In 2016, Clint Vahsholtz made it a goal to claim his 25th division win when he was 55. 

On Sunday, at the age of 55, Vahsholtz achieved his 25th division win in the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy with a time of 10:42.790. It was a pretty good Father’s Day gift, but what made it better was finishing the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, with his son, Codie. 

Despite spinning out, Codie Vahsholtz earned second in the Open Wheel division with a personal best time of 9:16.344 behind Dan Novembre, who set a division record time of 9:01.689. 

“He’s doing a great job,” Clint said of his son. “It’s awesome to be with my son when he gets here. We have supportive families who understand what they are getting into. The kids have bright futures, possibly. What a Father’s Day. As a dad, I couldn’t ask for more.” 

Codie, 35, was happy to be on the summit with his dad for the first time in several years. His dad keeps him calm on race day and has taught him patience and dedication, and he doesn’t see the older Vahsholtz stopping anytime soon. 

Clint Vahsholtz competed in a 2023 Porsche 718 GT4 RS Clubsport on Sunday, which is owned by fellow driver Robb Holland, who had to withdraw from the Pikes Peak Hill Climb after a crash on Thursday. All but two of the 2020 King of the Mountain’s sponsors are local, one of them being Woodland Park’s American Mountain Festival. 

Vahsholtz’s 25 wins are the most by anyone in the race’s history, with his father, Leonard, being the next closest with 18. 

“He worked with me because he felt like he could help me achieve my goal, and he did,” Vahsholtz said of Holland. “Everybody reached in and wanted that for me. Makes me almost want to cry.”

Another father-son duo on the mountain Sunday was Dan Aweida and his son Trevor Aweida, who competed against each other in the Pikes Peak Open division. The younger Aweida edged out his dad by eight seconds, with the “loser” buying dinner. 

“It’s fun being up here together. It’s not guaranteed,” Dan Aweida said at the summit. “It’s the first day of summer. Both made it to the top, and your son beats you. You kind of want that as a dad.”

Trevor, 28, was part of his dad’s crew before starting his own path as a racer. Sunday’s race was nerve-racking for the younger Aweida, but he was overall happy with the result in his fifth time up the mountain. 

Even more, he was able to get valuable time with his dad in the pits as the two raced back-to-back Sunday afternoon. As competitors, the Aweidas are still learning from each other.

“So many things can go wrong, but what better way to celebrate Father’s Day than racing to the top of the mountain like the crazy people we are?” Trevor Aweida said. “I wouldn’t be here without him, and I know when we started, he couldn’t be here without me, and now we are just having fun together.”