With 1150bhp, you'd need all those wings
Ford might be aiming to give the Fiesta some major publicity when it tackles the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb this weekend in an
800bhp Fiesta with rally ace Marcus Gronholm at the wheel
, but Ford is facing some tough challengers, not least from its own past.
Essex-based Mach 2 Racing is entering a Ford RS200 packing a genuinely terrifying 1150bhp in an attempt to be the first team to crack the 10-minute barrier.
The car, driven by former double British Rallycross champ Mark Rennison, is gunning for current record holder Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima, who set a time of 10m 01.408s back in 2007 at the wheel of a 1000bhp Suzuki XL7.
Essex boys aiming for a record-breaking run
The Mach 2 RS200, which has been developed specifically for the Pikes Peak run, puts 950bhp through its Avon tyres courtesy of some very high-octane fuel and a Garrett turbocharger. A 70-litre nitrous tank takes the power up to 1150bhp.
Rennison is confident that he and the RS200 can be the first pairing to finish the 12-mile 156-turn course in les than 10 minutes: “If everything on the day goes right and the weather conditions are good beating the 10-minute barrier shouldn’t be a problem. But strange things happen at Pikes Peak, it’s a unique event.”
Practice for this year’s Pikes Peak hillclimb runs from 15-17th July, with the single timed run up the full course on Sunday 19th July.