New Electric Challenger for the Pikes Peak Record!

[Firehawk068]

Volkswagen has decided to throw their name into the Hat for a Pikes Peak Record this year.

After pulling both Audi and Porsche out of the WEC at the end of last season, they are putting their resources into an All-Electric car.
It is loosely based on their Porsche LMP-1 Hybrid Lemans chassis, and I've read that they've spent in excess of 40 Million dollars on the project.

Here's a video link ------------->  https://youtu.be/go7SISuc-E0

They are shooting for the current "Electric" record (8 minutes, 57 seconds), but early practice times suggest they may have a shot at the Overall record, currently held by Sebastien Loeb in the Petrol-powered Peugeot from 2013. (8 minutes, 13 seconds)

I will be up on the mountain to witness it in person! 
We shall see how they fare this weekend.............I hope the Weather-Gods cooperate!

[Firehawk068]

They qualified yesterday for start position (fastest vehicles run first)

Romain Dumas in this electric Volkswagen was around 10 seconds quicker over the same section, than Loeb was in the record-holding Peugeot...................This is going to be interesting!

[fj1289]

Are they still making electric vehicles run some kind of electronic horns or other "noise makers" for safety of spectators along the course?

[Pat Conlon]

Just wanted to say....Kudos to those Porsche engineers. I'll let Alan fill in the details.

Amazing.

[A_steffani]

I completely expected to see an electric Dodge Challenger right now.

[Firehawk068]

Are they still making electric vehicles run some kind of electronic horns or other "noise makers" for safety of spectators along the course?

Yes. They are required to use some sort of "attention getting" noise device.
Most of the competitors use some sort of electronic Siren.................
With that said, I believe Romain Dumas had some way to switch it "Off" during the run, as I did not hear the siren when he whizzed by................
I can't blame him, as I would find that most annoying while trying to focus on which turn I was at, and braking points and such.

[Firehawk068]

I completely expected to see an electric Dodge Challenger right now.

Haha. My thread title might have been slightly misleading.............

[Firehawk068]

Just wanted to say....Kudos to those Porsche engineers. I'll let Alan fill in the details.

Amazing.

Volkswagen has done it...................They not only broke the previous Electric Vehicle record, but broke the Overall top time as well. They also went "Sub-8 minutes"! Something that was unfathomable just a decade ago.

Here's a link to the Record-Run video from the live online broadcast.
https://youtu.be/rsfecynMpag

I was spectating at Glen Cove, and when this car went by it was crazy fast. You could see the Aero and ground-effect working to generate downforce from all the dust it kicked up into the air.
It was a "Whoosh" along with the electric motor whine.................
There is a huge bump in the road just as they are about to enter the right-hand turn after passing the checkpoint-house in the middle of the road. When this car hit that bump, I swear the whole car went a foot off the ground!
He made the turn though, and continued on up the mountain to a 7-minute, 57-second record!

[Firehawk068]

Here is a really good video showing from trackside spots just how fast this car is.
Apparently I was wrong about the "Siren". It was on during the whole run. He went by us so fast that I did not get to hear a full cycle of the high-and-low tone of the siren.
The part through Glen Cove also shows how bad the bump was on the left side of the road.

https://youtu.be/kAJaGAMWjHM

[Firehawk068]

The Second-Place finisher overall was Simone Faggioli in a purpose-built Norma M20 hillclimb car.
This car is Fast! Really Fast!
He actually had the highest top speed of the event.
They position a Radar Gun at the end of the straight at "Halfway Picnic Grounds" and they recorded this car at 149-mph!  The Electric Volkswagen went through the radar gun section at 136-mph.
The main problem with this type of car at Pikes Peak is that it is RWD only. Traction was his biggest problem, as you'll see in the onboard video.
Even though the course is paved the entire length, there are so many tight hairpin turns that you need AWD traction to accelerate toward the next one.
Simone finished with a time of 8-minutes, 37-seconds.........
I don't know much about the engine he used, other than it's listed as a "TFT 3700cc Twin Turbo" engine with 800 Horsepower!
I have no doubt, if this was an AWD car he would have had a shot at the overall record.

Here's the onboard video.  The popping and growling that you hear on deceleration is the "Anti-Lag" system keeping the turbo spooled up when off the throttle.

https://youtu.be/Yb_n9403vvs

[Firehawk068]

Carlin Dunne took top honors in the 2-wheel categories, with Ducati once again taking the "King of the Mountain" title back from KTM, who took the top time the past 2 years.
There were no overall records broken on 2 wheels this year, and most of the riders were complaining about the grip level of the road surface.
His Ducati Multistrada 1260-Pikes Peak finished with a 9-minute, 59-second run..........Just barely edging out the KTM 1290 Super-Duke who finished second in Motorcycles.

https://youtu.be/7epeMKJylVA


There were only two Electric Morotorcycles this year. Both entered by privateers.
This guy's run ended at "Devil's Playground"

https://youtu.be/PGsK8KCvI6Y


The only other "off-road" event this year was one of the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport entries. He went off at
"Cog-Cut" which is only 2 turns before the finish line..............I got a picture of the two crashed cehicles on the way down off the mountain after the end of the event.

[FJmonkey]

Alan, great updates. Wishing I was there....

[Firehawk068]

Alan, great updates. Wishing I was there....

You should come for next year's event
I even have Oxygen...........just sayin

[Pat Conlon]

Alan, what was the altitude at your observation point?

[Firehawk068]

Alan, what was the altitude at your observation point?

We camped Saturday and Saturday night, as well as watched the event sunday from Glen Cove.
It is around 11,500 feet above sea-level. This is actually the highest I have ever camped up there.
Previous years, I have spent the day Sunday, and watched the event from "Devil's Playground" which is at 13,000 feet.

This year was the first year I have brought Oxygen up with me.
I had one of my good friends and his neice come up from Phoenix for the event. Neither of them are accustomed to being at altitude. They both started to feel the effects of altitude sickness on Saturday afternoon, with headaches being the first indicator, then feeling drowsy and like you are coming down with the Flu...............20 minutes of breathing pure oxygen and laying down in the Camper, they were good as new!
I have never needed oxygen up there, but Saturday evening after drinking 2 strong (9%abv) craft beers, I started to get a slight headache. I decided to try it, and after 10 minutes of oxygen I was feeling great!
It makes a big difference if you are accustomed to sea-level life.