Video: Travis Pastrana obliterates an American hillclimb

05th January 2023

James King

Despite always being in the shadow of Pikes Peak (not literally before you shout at me), the Mt. Washington Hillclimb is still an incredible spectacle. There is no better proof of that fact, than watching Travis Pastrana set the Hillclimb record in his 2020 Gymkhana Subaru WRX STI with a whopping 862PS (634kW), known as ‘Airslayer STI.’

His new record, set in 2021, eclipsed his previous benchmark set four years earlier by 16 seconds, devouring the extremely treacherous 7.6-mile Mt. Washington Auto Road in a quite ridiculous 5:28.67, some 45 seconds quicker than anyone else that day.

It may not be the most famous Hillclimb in America, but it is the oldest and arguably just as challenging as Pikes Peak with an average gradient climb of 12% and very uneven surfaces. I highly recommend watching the run in its entirety and you can experience the numerous buttock-clenching moments Travis has throughout his record run.

Welcome to Goodwood Elevenses, a mid-morning helping of motoring-related amusement to help break up your day. Watch the previous video: People used to race Escort Cosworths vs Civic and it was chaos!