PIKES PEAK, Col. — Kenworth took top honors at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, as Bruce Canepa conquered the mountain in 13 minutes and 59 seconds, setting a Highway Class/Big Rig record.

Canepa piloted a Kenworth CFI T2000 through the course at an average of 53.2 miles per hours up an average 7 per cent grade from the starting line. The finish line was at an altitude of more than 14,000 feet, and the Santa Cruz, Calif.-based driver reached speeds of over 90 miles per hour during his record run.

“The Kenworth T2000 was good and the road was tough,” says an elated Canepa. “I was a little conservative on the lower section, got up to good speed in the middle, then faced one rough road on the top.”

“Driving a big rig up a mountain road is certainly one of the most challenging things that I’ve done in my racing career,” adds Canepa. “There’s really no margin for error on many areas of the course, especially when you have a several hundred foot drop staring at you from below.”

Kenworth hopes that data acquired from the event will help with the implementation of new technology in their production truck models.