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View from Pikes Peak - Copyright: samevig @ fotolia.com

Preview of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) 2024

The legendary hill climb on Pikes Peak, a mountain in the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains in the US state of Colorado, will take place on Sunday, June 2024, 23. And the roaring loud roar of the tuned combustion engines, which lose around a third of their power on the way to their destination, which is on the summit at 4.301 meters above sea level, due to the thin mountain air, is increasingly put under pressure by powerful electric cars. In 2014, the Stromer took second and third place. In 2015, the electric car with the bulky vehicle designation “e0 PP03 Elektroauto” from the Latvian manufacturer “Drive e-0” won the open vehicle class for the first time.

VW IDR Pikes Peak record drive 2018

June 2018 - On this day, everything should go well for Volkswagen under the best of conditions. If one had been able to choose a suitable film music as background music beforehand, the epic Valkyries ride as orchestral prelude to the third act of the opera Die “Walküre” would have been a suitable background music for the subsequent spectacle. The ride was so impressive from the start that even the accompanying helicopters with their cameras struggled to follow the IDR. The journey to the summit took place at a breathtaking pace. In the end, the stopped time stood at exactly 7: 57.148 minutes. And now it was clear to all players that this was an overall record for all vehicles used so far.

Record times at a glance

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2023

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile and motorcycle race to the top of Pikes Peak in Colorado. It has a long tradition. The paved road is 12,42 miles (about 20 km) and is very challenging with over 150 turns. Altitude gain is 4.720 ft (1.440 m). The race begins at Mile 7 on the Pikes Peak Highway and finishes at 4300 feet at the summit of Pikes Peak.

The Bergrennen is a classic and attracts a large audience of motorsport enthusiasts every year. The best climbers are awarded in several categories and different vehicle classes. Internationally successful rally drivers take part every year and illustrious names such as Sebastian Loeb, Per Eklund and even our rally legend Walter Röhrl can be found in the list of winners in recent years.

In recent years, the electric car developers are increasingly represented on the podium. The power loss of the internal combustion engines at high altitudes favors the clean ones electric motors on the way to the summit. And what goes together better than an emission-free winning car with an incomparable natural landscape?

The next international hill climb will take place on June 23, 2024. The cars are divided into 6 vehicle classes:

Unlimited

This is where the most interesting prototypes start, an almost unlimited technical freedom allows many innovations in use. The regulations mainly apply in the area of ​​security.

Time Attack 1

The basis is the production vehicle, engine tuning and improved aerodynamics are permitted within limits, two-wheel and four-wheel drive are possible.

Pike's Peak Cup

Racing vehicles that correspond to a manufacturer's brand cup start here.

Open wheel

Single-seat prototypes with a conventional engine start here. Two-wheel and four-wheel drive are allowed. The minimum weight depends on the type of engine and drive (prototype).

Pike's Peak Open

This is where production vehicles start, including engine tuning and improved aerodynamics. There is two-wheel and four-wheel drive, a minimum weight is required.

Exhibition

All vehicles that do not fit into one of the other classes start here. The decision is made by the race director

Best times at a glance

YearCategoryTimeDriverNationalityVehicle
2018Electric prototype07:57,148Romain Dumas FRAVW ID R Pikes Peak
2018Unlimited07:57,148Romain Dumas FRAVW ID R Pikes Peak
2013Time Attack09:46,001Paul Dallenbach USAHyundai Genesis Coupe
2017Pike's Peak Open09:33.797Peter Cunningham USA2017 Acura TLX GT
2016electric-vehicle08:57.118Rhys Millen NZL2016 EO PP100
20171205 tsp09:49.625Christopher Fillmore USAKTM 1290 Super Duke R
2013Exhibition power sports10:00,694Carlin Dunne USALightning LS-218
2017Open wheel09:35.747Clint Vahsholtz USA2013 Ford Open
2013Superbike 750cc10:31,499Michael Henao USAKawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
2015Diesel11:37,149Uwe Nittel GERMercedes C300d 4MATIC
2013450 tsp10:32,964Jeffrey Tigert USAHonda CRF450
2012Exhibition10:56,240Rick Knoop USALister Knoop/Mann Special

Addendum

Cover picture: View from Pikes Peak - Copyright: samevig @ fotolia.com

N. Hawthorn

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