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Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Report and Photos

2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2013 was held June 24-30 at Pikes Peak Mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The 91st annual “Race to the Clouds” is the second oldest motorsports race in America.

An international field of 146 competitors, 63 automobiles and 83 motorcycles challenged the 12.42 mile, fully-paved course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet and ends at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak, where the air is rare. As the drivers climb toward the summit, the thin air slows reflexes, saps muscle strength and robs engines of roughly 30% of their power.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb was launched in 1916 by Spencer Penrose, the founder of the famous Broadmoor Hotel, to help publicize his home town of Colorado Springs and the new highway he had constructed to the summit of Pikes Peak. During the 90 previous editions of the hill climb, the list of champions include the greats of American motorsport – Mario Andretti, Parnelli Jones, Roger Mears, Al Unser, Al Unser, Jr., Louis Unser, Bobby Unser, Rick Mears and scores of others, including generations of racing families with names like Dallenbach, Unser, Donner and Vahsholtz.

The 2013 running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb saw 9-time World Rally Championship winner Sebastien Loeb shatter the record with a breath-taking time of 8m13.878s in his 2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak. The Frenchman negotiated the 12.42 miles and 156 corners of the mountain at an average speed of 87.47 mph.

Loeb’s time blitzed the previous best of 9m46.164s, set by Rhys Millen last year, with the top three finishers all beating the 2012 record. “For me, this was the race of the year,” said Loeb at the finish, 14,110 feet high in the Rocky Mountains. “At the beginning of my run there was a bit of pressure for sure because I knew there was so much work and investment from Peugeot and all the partners. Now, after all the practice, it was just down to me and I had to perform.”

As the top qualifier, Loeb started first of the Unlimited class cars, unleashing his 875-horsepower race car onto the mountain after all the motorcycle competitors had passed through. However there were a number of delays before he started, which meant that the team began to worry about bad weather: a common feature of Pikes Peak at high altitude. “When I was on the start line waiting to go, I could actually see the clouds closing in at the top of the mountain,” said Loeb. “I remember thinking that if we didn’t get going soon, it would be really difficult.”

As it was, Loeb blasted his 208 T16 Pikes Peak through the clouds in a time that was even quicker than Peugeot Sport’s computer had thought was possible. The ideal theoretical time – calculated using data from Loeb’s practice runs up the Colorado mountain – was 8m15s. The nine-time world rally champion somehow managed to shave two seconds off that.

“I’m really happy as that was a very good run in the end,” said Loeb. “I really didn’t expect anything better than 8m15s, so to do 8m13s was fantastic. 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. In the end, I decided to push to the limit.”

The scenes of success at Peugeot were reminiscent of 1988, when former world rally champion Ari Vatanen broke the Pikes Peak record for the French manufacturer exactly 25 years ago, with the 405 T16 Pikes Peak. Back then the benchmark was 10m47.220s on gravel roads – a sign of just how rapidly technology has evolved.

In second place on the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was former record-holder Rhys Millen in his all-new Hyundai RMR PM580-T, 49 seconds behind Loeb with a time of 9m02.192s. Nonetheless, the New Zealander beat his own record – and he says that he’s determined to break the nine-minute barrier next year.

“I think it’s fair to say that we were racing for second place today,” said Millen. “Myself and Romain Dumas had been really close throughout practice, but then I heard that his engine had unfortunately broken at the start. I knew I wasn’t going to beat Sebastien’s time, so I just decided to take no risks. 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…”

Photographer Nathan Leach-Proffer documented the 2013 running of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with a stunning picture gallery of the entrants defying logic and sometimes treacherous conditions on the arduous climb to Pikes Peak. The 225 pictures Nathan captured were split into two galleries. The first gallery starting below features our top 100 images, all displayed in the full-width view of our website, while the complete gallery and race results can be found on the last page of the article and gives a comprehensive view of all the photographs. To see more from Nathan, visit www.speed-photos.net.

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery

 

2013 PVA - Spencer Steele
2013 PVA – Spencer Steele
2007 Porsche GT3 Cup Turbo - Jeff Zwart
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo – Jeff Zwart
1965 Ford Falcon - Jack Rogers
1965 Ford Falcon – Jack Rogers
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Paul Dallenbach
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe – Paul Dallenbach
2013 Toyota TMG EV P002 - Rod Millen
2013 Toyota TMG EV P002 – Rod Millen
2013 Scion FR-S Unlimited - Robert Walker
2013 Scion FR-S Unlimited – Robert Walker
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2008 Porsche GT3 Cup - David Donner
2008 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – David Donner
2011 Mini Countryman - Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2011 Mini Countryman – Jean-Philippe Dayraut

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Two

 

