Peak Performance

The annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPHIC) is an utterly mad race. The premise is simple: find a vehicle, any vehicle with an engine -- even if it's gaffa-taped together -- then fang it flat-knacker up one of the world's highest roads in Colorado Springs, USA.

And don't look down...

The finish line is at the Pikes Peak summit, some 4300 metres above sea level, and the almost 20km long road-course features 156 turns... and several treacherous drop offs.

Regulations are not exactly strict, so an eclectic blend of vehicles including motorcycles, trucks, quads, sidecars, production cars, prototype cars and even minivans battle more than just their fear of flying off the sheer cliffs.

Both man and machine struggle for air. Oxygen levels thin out considerably at high altitudes, and some drivers have oxygen piped into their helmets.

It’s even tough going as a spectator walking several paces on the mountain, so I can only imagine what it would be like charging up the steep road at full throttle with low oxygen and the added issue of inclement weather.

However, despite driving one of the quickest machines on the mountain - a 597kW Hyundai Genesis Coupe prototype - last year's record holder and New Zealand expatriate, Rhys Millen, says he’s "really comfortable" tackling America’s oldest road race.

"I run oxygen plumbed into my helmet at around 4 or 5psi. It's another element to keep you calm, keep you focussed,” he explains. “If you have a couple of pucker factors and you hold your breath for a few seconds, it then takes you a couple of seconds to get your breath back, so there's just that constant flow, to keep you calm."

Rain, then hail, sleet and finally snow makes visibility and grip sketchy on race day, but Millen reckons he loves the challenge and his views reflect that of many of the competitors at the event.

"You get thrashed and beat on all week long with no sleep, changing engines, figuring out cars but keep coming back every year," he says.

When urged, Millen doesn't hesitate to nominate Pikes Peak as favourite event. "Yeah for sure. It'd have to be, I keep coming back!"

Almost every vehicle has forced induction of some
sort -- turbocharging or supercharging -- or more recently, uses an
electric motor.

"Some of the biggest challenges are not just for
the drivers but for the engineers and crew," explains Rhys Millen, who
has competed since 1992. "You get 30 per cent loss of power at the start
line, and 45 per cent loss of power at the top.

Because the road course is carved into one of North America’s tallest mountains there are several ‘best seats in the house’. And even without a ripping race going on, it's a place of amazing natural beauty.

Four people were injured this year, including two competing motorcyclists, but no-one died. But it’s equally risky for spectators. With a lack of officialdom during the race, spectators can roam virtually anywhere -- even on the track.

People constantly meander across the course, resulting in several close calls and one serious casualty this year. One female spectator, perched close to the edge of the track, with her camera and tripod was struck by driver Randy Schranz in his Shelby Cobra Replica. Schranz later told the local radio station: "I thought I hit her tripod".

Although her injuries were "not life threatening", police later confirmed that she had lost her leg. Schranz went on to win the 'Open' class.

When asked about the relaxed nature of the event and absence of any real spectator restrictions, Millen notes that the last death was "about 10 years ago just on the second corner”.

“[The organisers] got pretty lucky straight off the start here last year too. Brakes, tyres, nothing's up to temp but drivers still want to push so hard. They were lucky in that there was a massive crash but no one got hurt," he says.

On Friday during qualifying I stand inches away from Loeb's 643kW Peugeot 208 T16 as he irons the kinks out of the car’s launch control. No one tells me to move away; just lots of flannelette and pick-up trucks and walkie-talkies as everyone goes about their business.

If I’d felt the urge I could have reached over and snapped the carbon-fibre wing off the Peugeot, which is faster than an F1 car to 100km/h.

It’s what makes Pikes Peak such a unique, and thrilling experience.

Starting at an
altitude of 2862m (9390ft) and finishing at 4300m (14,110ft), the
19.99km course consists of 156 turns, many of which are hairpins perched
on vertical cliffs. Participants end up climbing 1440m (4720ft) in
total.

