The 101st time up Pikes Peak was one of the best. Gardner Nichols’ Rivian R1T set a new production truck record, Mad Mike’s four-rotor, twin-turbo Mazda 3 set a new rotary record, and Robin Shute quickly defended his King of the Mountain title in conditions that broke records. But Matt Mullins and his BMW XM Label Red team needed to beat the form for a production SUV. Mullins wasn’t hurt, but his BMW XM wasn’t as lucky when it hit the rock. This year, BMW had a significant factory presence at Pikes Peak. They tried to break two records: the production vehicle record with a BMW M8 Competition driven by Rhys Millen and the BMW XM driven by Mullins, the head going teacher at the BMW Performance Driving School. Millen beat the Porsche 911 Turbo S’s time of 9:53.50, set on a different day because of bad weather, by coming in first at 10:12.02. I was on the ground on race day, so I missed Mullins’ crash in the XM. Early in the race, he crashed when he lost control of the XM and rolled it, damaging the front passenger corner and part of the roof. He also lost a wheel in the dirt on the fast-moving part at the bottom. Mullins returned to the starting line without getting hurt because he was close. This year’s disaster on Pikes Peak wasn’t the only one. Scott Birdsall’s famous Old Smokey F1 was also destroyed near Evo Corner. Birdsall got away without getting hurt. The number of people who can see the crash video is limited on Pikes Peak, and teams can choose whether or not to share it. After BMW took down their tents and trucks at base camp, Mullins walked back to the starting line so that the film wouldn’t likely be seen. Strangely, after only a short time, there were no longer any BMW M signs in the pits. Mullins drove the XM all weekend. At 5,000 pounds, it was reportedly the second-heaviest car on the mountain. The Lamborghini Urus Performante still has the same record as it did the year before. What matters most is that Mullins wasn’t hurt.
