Pikes Peak Crested in Under 9 Minutes by Sebastien Loeb
First time competing in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Sebastien Loeb and his Peugeot 208 T16 became the first tandem to ever conquer the mountain in under nine minutes.
The nine-time World Rally Champion proved that he can drive the wheels off anything, shattering the record with a time of 8:13.878 – more than a minute-and-a-half faster than the previous record of 9:46.181 set by Rhys Millen last year. This year however, was an entirely different story, with Millen coming close to breaking the nine-minute barrier himself with a time of 9:02.192 in the Hyundai PM580T. Unfortunately for Millen, even his best effort wasn’t enough to even keep pace with Loeb and the Peugeot racer.
Another pair of cars also topped last year’s record, Jean-Phillipe Dayraut piloted a 2011 MINI Countryman to 9:42.740 while Paul Dallenbach finished in 9:46.001 in the Genesis Coupe that set last year’s record. Dallenbach was the winner of the Time Attack class.
SEE ALSO: Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Racer Livery Revealed
Numerous records fell at this race as expected now that the entire course is a paved track. In the Electric Auto division, Monster Tajima set a new record with a 9:46.530 in his E-Runner Pikes Peak Special. This was Tajima’s second attempt in his E-Runner Pikes Peak Special after his first last year was spoiled due to an onboard fire.
“I felt really good in the car, and I pushed it hard from the start to the finish,” Loeb said. “I made no mistakes, and I felt the race was really good. To drive a car like this and race up here (to the top) is what makes this special. It’s amazing.”
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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