2013 Norma M20FCPP - Romain Dumas
2013 Norma M20FCPP – Romain Dumas
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
2013 Hyundai PM580T - Rhys Millen
2013 Hyundai PM580T – Rhys Millen
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2007 Porsche GT3 Cup Turbo - Jeff Zwart
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo – Jeff Zwart
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2013 Norma M20FCPP - Romain Dumas
2013 Norma M20FCPP – Romain Dumas
2013 Scion xD - Andrew Comrie-Picard
2013 Scion xD – Andrew Comrie-Picard
2013 Scion FR-S - Sead Causevic
2013 Scion FR-S – Sead Causevic
2013 Norma M20FCPP - Romain Dumas
2013 Norma M20FCPP – Romain Dumas

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Three

 

2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2011 Mini Countryman - Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2011 Mini Countryman – Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2013 Scion FR-S - Sead Causevic
2013 Scion FR-S – Sead Causevic
2007 Porsche GT3 Cup Turbo - Jeff Zwart
2007 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Turbo – Jeff Zwart
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
1983 Audi A1 Quattro - David Hackl
1983 Audi A1 Quattro – David Hackl
1983 Audi A1 Quattro - David Hackl
1983 Audi A1 Quattro – David Hackl
2010 Porsche GT3 Cup - Robert Prilika
2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Robert Prilika
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Four

 

2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2011 Mini Countryman - Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2011 Mini Countryman – Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Paul Dallenbach
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe – Paul Dallenbach
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
2013 Hyundai PM580T - Rhys Millen
2013 Hyundai PM580T – Rhys Millen
2011 Mini Countryman - Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2011 Mini Countryman – Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special - Nobuhiro Tajima
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special – Nobuhiro Tajima
1967 Porsche 911 - Dan Rose
1967 Porsche 911 – Dan Rose

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Five

 

2013 Lexus IS F CCS-R - Kenshiro Gushi
2013 Lexus IS F CCS-R – Kenshiro Gushi
1973 Porsche 911 RSR - Christopher Lennon
1973 Porsche 911 RSR – Christopher Lennon
1973 Porsche 911 RSR - Christopher Lennon
1973 Porsche 911 RSR – Christopher Lennon
2011 Honda Odyssey - Simon Pagenaud
2011 Honda Odyssey powered by turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 producing an estimated 532 hp – Simon Pagenaud
2013 Lexus IS F CCS-R - Kenshiro Gushi
2013 Lexus IS F CCS-R – Kenshiro Gushi
2013 Scion FR-S - Sead Causevic
2013 Scion FR-S – Sead Causevic
2011 Mini Countryman - Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2011 Mini Countryman – Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
Panorama from Pikes Peak
Panorama from Pikes Peak
2013 PVA - Spencer Steele
2013 PVA – Spencer Steele

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Six

 

2010 Porsche GT3 Cup - Robert Prilika
2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Robert Prilika
2013 Subaru BRZ - Toshiki Yoshioka
2013 Subaru BRZ – Toshiki Yoshioka
1983 Audi A1 Quattro - David Hackl
1983 Audi A1 Quattro – David Hackl
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
1986 Ford RS 200 Evolution
2010 Porsche GT3 Cup - Robert Prilika
2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – Robert Prilika
1996 Subaru Impreza Boxer Diesel - Gregoire Blachon
1996 Subaru Impreza Boxer Diesel – Gregoire Blachon
1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang - Ralf Christensson
1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang – Ralf Christensson
1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang - Ralf Christensson
1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang – Ralf Christensson
2003 Factory Five Racing Challenge Series Racer - Ed Gaven
2003 Factory Five Racing Challenge Series Racer – Ed Gaven
2013 Toyota TMG EV P002 - Rod Millen
2013 Toyota TMG EV P002 – Rod Millen

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Seven

 

2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II
2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II
1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo - Layne Schranz
1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo – Layne Schranz
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special - Nobuhiro Tajima
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special – Nobuhiro Tajima
2008 Porsche GT3 Cup - David Donner
2008 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – David Donner
1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang - Ralf Christensson
1967 Shelby GT350 Mustang – Ralf Christensson
1991 Acura NSX
1991 Acura NSX
2003 Factory Five Racing Challenge Series Racer - Ed Gaven
2003 Factory Five Racing Challenge Series Racer – Ed Gaven
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special - Nobuhiro Tajima
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special – Nobuhiro Tajima
2008 Freightliner Pikes Peak Special - Mike Ryan
2008 Freightliner Pikes Peak Special – Mike Ryan
2012 Acura TL
2012 Acura TL

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Eight

 