The oldest vehicle in the 2013 race was a 1965
American-built Ford Falcon, driven by John ‘Jack’ Rogers in the
'vintage' car category.

SMASHING THE NINE MINUTE BARRIER
Sebastien Loeb dominates race day headlines. Driving the wheels off his Peugeot super car in the 'Unlimited' class, he smashes the previous record by 1min 33sec with a time of 8min 13.8sec.

"Before the start I didn’t really know if I should push absolutely to the maximum or if I should just push to a comfortable pace, in order to make sure of the victory," says Loeb, the first man to go under nine minutes in Pike Peak’s 97-year history. "In the end, I decided to push to the limit.”

Millen in the 4.1-litre turbocharged V6 Hyundai finishes in second place overall, also beating his own 2012 record, but still a massive 48 seconds slower than Loeb.

Millen, a rallying and drifting star, is humble in defeat. "You have to hand it to Loeb and Peugeot Sport: they were unbeatable. That time they set was simply incredible. When will it be beaten? It might never be."

More aloof, Loeb spends little time mingling with spectators or acknowledging his rivals throughout the event. At the official 'Fan Fest' meet-and-greet in Colorado Springs on Saturday, Loeb barely glances at a duo of genuine American motorsport fans, after one gushes "We're so grateful and excited that you've come to America, we're huge fans".

It’s clear Loeb's attitude towards fans needs work, but perhaps that’s the kind of single-minded focus required to become a nine-time WRC champion and be perceived the world's greatest living rally driver. Not to mention earning an estimated $73 million a year.

We asked Millen what it meant for Pikes Peak to have a driver with Loeb’s global profile, and he admits it’s a double-edged sword.

"Two things are going to come out of it: the media attention is going to increase, and the ability for the manufacturers to compete in the unlimited division, I think, is going to suffer.

"The sheer quantity of dollars that has been thrown at Peugeot's effort has never been seen before," says Millen, referring to the reported $5million budget for the Red Bull-backed team.

While he'll be back in 2014, Millen doesn’t think Loeb will return.

"Respectfully I understand their approach. If I could get that support and have that program, sure you want that. I have no negatives towards it, I think it's incredible to watch the workmanship and the way those guys work.”

OTHER RECORDS TUMBLE
Several other records were broken at the 2013 race, due in large part to the entire 19.99km road course being completely sealed for the first time. In years gone past there were dirt sections, something Rhys Millen laments.

"The challenge of the road being completely different is gone. You could be up here in the morning and then in the afternoon it would be completely different when it was dirt. It would dry out and get marbly and then rain and get tacky."

The full tarmac road was a boon for many, as Paul Dallenbach won the 'Time Attack' class in the same Hyundai Genesis Coupe Millen drove to victory in 2012, with a new class record time of 9mins 46secs. The changing nature of the event is also reflected in the fastest motorcycle, ridden by Pikes Peak veteran Carlin Dunne, powered purely by electricity -- a first for Pikes Peak.

The Lightning Electric SuperBike finished with a time of 10mins flat. Another electric vehicle managed a milestone as Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima's E-RUNNER racer became the first electric vehicle to crack the 10 minute barrier. The former Unlimited champion won the electric car class with a time of 9min 46sec.

Millen concedes the fully sealed course has other benefits for the race apart from consistency.

"Now the consistency is there, the setup in the car is the same so makes for some ridiculously fast times, that are almost scary in this environment. But on the flipside it's catering to a bigger audience," he says.

Among the eye-popping highlights include quad bikes sliding their way up the course and various curiosities in the 'Exhibition' class that probably entice more people to the sidelines than any other. Among these was an absurd-looking Honda Odyssey minivan powered by a screaming turbocharged V6 that came second in class.

Among the crowd favourites was the most powerful and probably heaviest vehicle in the event, a 1434kW Detroit Diesel-powered Freightliner racing truck driven by Mike Ryan. The way he fishtailed that massive sled around the course was equal parts compelling and scary.