Climb To The Clouds
In North America, the 7.6 mile race up the Mt. Washington Auto Road known as Climb to the Clouds (CTTC) is one of motorsports’ ultimate challenges. First run in 1904, the race features a serpentine road lined with trees and dramatic drop-offs as it winds its way to the 6,288 foot summit of the Northeast’s tallest peak.
In 2017, Subaru Motorsports USA driver Travis Pastrana broke the record for the hillclimb – previously held by teammate David Higgins – with a time of 5 minutes, 44.72. In 2021 Pastrana shattered his own record with a new time of 5 minutes 28.67 seconds at the wheel of the “Airslayer”, a 862 hp Vermont SportsCar prepared Subaru WRX STI also used in the filming of Gymkhana 2020.
2026: A New CTTC Record
In 2026, Subaru Motorsports USA driver Scott Speed set a new overall record at the 2026 Paul Giblin Memorial Climb to the Clouds taking victory in the Subaru WRX: Project Midnight with a time of 5:11.892 on the Mount Washington Auto Road.
With Speed’s record-setting run, Subaru Motorsports USA continued a remarkable run at Climb to the Clouds, setting the overall record for the fifth time in five appearances, adding Project Midnight to the line of Subaru machines that have defined the modern era of Climb to the Clouds.
Watch Travis Pastrana’s onboard footage from his 2021 record breaking run – and remember it takes most people a half an hour to drive up this same road.
Goodwood Festival of Speed
Across the pond is another iconic hillclimb, held annually on the Goodwood Estate in England: the legendary Goodwood Festival of Speed. VSC-built Subarus have become regular contenders in the event’s timed Hillclimb Shootout, with Travis Pastrana finishing second overall in the Airslayer STI in 2021, fourth in the Family Huckster in 2022, and second again in 2023. In 2024 and then again in 2025, Scott Speed continued that success in the Subaru Project Midnight WRX, setting the fastest time for an ICE vehicle and finishing second overall both years. Pastrana returned in 2026 with the VSC-built Brataroo 9500 Turbo, placing 6th overall.