Colorado Springs native Dan Novembre had been working on his homemade race car since New Year’s Day.

He finally finished, three days before The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, on Thursday.

With the help of brothers Rodney and Earl O’Maley, Novembre, 36, completed the built-from-scratch car this week, just in time for the Hill Climb. Finishing in 10 minutes, 10 seconds, Novembre missed his goal by 10 seconds, but as he stood atop Pikes Peak, he hardly showed an ounce of disappointment.

“Given what we had to go through just to get here, just to finish is an accomplishment,” Novembre said. “On January 1, we didn’t have one piece of metal bent.”

Novembre competed in the open wheel class and his vehicle resembles an upgraded go-kart more than a specialized racecar. Even for the open wheel class, it’s basic. The motor is fully exposed. The framing is basic. A local pizza joint acts as a main sponsor.

“As you can see,” he said, eyeing the expensive race cars surrounding him at the summit, “these cars, their calibers are amazing. To be with these guys is a real treat.”

Novembre first got into racing in 2009, when he bought a Wells Coyote racecar for $7,000 off Craigslist. He was a mechanical engineer with Harris Corp. at the time and after years of attending the Hill Climb with his family, he decided to give it a go.

With no experience working on cars, Novembre made it to the summit in 2009 and has since finished fourth in the open wheel category three times in his eight years racing Pikes Peak.

A paved road provided issues for a classic dirt car like the Wells Coyote, so this year he decided to build his own car that could handle the conditions of a paved course.

“I pretty much from the ground up designed and created this creation here,” Novembre said, pointing at the all-black No. 28 car. “I based it off an IndyCar. The goal was to compete on the pavement with the big boys who come from out of town.”

Competing on Pikes Peak is nothing new for the racer. Novembre and his wife have run the Pikes Peak Ascent, and he said his top time on foot was 3 hours and 30 minutes – a bit longer than the 10 minutes it took to travel the 12.42-mile course in his homemade contraption.

Luck, Novembre said, is also on his side. A collection of silver and gold signatures cover the front bumper of his car each year, a tradition that he started a few years back.

“If anyone asks me for my autograph, I ask them to autograph my car,” Novembre said. “It’s a little bit of a good luck charm and it’s worked so far.”

As he crossed the finish line Sunday afternoon, the eight-time finisher didn’t celebrate like his previous finishes. He felt a new sense of accomplishment and at the summit, his voice boomed nearly as loud as his engine.

“I’ve done this since 2009 and I’ve made it (to the top) every time,” Novembre said. “Usually it’s a fist pump (at the top), but I was cheering the whole way.”

Local racer Dan Novembre crosses the finish line during the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday, June 26, 2016. Novembre built his car from scratch and just finished last Thursday. He was competing in the Pikes Peak Challenge Open Wheel. photo by Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette

Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette