Latest news with #PikesPeakInternationalHillClimb
The Drive
30-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Drive
What a Bag of Chips Taught Me About Optima's Battery Tech at Pikes Peak
The latest car news, reviews, and features. Car racing has long been hailed as the ultimate test bed for burgeoning automotive technologies, with everything from aerodynamics to paddle shifters making their way from high-tech racing machines to consumer cars. But with so much of that already done, it's hard to imagine what, exactly, is left to learn. To find out, Optima Batteries invited me to the 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. There, a fleet of BBI Autosport Porsche race cars would be outfitted with the company's OrangeTop QH6 lithium battery, and I was determined to discover exactly how relevant the iconic 12.42-mile run up America's Mountain can be in modern battery development. Interestingly enough, it didn't take some complex concept or high-tech machine to teach me why Pikes Peak presents an enormous challenge to a vital component like a car battery. In fact, all it took was a silly bag of potato chips. Elizabeth Blackstock But first things first: Why is racing relevant to a company like Optima Batteries? Tom Downie, vice president of communications at Clarios (which owns Optima Batteries), explained just that. Motorsport 'gives us a chance to push some of our products more than the average consumer might, and all of that [research and development] goes into our regular products.' This approach may include not only appealing to performance-oriented aftermarket customers who want to upgrade their stock equipment, but also monitoring how OEMs are developing certain elements of their machines through racing and pitching Optima products to them if their technology falls short. Elizabeth Blackstock, Optima From a sales angle, that makes sense. But to understand what, exactly, can be learned at an event like the PPIHC—or, as Daryl Brockman, director of global sales, marketing, and product planning at Optima added—the King of the Hammers and the Baja 1000—you must look at this race's extremely unique environment. Sure, you want your race cars to be durable, but Brockman explained that the PPIHC raises a frankly fascinating challenge, one that I experienced myself with the aforementioned salty snack. I bought a bag of chips down in Colorado Springs, which sits at an altitude of just over 6,000 feet. It sat, unopened, in the front seat with me as I crossed the race's starting line at 9,390 feet, and made the slow ascent up Pikes Peak to the summit, which stands at 14,115 feet of elevation. A sealed container like that bag of chips will undergo a wild change: It swells and expands. That's because the air pressure inside the bag remains the same as it was when it was sealed closer to sea level, while the air pressure outside the bag decreases. The internal air wants to push outside of the bag, which causes some extreme surface tension. Scientists call this Boyle's Law. Optima Just like the chip bag, batteries are also fully sealed containers, and the altitude change during the race is going to impact the battery the same way it impacts your chip bag: Namely, as you ascend higher up a mountain, the external air pressure is going to drop, but the internal air pressure in your battery will remain the same. Pressure changes can impact the structural integrity of a sealed lithium battery pack, which can cause your battery to leak or even explode, while decreases in cooling efficiency mean your battery can overheat. It should go without saying that all of these impacts are bad, but they become particularly concerning when those batteries are mated to purpose-built cars that are trying to race up a huge mountain in 10 minutes or less. 'Our batteries actually have a breather valve that allows the pressure inside the battery to equalize compared to the atmospheric air pressure,' Brockman told me. 'It's one of the small details that our batteries have that some of our other competitors may not have considered.' Elizabeth Blackstock And it's a detail that can't be replicated through lab conditions—not really. Brockman pointed out that the OrangeTop QH6 spent a year and a half in the lab, during which time the Optima development crew worked out any initial kinks. The next step is actually crafting pre-production prototypes that Optima has distributed to race teams and other enthusiasts who will really put those batteries to the test. 'A lab test is a controlled environment, so the assumptions don't always match reality,' Brockman explained. 'You'll have assumptions on how much power it takes to start the vehicle, which can vary wildly from one vehicle to another; the amount of cranking time; the differences in how a vehicle starts when the engine's cold versus when it's hot. Sometimes you'll find things outside of your initial assumptions, and those are the things we learned along the way to make sure that we have a product that will always perform.' Elizabeth Blackstock, Optima A breather valve is a fairly simple feature; under sea-level atmospheric conditions, this valve remains a sealed component of the battery. But as you climb further up a mountain and the pressure inside the battery builds, it compresses the valve and allows that air pressure to escape. When the air pressure inside and outside of the battery is equalized, the valve shuts. If my chip bag had a similar feature, it wouldn't look like it was bursting at the seams up at the summit of Pikes Peak. The valve may be small, but the OrangeTop QH6 is also outfitted with a load of sensors that monitor battery health, all of which can be transmitted to an app on your phone via Bluetooth. Without the breather valve, Optima could see exactly how sudden changes in elevation and atmospheric pressure compromised battery integrity and lifespan. Add in the breather valve, and the data showed a dramatically different story, though the Optima crew was reluctant to hand off any proprietary details. So, while the 2025 running of the PPIHC was the first time Optima had officially debuted its OrangeTop QH6 battery in a race car as a final product, it wasn't the first time a car had carried some version of that battery up a mountain; its adventure-focused product testers had been enthusiastically scaling summits for about a year before the company knew it had a battery that could withstand the pressures of competition. The difference is that now, Optima has completed the testing of its prototypes and feels confident enough to offer it to consumers. Got a tip? Email us at tips@
