It takes some special kind of skill to make driving an
875hp car up a 4,300m mountain
in just over eight minutes look and sound tedious but the first official video from Loeb's Pikes Peak run
managed just that
. Apart from the ohmygawd glimpse of just how exposed the top section is (skip to 10:00), before cutting back to the befuddled chaps in headphones surrounded by group of poker-faced 'fans' who couldn't have look less interested if they'd tried.
What we wanted was in-car. And that's what we've got here, thank god, complete with a few Climbdance replicating bolt-on external shots in a nice reference to that seminal film of Vatanen's run 25 years ago. Some nice pics of that car here on the Red Bull site, for what it's worth.
"The hill was OK, but the spectators? Crazy!"
How does it look? Well, a few have muttered that Loeb had it easier than Vatanen given the all tarmac surface. And it's certainly a lot less sideways than it was in the gravel days and perhaps slightly less spectacular viewing as a result. But the speeds are a lot higher and the drops into oblivion haven't got any smaller. And if you're in any doubt about Loeb's commitment check out how many times car and driver are bouncing off their respective limiters - 188bpm in Loeb's case and 150mph
in the car's
. He may play it ice cool outside of the car (even when faced with
lunatic spectators
) but the man can't be accused of not giving it everything at the wheel. Grip and speed may have replaced slip and slide but the new age T16 looks every bit as physical to drive, if for different reasons.
Harris quipped yesterday on Twitter "S.Loeb does more for Peugeot's image in eight and bit minutes than its marketing department has managed in 14 years". Meanwhile Audi, another proud Pikes Peak winner back in the day, announces it's sold a Gywneth Paltrow autographed RS6 at Elton John's White Tie and Tiara charity ball for £120K. The current fortunes of the two brands would suggest Audi knows where to spend its marketing euros better than the French but, on the brink or not, Peugeot has certainly got its money's worth out of its eight-minute loan of Loeb's talents from sister brand Citroen. And a more PH-worthy story. Unless Audi's got some 900hp A1 Quattro waiting in the wings. And Rohrl on speed dial.
See Loeb's run on the Red Bull site here. And chuckle at Americans here.