, and the margin for error runs out.

Our Pikes Peak weekend began at Fan Fest, the annual street party that takes over downtown Colorado Springs before the climb. Teams bring out their cars, fans fill the streets, and the entire automotive community gets one night together before attention turns toward the mountain.

We set up the GYEON booth and spent the day talking cars, detailing, and everything in between. Fan Fest was only half of our weekend, though. This year, GYEON USA was also sponsoring a driver for the climb, and what happened on the mountain is worth telling.

Robb Holland, owner of a local performance shop and a multiple-time Pikes Peak class winner, was the obvious choice. With both of us based in Denver and connected through partners like FCP Euro, the relationship came together naturally. Before long, the conversation had shifted from what might be possible to what we could build together.

The car was a Kellymoss GT4R, a heavily modified evolution of the Porsche GT4 Clubsport. GT3R-derived suspension and significantly increased aerodynamics made it considerably more capable than the original GT4 platform. Before it headed to the mountain, we also installed GYEON PPF across its most vulnerable areas for an added layer of protection.

Between the car, the preparation, and Robb’s experience, everything appeared to be in place for a front-running result in the Time Attack class.

The mountain had other ideas.

During qualifying, the car showed excellent pace and was on track for a top-five position. As Robb approached 14,000 feet, however, a bump in a newly paved section unsettled the rear of the car. A toe link broke, sending the Porsche into the rock field at nearly 100 miles per hour.

The car tumbled and flipped before finally coming to rest. Despite the severity of the crash, Robb climbed out without injury.

Was it the professionally built race car or the GYEON PPF that saved him? The world may never know.

What we do know is that Pikes Peak remains completely unpredictable. Months of preparation can be tested in a fraction of a second, and even a weekend that does not end at the summit can leave behind a story worth telling. We are grateful Robb walked away safely, proud to have supported the effort, and already looking forward to whatever comes next.

Watch the footage from the mountain here.