By Lisa Haight

Louis Unser was one of a trio of first-generation racers to challenge the lofty summit of Pikes Peak, before the Pikes Peak Hill Climb was ever contested. On September 19, 1915, Louis and his brothers, Jerry and Joe, rode their motorcycles, one with a sidecar, to the top. From the small town of Manitou Springs, at the base of the mountain to its pinnacle, the brothers made the trip together in two hours and 15 minutes.

In 1926 Unser made his first entry to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in a Studebaker. He did not reach the summit but gained valuable insight and was determined to return.

He would become a legend on Pikes Peak, winning the overall title nine times.  His first win came in 1934 when he set a record of 16:01.80. He won again in 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939. He would win yet again, and set another record, in 1941, the last race before WWII halted competition. By this time, his record had fallen to 15:35.20.

Unser was back postwar and welcomed by a record crowd in 1946. He raced a Russ Snowberger-prepared Maserati 8, continuing his winning streak and setting a new record of 15:28.70.

In 1947, Unser was called the Old Man of the Mountain at the ripe old age of 51. He embraced it with his typical smile and impressed everyone with yet another win on what was becoming known as Unser Mountain.

By 1950, he attracted a major sponsor. Federal Engineering offered him a $32,000 custom-built car designed especially for the Race to the Clouds. He raced it for three years, setting a course record in 1953 of 15:15.40.

By the middle of the decade, he had garnered another nickname, “Uncle Louis,” as his three nephews, Bobby, Jerry Jr. and Louis J., were all competing. The Unsers’ success on Pikes Peak, and later at Indianapolis, would attract other big names to America’s Mountain, most notably Curtis Turner, Parnelli Jones and Mario Andretti, who would score wins of their own.

In 1960, Louis, 64, was told he was too old and didn’t compete. The very next year, Vince Conze turned his powerful Meyer-Drake Offy over to Louis the night before time trials. Not only did he clock his best qualifying time ever, but his 13:36.70 race day run was almost two minutes quicker than his 1953 record. He said he paid for his entry fee that year with his Social Security check!

Unser switched to the stock car division in 1966, piloting a front-drive Oldsmobile Toronado to 5th place in the division. His last run came the following year, at 71, yet his support continued. 

Unser was an adventurer, champion, mentor, expert engine builder, pace car driver and always an ambassador for the race he dearly loved. His legendary status on the mountain paved the way for the next generation of superstars.

Fittingly, with the induction of Louis Unser to the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Unser family is included four times, the most of any racing family. Louis will join nephews, Bobby and Al, along with Al Unser Jr., who have all been honored previously. 

Lisa Haight is the communications manager and historian for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. She grew up in Cascade, Colorado where her father, Nick Sanborn, was a five-time stock car champion on the mountain. She has fond childhood memories of Louis and his wife, Millie.