Peugeot returns to Pikes Peak - New Record -

[Plex]

In keeping with its competative nature, Peugeot will be taking part in the 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb - which takes place in Colorado, USA, on 30th June. The Pikes Peak continues to stand out as one of motorsport’s most exacting, internationally-reputed competitions. Peugeot’s bid to win the unique, Colorado Springs-based event with the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak has led to it joining forces with key partners including Total, Red Bull, Michelin and driver Sébastien Loeb.

Peugeot’s participation in this epic race, which has previously seen the Brand triumph with the legendary 205 T16 and 405 T16 Pikes Peak, is a natural extension of the recent success enjoyed by the new 208, and allows this amazing car to be once again at the forefront of another key motorsport event for Peugeot.

It was exactly 100 years ago that Peugeot notched up its first racing victory, at Indianapolis - the first of a very long list of successes in some of motorsport’s most memorable events. Its previous Pikes Peak Hill Climb triumphs not only marked the world of international motorsport but have become an integral part of Peugeot’s DNA. Ari Vatanen’s unforgettable record-breaking victory on the 1988 event in the 405 T16 is documented by the celebrated film, Climb Dance. Peugeot won the famous hill climb a second time in 1989, this time with the USA’s Robby Unser behind the wheel.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb’s unique course was entirely asphalted last year and comprises of 156 turns over a distance of 20 kilometres that take competitors from an altitude of 2,800 metres to 4,300 metres at its highest point. The event is famous too as the USA’s second-oldest motorsport competition after Indianapolis and, over the decades, it has earned a reputation as a notoriously difficult and complex challenge.

The Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak has been entered in the premier ‘Unlimited’ class and has been given the appropriate start number ‘208’ - it's sole objective being victory!

To maximise its chances of winning the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with the 208 T16 Pikes Peak, Peugeot has enlisted the support of the very best partners for this exceptional project, namely Total, Red Bull, Michelin and driver Sébastien Loeb. The nine-time world rally champion was able to accept Peugeot’s proposal thanks to Citroën, which has authorised its star driver to contest the American event for the first time in his career.

As all the different players prepare for the challenge, all that remains is for the car that will be used for the ascension – the 208 T16 Pikes Peak – to be unveiled, and its strengths and secrets are scheduled to be revealed in mid-April.

When asked if the Pikes Peak Hill Climb marked peugeot's return to motorsport, Maxime Picat, Peugeot Brand CEO, said: "Peugeot has never abandoned motorsport. To realise that, one only needs to look at the busy activity of our customer competition department and all the different competition versions of the 208 it has developed, namely the 208 T16, the 208 R2, the 208 Racing Cup and the 208 GTi Peugeot Sport. The latter will even take part in the Nürburgring 24 Hours as part of the 208 GTi Racing Experience operation which was run in parallel to the 208 GTi’s launch. Last year, when we announced the end of our endurance racing programme, we stated that Peugeot wasn’t closing the door to a future factory programme. Peugeot Sport consequently drew up a list of potential projects, and that list included Pikes Peak."

He said of the event: "Pikes Peak is a one-off outing which has the potential to generate extensive media coverage and which meets the constraints of the current context. It is a legendary race that has inspired all the Brand’s teams who have mobilised behind the project which targets outright victory. It is also a tough, exceptional challenge which leaves no room for error. In other words, it’s exactly the sort of challenge that Peugeot adores."

Peugeot.co.uk

[MG Man]

Pikes Peak just isn't the same now that it's paved..........safety schmafety......the old course was EPIC
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I know it's so, for I told me so

[Plex]

So i hear.

[Plex]

Sebastien Loeb will tackle the world's highest hill climb -- which culminates at an altitude of 4,301 metres -- at the wheel of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak which was specially engineered and built by Peugeot Sport. The event marks the French team's return to the classic American event after its memorable victories there in 1988 and 1989

[Plex]

Peugeot reveals full spec of Loeb's 875bhp, 875kg Pikes Peak T16

Peugeot has confirmed technical details of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak - a car tested for the first time by Sebastien Loeb last week.

The French firm describes the car as "practically an out-and-out endurance racing prototype."

The 3.2-litre, twin-turbo V6 engine develops 875bhp to help power a car weighing 875 kilogrammes.

Peugeot Sport engineer Jean-Christophe Pallier said: "Your imagination is the only limit when you set out to design a car for Pikes Peak. We've shaved the car down to 875 kilogrammes and as a result we've achieved the magic and symbolic power to weight ratio of 1:1, one bhp for every one kg of weight."

The six-speed transmission, carbon brakes, air intake and aero - including the two-metre wide rear wing - are all from the 908. They will help the 208 go from 0-62mph in 1.8 seconds and from zero to a top speed of 150mph in just seven seconds.

In an effort to maintain balance in the car, the engine sits in a mid-rear position in the tubular chassis.

Pallier says the team's radical approach to aero could give it the edge in America.

"The speeds reached in the ascension range from 50km/h to 240km/h and aerodynamics play a key role from 100km/h."

Half of the downforce generated by the 208 comes from the specially designed undertray which sits beneath the car.

The 208 T16 Pikes Peak is running again this week, with endurance racer Greg Guilvert taking the wheel at a venue close to Pau.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb takes place in Colorado on June 30.

Autosport

[Plex]

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[Plex]

Sebastien Loeb's Peugeot fastest in first Pikes Peak test

Sebastien Loeb set the pace for Peugeot in the first official Pikes Peak tests ahead of this year's event.

Loeb's first attempt on the famous climb was split into two stages, tackling the lower half of the run on Saturday and the second half on Sunday. On both occasions he was fastest overall.

The divided programme was aimed at building up Loeb's knowledge and pace notes ahead of his first full runs.

Loeb, who only completed his first meaningful run in the 208 T16 in May, said he felt immediately comfortable on the 4,301 metre climb.

"I feel very confident with the car," Loeb said. "That's a reassuring start, if only because of the speeds we get up to here.

"We are already getting close to the limit in many places. All we need to do now is make some detail changes and we will be ready for the big day."

Peugeot's sport director Bruno Famin added: "The result of the weekend is completely positive. Our 'beast' seems to suit Sebastien, to the extent that we have hardly made any changes to its set-up.

"The car's potential is borne out by the fact that we posted the fastest time on each run.

"The chief lesson is that the 208 T16 Pikes Peak is a well-sorted car and that our busy programme in the past four months seems to have taken us in the right direction."

Loeb will participate in three more official practice sessions at the end of this week. The main event takes place on June 30.

Autosport

[Plex]

Posted an impressive time of 3:29.24 time during testing

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is only a couple of weeks away so Peugeot and Sébastien Loeb have begun testing the 208 T16 Pikes Peak race car on its namesake mountain.

Following an engine shakedown and a quick course familiarization, Loeb tackled the mountain and declared "I feel very confident with the car." He added," We are already getting close to the limit in many places. All we need to do now is make some detail changes and we will be ready for the Big Day!”

Loeb managed to get an impressive 3:29.24 time during testing which was undoubtedly aided by the twin-turbo 3.2-liter V6 engine that develops 875 bhp (652 kW). It is connected to a six-speed sequential transmission and an all-wheel drive system that enables the 875 kg (1,929 lb) race car to accelerate from 0-100 km/h in just 1.8 seconds.

Worldcarfans

[Plex]

3:26.728 from qualifying.......section 1 and 2.

[Plex]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEe0UNGYrWg

Peugeot Pikes Peak | Last practice session for the 208 T16 Pikes Peak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlVhCQ06WkA

Peugeot Pikes Peak | "The 208T16 Pikes Peak is wild!"

( cant embed those )

[Plex]

Sébastien Loeb and the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak set new record!

After months of anticipation, Sébastien Loeb has shattered the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record with a breath-taking time of 8m13.878s in the 208 T16 Pikes Peak. The Frenchman negotiated the 20 kilometres and 156 corners of the mountain at an average speed of 145kph.

Loeb’s time blitzed the previous best of 9m46.164s, set by Rhys Millen last year, with the top three finishers all beating the 2012 record. “For me, this was the race of the year,” said Loeb at the finish, 4300 metres high in the Rocky Mountains. “At the beginning of my run there was a bit of pressure for sure because I knew there was so much work and investment from Peugeot and all the partners. Now, after all the practice, it was just down to me and I had to perform.” image

Loeb started first of the Unlimited class cars, unleashing his 875-horsepower car onto the mountain this morning after all the motorcycle competitors had passed through. However there were a number of delays before he started, which meant that the team began to worry about bad weather: a common feature of Pikes Peak at high altitude. “When I was on the start line waiting to go, I could actually see the clouds closing in at the top of the mountain,” said Loeb. “I remember thinking that if we didn’t get going soon, it would be really difficult.” As it was, Loeb blasted his 208 T16 Pikes Peak through the clouds in a time that was even quicker than Peugeot Sport’s computer had thought was possible. The ideal theoretical time – calculated using data from Loeb’s practice runs up the Colorado mountain – was 8m15s. The nine-time world rally champion somehow managed to shave two seconds off that. “I’m really happy as that was a very good run in the end,” said Loeb. “I really didn’t expect anything better than 8m15s, so to do 8m13s was fantastic. Before the start I didn’t really know if I should push absolutely to the maximum or if I should just push to a comfortable pace, in order to make sure of the victory. In the end, I decided to push to the limit.”

The result was spectacular, with Loeb now joining the pantheon of Pikes Peak winners; nearly one year to the day after he first conquered America by winning the rally cross finale of the X-Games on July 1, 2012. Despite his flat-out approach, the multiple champion didn’t even report any major moments, while his Peugeot has been completely reliable throughout the entire month it has been in America. “It was good, all under control from start to finish,” he concluded. “Apart from the potential of the weather turning bad, we didn’t have any worrying moments.” The scenes of success at Peugeot were reminiscent of 1988, when former world rally champion Ari Vatanen broke the Pikes Peak record for the French manufacturer exactly 25 years ago, with the 405 T16 Pikes Peak. Back then the benchmark was 10m47.220s on gravel roads – a sign of just how rapidly technology has evolved. In second place on the 91st ‘Race to the Sky’ this year was former record-holder Rhys Millen in his all-new Hyundai RMR PM580-T, 49 seconds behind Loeb with a time of 9m02.192s. Nonetheless, the New Zealander beat his own record – and he says that he’s determined to break the nine-minute barrier next year.

“I think it’s fair to say that we were racing for second place today,” said Millen. “Myself and Romain Dumas had been really close throughout practice, but then I heard that his engine had unfortunately broken at the start. I knew I wasn’t going to beat Sebastien’s time, so I just decided to take no risks. You have to hand it to Loeb and Peugeot Sport: they were unbeatable. That time they set was simply incredible. When will it be beaten? It might never be…” For Loeb & Peugeot Sport, it was the end to a remarkable one-shot adventure that had taken them from early tests of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak at Mont Ventoux in France to the untrammelled mountains of Colorado: officially America’s highest state. Pikes Peak is a legend: the second-oldest car race in America after the Indy 500. And now Loeb – the new King of the Peak – and the Peugeot car are part of American history.

King of the Peak 2013 – Q/R Sébastien Loeb

Sébastien Loeb has broken every record there is to break in the World Rally Championship but he’s not quite done with firsts yet. We caught up with the man who has not just blitzed the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb: instead comprehensively pulverized it with a blue and white sledgehammer built by Peugeot Sport…

Sébastien, what did it feel like to drive the 208 T16 Pikes Peak?

“It’s definitely a very special feeling and a big moment. You have the downforce of a Le Mans car, with acceleration that is faster than a Formula One car, going through scenery that is a bit like rallying. It just comes out of corners like a cannonball; the traction is astounding. With steep drops either side, and so much work and investment going into this programme, you obviously can’t make any mistakes… It’s 20 kilometres of taking risks. There was a certain amount of pressure that I felt before the start, that’s true.”

How do you find the right balance between being quick enough to win but safe enough not go off?

“Good question… In fact, before starting, I spent a lot of time thinking about whether or not to push to the maximum to get a really good record or whether or not just to push hard enough to get a result so that we could win. In the end, once I was in the car, I decided to push hard. I’d say I was pretty much on the limit of it with every corner. But it was OK, we didn’t have any moments at all.”

How does this win rank among all your other achievements?

“Well, I’m not going to say it’s like winning a rally title but it still means a lot. I always looked at Pikes Peak in the past and thought that it would be nice to do it one day, and now here I am. For me, with what I’m doing this season, it’s the race of the year. Of all the cars I’ve driven this year, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak is definitely the most fun. This one is a good record, which I think will be quite hard to beat.”

How much of a worry was the weather today?

“It was certainly a big worry as there were lots of delays to our start time; every time something else. We had some information from our weather forecasters that there would be rain after midday and then when we were waiting to start it seemed to be getting closer and closer to midday. I thought that if we didn’t get on with it soon, we’d be in trouble… From the start line I could actually begin to see the weather start to close in around the mountain.”

How long did it take you to get used to the 208 T16 Pikes Peak?

“Before starting on this programme I did ask myself whether or not this car would be too extreme for me to find the same sort of feeling and confidence as I have in my rally car. After all it’s 875 horsepower and the most radical car I have ever driven. In the end though I had a very comfortable feeling with the car and I was able to push with full confidence.”

So will you be back next year?

“To be honest that’s not something we’ve spoken about. I’ve really enjoyed this but we’ll see what happens and who tries to break the record. The feeling is amazing, but the risks are also high.”

http://www.peugeot-sport.com/en/rallye/news-1117-sebastien-loeb-and-the-peugeot-208-t16-pikes-peak-set-new-record-.html

[Plex]

http://www.redbull.com/en/motorsports/stories/1331598982312/video-loeb-pikes-peak-record


Red bull Video of Loeb's run....

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