The 2026 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is underway — qualifying runs are happening right now — and one of the most compelling storylines is playing out in the Time Attack 1 class. Veteran Formula Drift champion and Pikes Peak ace Dai Yoshihara is piloting an Acura Integra Type S DE5 with one specific target in his sights: the FWD record, set way back in 2018 and never broken since.
The number to beat is 10:48.094 — set by fellow Acura driver Nick Robinson in a 500hp Acura TLX. Eight years later, that record still stands. Not from lack of trying. Weather, mechanical misfortune, and the sheer brutality of 156 corners over 12.42 miles at altitude have kept the record intact through multiple attempts.
The Machine
Yoshihara's car is a production Acura Integra Type S DE5 built up to TA1 specification. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder has been pushed past 360 horsepower, fed through a sequential, paddle-shifted six-speed. For the thin air above 14,000 feet, Acura fitted a new intake, charge pipe upgrade, and additional intercooler — managing power at altitude is half the battle on this mountain.
Rubber comes from Yokohama's Advan A005 — the same compound used in top-level time attack globally. The car stays recognizably Integra Type S in form but is dialed in at every joint, spring rate, and alignment setting for Pikes Peak's unique combination of smooth tarmac, tight hairpins, and thin oxygen.
The Record Run — What It Takes
Why This Is Such a Big Deal
Let's be honest: most FWD records don't move the needle. This one does. The Pikes Peak FWD record carries real weight in the enthusiast community because it puts front-wheel-drive cars — cars that real people actually buy and drive — through the most demanding course in American motorsport.
Yoshihara isn't just some hired wheel. He's a Formula Drift champion, a two-time Pikes Peak class winner, and someone who genuinely knows how to tease the edge of grip out of a car. If anyone can thread the needle between the TA1 rules and the mountain's demands, it's him.
The wildcard, as always, is the mountain itself. Pikes Peak weather is notoriously uncooperative — afternoon thunderstorms, wind, cold — and a single cloud can ruin a record run that's been building for years. That's part of what makes this special. Even the best-prepared car can't outrun an act of God at 14,000 feet.
The Olympic Connection
Acura is leaning into its U.S. Olympic partnership this year: Kaysha Love, Team USA bobsled pilot and Olympian, will drive the official Acura MDX Type S pace car up the mountain on race day. It's a neat bit of theater — another "race to the clouds" in a different form.
Race day is June 21, 2026. Qualifying is running now. Watch this one.