Veteran race car driver and TFL test driver Justin Wilson is getting a feel for what it will be like to compete in the upcoming 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on June 28.
Wilson drove his personal 2014 Acura MDX to the top and brought TFL’s Emme Hall along for the ride.
Wilson will be racing in the 2015 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb aboard a Honda-powered HPD ARX-04b LMP2 coupe that competed at the 24 Hours of Daytona. The car, which he hasn’t even sat in yet, is powered by a twin-turbocharged, 3.5-liter V-6. For the Pikes Peak race, he will be competing in the Unlimited class.
During his inaugural ride, he points out the proper racing line and how the irregularities in the pavement will affect him when he’s driving the 500-horsepower-plus LMP2 race car up the mountain. The road to the top winds through 156 turns up to the 14,110-foot summit.
The race is an exploratory race for Honda for the company to learn as much as they can about the event. Honda may embark on a future campaign to beat the record time of 8:13.878 set by Sebastian Loeb in 2013.
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes place on June 28. The TFLcar team will be covering the entire event and will feature special coverage of Wilson and the Honda-powered LMP2 race car.
The 36-year-old driver from Sheffield, England, most recently competed in the all-electric Formula E series and also participated in the 2015 Indianapolis 500, qualifying sixth. He has also raced in Formula One and Champ Car, with his best seasons being two second-place finished in the Champ Car series.
Check out the full video below of Wilson’s first drive up Pikes Peak:
