A la conquête de l’Ouest!

French Racing Star Coming To Pikes Peak International Hill Climb To Challenge Unlimited Field And The Peak’s Ten-Minute Barrier On June 26

Colorado Springs, April 18———-The growing worldwide flavor of the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb became even tastier today with the announcement that famous French driver Jean-Philippe Dayraut will be on America’s Mountain on June 26 in the Unlimited Division to challenge five-time champion Nobuhiro Tajima of Japan and veteran stars Rhys Millen and Paul Dallenbach.

The drivers will once again have their eyes on breaking the Peak’s elusive ten-minute barrier. Tajima, going for his sixth straight Unlimited title, set the record of 10:01.408 in 2007.

The 41-year-old Dayraut, a three-time “Champion de France,” and reigning Andros Champion, will drive a prototype Dacia Duster, equipped with a tubular frame and a 3.5L twin-turbo 850hp, 900kg engine, four-wheel drive, and oversize fins built with the help of Tork Engineering and Renault Sport.

“Pikes Peak is a project that is dear to my heart since my teenage years,” said Dayraut. “It is a very extreme human challenge, where we need to show adaptability. And it is the most important race in the USA after Indianapolis. If I can challenge, or even beat the record, it is the guarantee of international recognition.”

“For me, this race is motorsport in its purest form, because it met the technical elements and extreme sports and simple. A 22km sprint race on a track half land, half asphalt in a magical setting, with a vehicle with a technical regulation is the most rudimentary “Unlimited Class,” power-ended, no weight limit, unrestricted aerodynamics, transmission and tires not limited to, all say they can release into the design of an outsized vehicle,” he added.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which began in 1916, is America’s second oldest motor sports race behind the Indy 500. The race is staged on a 12.42 mile course with 156 turns. It begins at 9,390 feet and ends at the famous mountain’s 14,110 foot summit above Colorado Springs.

A featured event along with the race, is the popular “Fan Fest,” which takes place on Friday evening, June 24, in downtown Colorado Springs, with more than 30,000 fans on hand to meet the competitors, see the autos and motorcycles, and enjoy music, food and entertainment.