This year's Pikes Peak promises to be one of the most memorable in history. Sure, Peugeot has been stealing all the headlines with Monsieur Loeb and the
208 T16
, but today's video shows there's
more to look out for
This ferocious-looking (and sounding!) Mini will also take on the the Colorado hillclimb in June. It will be driven by Frenchman Jean-Philippe Dayraut, who has been racing a Mini Countryman in the Andros ice-racing championship.
Loeb's going to have company at Pikes Peak
The Mini is reputed to have 912hp, a similar figure to that boasted by
the 208 T16
. Because there's no such thing as too many 1000hp per tonne racers, right? If that doesn't whet the appetite sufficiently, keep an eye out for
Monster Tajima's GT86-inspired entry
This year will be the first time the Pikes Peak course has been entirely tarmac, so expect Rhys Millen's 9:46 winning time from last year to be surpassed.
Who will be triumphant? So far in 2013, Peugeot has taken a podium clean sweep in its class at the Nurburgring 24 Hours with three 208 GTIs, beating its Mini Cooper S rivals. But it's a brave person who bets against Sebastien Loeb. Keep your eyes peeled on PH for further updates!
[Sources: CarMagBlog, Jean-Philippe Dayrout homepage]