The 2017 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) is upon us. This is one of the most extreme races in the world. The climb starts at an elevation of 9,390 feet above sea level and goes all the way up the Pikes Peak mountain via 12.42 miles of breathtaking road that winds through 156 turns to the finish line at 14,115 feet of elevation.
The pavement is rough due to frequent freezing and thawing. Many hairpin turns offer vistas with one or two thousand foot drop-offs and many sections have no guardrails. Those who attempt to race up the mountain have to deal with quickly changing weather and high elevation. Race cars struggle for power in the thin air as they climb nearly a mile up in elevation.
Who is daring enough to race the PPIHC? TFLcar’s own pro racing driver Paul Gerrard is among the field in the Unlimited division. He is piloting the Enviate Hypercar. It’s a custom-built racer with a turbocharged 4.8L LS V8 that puts down around 1,000 hp to the wheels. The car weighs about 2,200 lbs (or 1,000 kg).
We are all rooting for Paul to cross the finish line with a great result.
Factory-backed teams are also participating. Acura is fielding three race cars this year, and the 2018 TLX GT you see below is a class leader after qualifying.
This should be another very exciting race! You can watch the race Live.
