The 102nd Pikes Peak Hill Climb will see Hyundai’s hottest crossover gunning for EV titles.
As impressive as a 641-horsepower, dual-motor hot hatch looks on paper, Hyundai still wants to give its new performance model some cred in the eyes of prospective buyers. To that end, the company is gunning for EV records at the 102nd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this summer, with two production-spec models and one modified Ioniq 5 N.
“Hyundai has a history of proving new technologies and products at Pikes Peak going all the way back to 1992 and the Ioniq 5 N brings that concept to high performance electric cars,” says N Brand and Motorsport chief Till Wartenburg. “The production spec Ioniq 5 N will demonstrate what customers can expect from their vehicles.”
Paul Dallenbach and Ron Zaras are going for the Electric Production SUV/Crossover record. Dallenbach is an eleven-time Pikes Peak winner, setting the overall record back in 1993. Zaras is an ex-Hoonigan executive, but a PPIHC first-timer.
The production-spec entries are pretty much the same as you’d see at your local dealer, just with some race-specific safety gear including a roll cage, fire suppression and a Recaro Pro Racer SPA driver’s seat with a six-point racing harness. To fit the roll cage, the rear seats are out of the equation, but otherwise it’s the same 641-horsepower machine we’ve come to know over the past several months.
Hyundai plans to show the modified Hyundai Ioniq 5 N racer before the ADAC RAVENOL 24-hour race at the Nürburgring on May 30. The company’s keeping details on that car under wraps until then. We do know that it will field two modified cars in pursuit of that particular records, though, with one driven by last year’s PPIHC champion Robin Shute, and the other driven by Hyundai World Rally Championship team driver Dani Sordo.
