This weekend, Alpine is set to take on an unprecedented challenge – its first attempt at Pikes Peak.
Signatech and Alpine’s teams have been in the United States since 5 June running tests as they attempt to acclimatise to the unique, unusual environment of this iconic race.
The Alpine A110 PIkes Peak and its driver Raphaël Astier are now making their final preparations before attempting what will be their only full ascent of one of the most famous mountains in the world.
You can follow the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb live on YouTube this Sunday, from 7.30am (UTC-6).
For the first time ever, the A-arrowed brand has entered a car for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the iconic “race to the clouds” that has captured the imagination of competitors and fans alike for over a century.
Launched in the autumn, the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak project is based on strong, close ties between Alpine’s design office and Signatech’s teams, whose ability to implement changes quickly has made it possible to design a car dedicated to the event in record time. Based on the A110 GT4 Evo but equipped with aerodynamic features and an engine developed specifically to meet the challenges of this one-off event, the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak weighs in at just 950kg but boasts a power output of almost 500 horsepower. The car has also benefited from the experience of first-class partners such as Elf, Michelin, Oreca and ALP Racing Suspension, all making telling contributions to this new challenge, where it is crucial to maintain optimum performance levels at altitude.
After completing preliminary tests in France, the team pursued its programme of adaptation in Colorado with a shakedown and further testing, before getting its first taste of the iconic mountain itself on 9, 10 and 11 June. With four appearances and a class record at Pikes Peak, Raphaël Astier – winner of the FIA R-GT Cup with the Alpine A110 Rally in 2022 – was also able to a get his bearings again during this period.
Since the start of the week, kicked off on Monday with technical scrutineering on the Tom Osborne Community Day, the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak continues to get to grips with the subtleties of the event, including its specific qualifying format. The competitors are grouped together by division, tackling one of three sections of the climb per day between 5.30am and 8.30am, local time. After the final test sessions this Friday, Alpine and Signatech’s teams will then meet the large crowds of fans gathered for the event before the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak spends the night under the stars, as is traditional here in Colorado.
Widely seen as an outsider on its first appearance in the Pikes Peak Open division – the class with the most diverse line-up as regards competitiveness of the cars and the technologies used, not to mention the quality of the drivers – Alpine will face its moment of truth on Sunday determined to give its all, but above all humble, as it competes against the specialists of this unique 19.93km-long climb, with some 156 turns, starting at 2,865 metres above sea level and finishing about 1,440 metres higher.
If you would like to watch Alpine take on this unprecedented challenge and live its own American dream, then tune this Sunday from 7.30am local time (3.30pm Paris time). The race will be broadcast live on https://www.youtube.com/@OfficialMobil1 and all the information, including live timing, may be accessed on the event’s official website: https://ppihc.org/.