2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak – Sebastian Loeb
2013 Hyundai PM580T - Rhys Millen
2013 Hyundai PM580T – Rhys Millen
2011 Mini Countryman - Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2011 Mini Countryman – Jean-Philippe Dayraut
2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak - Sebastian Loeb
Recording shattering performance – 2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak of Sebastian Loeb
2013 Hyundai PM580T - Rhys Millen
Rhys Millen and his Hyundai-powered race car finished second overall and set the second fastest time in history
Jean-Philippe Dayraut finished third overall in his 2011 Mini Countryman
Jean-Philippe Dayraut finished third overall in his 2011 Mini Countryman
Jack Rogers, 1965 Ford Falcon
Jack Rogers, 1965 Ford Falcon
Top three at the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Top three at the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special - Nobuhiro Tajima
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special – Nobuhiro Tajima
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special - Nobuhiro Tajima
2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special of Nobuhiro Tajima won the Electric Class

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Nine

 

2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II
2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II
2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II
2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II
1987 BMW 325 - Tim Hardy
1987 BMW 325 – Tim Hardy
2003 Mini Cooper S - John Edwards-Parton
2003 Mini Cooper S – John Edwards-Parton
1983 Audi A1 Quattro - David Hackl
1983 Audi A1 Quattro – David Hackl
Steam at the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Steam at the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Nobuhiro Tajima checks out the 2008 Freightliner Pikes Peak Special
Nobuhiro Tajima later checks out the 2008 Freightliner Pikes Peak Special
2008 Suzuki 65X-R among the field of cars
2008 Suzuki 65X-R among the field of cars
Fog sets in at the summit
Fog sets in at the summit
Father Rod checks out the Rhys Millen and his Hyundai PM580T
Father Rod checks out Rhys Millen’s Hyundai PM580T

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Top Photo Gallery Page Ten

 

1983 Audi A1 Quattro - David Hackl
1983 Audi A1 Quattro – David Hackl
Hail greeted the 1992 BMW 325i of Jamie Melhuish
Hail greeted the 1992 BMW 325i of Jamie Melhuish
2001 Porsche 996 Turbo - Fred Veitch
2001 Porsche 996 Turbo – Fred Veitch
2011 Scion tC - Takeshi Aizawa
2011 Scion tC – Takeshi Aizawa
Treacherous conditions for David Kern's 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
Treacherous conditions for David Kern’s 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe - Paul Dallenbach
2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe – Paul Dallenbach
Sebastian Loeb and Rhys Millen
Sebastian Loeb and Rhys Millen
Sebastian Loeb, winner of the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Sebastian Loeb, winner of the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Sebastian Loeb, winner of the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Sebastian Loeb, winner of the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Sebastian Loeb, winner of the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Sebastian Loeb, winner of the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Main Photo Gallery (click image for larger picture and description)

[nggallery id=564 images=15]

 

 

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Race Results

 

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Unlimited Class Results
1. Sebastien Loeb, 2013 Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, 8:13.878 (Overall Winner)
2. Rhys Millen, 2013 Hyundai PM580T, 9:02.192
3. Jean-Philippe Dayraut, 2011 Mini Countryman, 9:42.740

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Time Attack Class Results
1. Paul Dallenbach, 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe, 9:46.001
2. David Donner, 2008 Porshe 911 GT3 Cup, 9:53.581
3. Jeff Zwart, 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 10:13.856

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Electric Class Results
1. Nobuhiro Tajima, 2013 E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special, 9:46.530
2. Hiroshi Masuoka, 2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II, 10:21.866
3. Greg Tracy, 2013 Mitsubishi Motors MiEV Evolution II, 10:23.649

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Open Wheel Class Results
1. Clint Vahsholtz, 2013 Ford Open, 11:07.305
2. Donner Billingsley, 1996 Wells Coyote, 12:06.840
3. Rodney O’Maley, 2012 O’Maley Special Spec II, 2:22.250

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Pikes Peak Open Class Results
1. Randy Schranz, 2013 Shelby Cobra Replica, 11:21.410
2. Layne Schranz, 1999 Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 11:29.245
3. Robert Prilika, 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, 11:33.437

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Pikes Peak Vintage Class Results
1. Ralf Christensson, 1967 Ford Shelby GT350 Mustang, 12:08.507
2. Christopher Lennon, 1973 Porsche 911 RSR, 12:16.837
3. John “Jack” Rogers, 1965 Ford Falcon, 12:30.306

Pikes Peak Hill Climb 2013 – Exhibition Class Results
1. Kenshiro Gushi, 2013 Lexus IS F CCS-R, 12:03.085
2. Simon Pagenaud, 2011 Honda Odyssey, 12:54.325
3. Sage Marie, 2012 Honda CR-Z, 14:06.446

[Source: PPIHC; Red Bull Motorsports; photos: Nathan Leach-Proffer]