Brumos Returning to Competition at PPIHC
The Brumos Collection and the iconic Brumos livery will return to professional competition for The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) later this year, the team announced.
David Donohue will take on the mountain course behind the wheel of a Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport prepared in the iconic Brumos red, white, and blue livery. This event is the first competition for Brumos since 2013, when it retired from 50 years of competing in a variety of series and classes.
“Racing for Brumos has been a highlight of my career that I look back on with pride,” said Donohue. “I feel humbled to play a role in bringing back the number 59 to such a special race and its milestone running.”
The PPIHC will be Donohue’s 120th race driving for Brumos, the team said. He was part of the team that brought Brumos its fourth overall win at the 24 hours of Daytona in 2009, more than 30 years after three Brumos victories in 1973, 1975 and 1978. For Donohue, the son of famed race-car driver and 1972 Indy 500 champion Mark Donohue, the win came on the 40th anniversary of his father’s 1969 overall triumph in the same race. The 2009 win was the culmination of then-Brumos CEO Bob Snodgrass’s stewardship of the Daytona Prototype program, which began in the early 2000s, and built upon Brumos’ nearly 50 years of competing in a variety of series and classes, the team said.
After Brumos retired from racing in 2013, the Jacksonville-based dealership was sold in 2016, paving the way for a new vision. The Brumos Collection opened in 2020 to the public — a 35,000 sq. ft. interactive experience that pays homage to the history and significance of automotive innovation, from open-wheel Indy racers to celebrating Brumos and Porsche dominance, the organization said.
“When we opened our collection in 2020, I was asked if we would ever race again,” said Dano Davis, founder of the Brumos Collection. “Only two years later – and on the tail-end of a global pandemic – we’re taking on a storied, historic race with David as our driver. From the collection to the track, the iconic 59 will now once again fly.”
“The plan is to have BBI Autosport prepare the car for Brumos in May and work on the setup as they have done for me the last two years,” said Donohue. “They are familiar with the unique challenge the mountain presents. With support from Porsche of the Main Line in Philadelphia and Porsche Colorado Springs, who have helped over the last several years, it feels like a Porsche Family effort. I’ll be running the Yokohama Advan race tires again, so there is a lot of familiarity in the program. Being back in Brumos colors is just unbelievably exciting for me, beyond words.”
Ultimately, the new Brumos GT2 RS Clubsport will join the many cars celebrating milestones at the Brumos Collection in Jacksonville, the group said.
