Pikes Peak Open Class champion Peter Cunningham, along with his 2018 Acura TLX GT, will join the festivities on Sunday, August 6 at the Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance charitable car show, themed “Speed: Then and Now.”
Milwaukee native Cunningham is a multi-time professional road racing champion, but didn’t necessarily expect to win in his Pikes Peak International Hill Climb debut, though he had every confidence going in to the race. The course distance is only 12.42 miles, but starts at 9,000 feet of elevation and ends at 14,000 feet, encountering 156 turns of varying degrees along the way. He credits his RealTime Racing team for doing a great job preparing the 3.5-liter twin turbo V6-powered TLX GT which enjoyed 100% reliability in very demanding conditions. At the finish line, the 500 horsepower, all-wheel-drive Acura posted a time of 9 minutes, 33.797 seconds – an Open Class record, and good for second place overall. Cunningham’s command of the course earned him “Rookie of the Year” honors as well.
Being from the area, Cunningham has a history with the Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance, having served as an honorary judge, a role he is excited to take on again this year. In addition to his judging duties on Sunday, he will be available to answer questions about his car and racing career, and autograph posters for fans from 1-2pm. “I’m really looking forward to greeting old friends, and making new ones, as well as showing off this unique car,” says Cunningham. “The Acura definitely got the job done at Pikes Peak, and I hope the fans like seeing it as much as I enjoy driving it.”
About Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance Weekend of Events
The two-day Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance is scheduled for the first weekend in August at Veterans Park. The open Show & Glow by the Lake car show, a motor tour and the annual Style & Speed Social are scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 5, followed by the Concours d’Elegance on Sunday, Aug. 6.
The Milwaukee Concours d’Elegance is hosted by The Masterpiece Ltd. The Masterpiece Ltd. is organized and operated exclusively to support other public charities including, but not limited to, those operating in southeastern Wisconsin which provide medical and social service care and relief to underprivileged children and families through various motor vehicle-related fundraising events. Learn more at masterpieceltd.org