Alabama Ultra4 champion Phillip McGilton joins 2026 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Tuscaloosa off-road racing driver Phillip McGilton and his team, 47 Motorsports, have accepted an invitation to compete in the 104th running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 21, 2026.

Known as “The Race to the Clouds,” the historic Colorado event limits its exclusive field to roughly 70 global drivers who tackle a 12.42-mile, 156-turn asphalt course ending at a 14,115-foot summit.

McGilton earned his spot after winning both the 2025 Ultra4 Eastern and National Championships in the Unlimited 4400 class.

“To represent Tuscaloosa and Alabama on a stage like Pikes Peak is a huge honor. This race has so much history behind it, and just getting invited to compete is a major accomplishment.”

Phillip McGilton

Adapting an off-road machine for asphalt

McGilton transitioned from circle tracks like ARCA and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series into off-road racing, where competition spans deserts, woods, mud and mountains.

For Pikes Peak, he will compete in the Exhibition division driving a 2020 Campbell Enterprises chassis. The division showcases automotive engineering by allowing prototype or non-traditional entries.

Because the Pikes Peak course is entirely paved, the team must fundamentally alter a vehicle originally engineered for rock crawling and desert racing.

“We’re actually bringing cars that are not necessarily designed for this application and crossing them over into this event…

“To convert it from an off-road car over to an asphalt road course car is why they put us in the Exhibition class…They are challenging us to bring our off-road trucks and see if we can drive up this asphalt mountain.”

Phillip McGilton

The team is finalizing vehicle adjustments in Alabama alongside partners Southern Tire Mart at Pilot and Yokohama Tire to select and optimize tires for the high-altitude asphalt course.

A race against the clock

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb operates as an individual time trial, ditching the traditional side-by-side “trading of paint” found on circle tracks. Drivers line up at the start line (located at an elevation of 9,390 feet) and are released sequentially into the course one at a time. Competitors ride solo on the mountain as they face 156 sharp turns.

Because there are no other vehicles to pass, the driver’s only opponent is the stopwatch. The official clock runs continuously until the vehicle crosses the finish line at the 14,115-foot summit, with the fastest recorded time in each designated division securing the victory.

Repping racing in the community

Outside of professional competition, McGilton uses his platform to support local engineering initiatives, including mentoring student builders in the University of Alabama’s Baja SAE Baja Team, known on campus as Bama Racing. The program challenges students to design, fabricate and test single-seat, off-road vehicles for national competitions.

By working closely with these aspiring engineers, McGilton helps bridge the gap between classroom theory and real-world mechanical application.

The 47 Motorsports crew is currently completing final vehicle preparations in Alabama before traveling west for critical on-mountain testing sessions in Colorado. These mid-June practices will give McGilton his first opportunity to dial in the car’s setup on the mountain before official race week activities culminate with the main event on June 21.

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