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Michele Mouton Joins Pikes Peak Hall Of Fame As Group B Audi Celebrates Her Record-Breaking Run
Forty years ago, Michele Mouton piloted her Audi S1 E2 up Pikes Peak to set a new overall record of 11:25.39, beating all the men, including former record holder Al Unser, Jr. That would be her last trip to Pikes Peak in competition, as she leaft Audi at the end of the 1985 WRC season and professional rally altogether in 1986, though she's certainly kept busy since. To this day, she remains the only Queen of the Mountain among a long list of Kings dating back to 1916. To commemorate this accomplishment, Mouton was inducted into the Pikes Peak Hall of Fame at the 103rd running of the event this past weekend. This was not the only celebration of her achievement, though. Frog Racing, an amateur rally and hillclimb team out of Massachusetts, joined forces with RayTeam Motorsport to enter a 1986 Audi S1 E2 in the race up the mountain in tribute to Mouton. Read more: These Are Lesser-Known Automotive YouTubers Our Readers Say Deserve More Attention Driver Emmanuel Cecchet is a fixture at New England rally and hillclimb events, both as a driver and a scrutineer. His wife, Margaret Sharron, races her own Subaru and is officially the fastest woman ever up Mount Washington. Despite extensive experience in the northeast, this would be his first visit to Pikes Peak. That's a lot of car to put into the hands of someone new to the mountain. To familiarize himself with it, he and RayTeam tested the Audi at Thompson Speedway, Mt. Ascutney, and the Okemo Hillclimb before heading to Colorado. Pikes Peak practice went well. The team displayed the car at Mouton's induction ceremony, where they also met the legend herself. Unfortunately, wind gusts up to 120 mph at the summit forced organizers to shorten the course on race day, ending at Glen Cove at a mere 11,450 feet elevation. Between that and the fully paved road surface compared to the dirt that Mouton set her record on, there is no way to directly compare times. While Cecchet finished with a time of 5:09.043, that put him 16th in Open class and 56th overall. But who cares? Cecchet wasn't there to win the race. He was there to commemorate the first, and so far only, woman to win the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Seeing the car out there, and especially hearing its unique inline-5 engine echoing off the mountainside, brought Pikes Peak history to life. Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest auto news sent straight to your inbox... Read the original article on Jalopnik.
News24
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- News24
1 030kW electric beast: Super Mustang Mach-E targets new Pikes Peak record
This year marks Ford's third consecutive year of fielding an electric vehicle at Pikes Peak. The Super Mustang Mach-E produces 3 129kg of downforce at 241km/h. Romain Dumas takes part in his tenth Pikes Peak and third with Ford Performance. What do you get if you take a Mustang Mach-E, tune it up with three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors producing over 1 400 horsepower ( 1 043kW) and put veteran racer Romain Dumas behind the wheel? The answer: possibly the fastest car to ever go up Pikes Peak. The Super Mustang Mach-E demonstrator has been purpose-built to tackle the gruelling 19.98km Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on 22 June. Ford cemented its reputation on 'America's Mountain' with a legacy dating back to 1916 when a Model T first conquered the climb. Since then, constant innovation has driven Ford's presence at Pikes Peak. This year marks Ford's third consecutive year of fielding an electric demonstrator, following the 2023 record-setting SuperVan 4.2 and the 2024 F-150 Lightning SuperTruck claiming the overall win last year. The lighter, leaner Super Mustang Mach-E could hold an advantage over its contemporaries where nimbleness counts as much as overall power. 'We're continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible with electric vehicles,' said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance. 'This Super Mustang Mach-E demonstrator represents the next stage in our electrification journey - lighter, leaner, just as powerful, and more capable in high-altitude competition. Racing is our test bed; every data point we gather on the mountain helps us build better electric vehicles for our customers - maximizing power delivery, improving regen strategies, or managing heat in extreme elevation changes. What we learn here goes straight into future production.' The Mustang's mechanical make-up comprises three STARD UHP 6-Phase motors producing over 1 043kW, all fed by 50kWh of ultra-high-performance Li-polymer NMC pouch cells. It runs a voltage of 799V, but this year's setup sheds critical weight - over 117kg - while delivering regenerative braking of 710kW. Handling all 156 turns - up to the 4 302m summit – are a carbon braking system, forged magnesium wheels, and Pirelli P-Zero tyres. And with those infamous steep cliffs eager to punish the slightest mistake, the 3 129kg of downforce at 241km/h will help Dumas safely snake his way up the hill. Competing in his third outing with Ford, and tenth Pikes Peak overall, will be current record holder Romain Dumas. 'After last year's incredible run with the F-150 Lightning SuperTruck and SuperVan 4.2 before it, I'm honoured to be back with Ford to take on this challenge once again,' said Dumas. 'This Mach-E is a different beast, and we're excited to see what it can do on the mountain.' click here.
Auto Blog
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
Ford's Super Mustang Mach-E Looks Unstoppable at Pikes Peak
Ford has revealed its contender for the 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and it's looking like a winner. Ford Performance Strikes Back at Pikes Peak Ford Performance is going back to Colorado for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – the Blue Oval's Nth try since the Model T's maiden run in 1916. With the Ford Mustang GTD setting lap records on the other side of the pond, the Mustang appears to be the ideal candidate to conquer the mountain's 12.42-mile, 156-turn route. But it won't be the ICE-powered Mustang that will challenge records this weekend. Meet the Super Mustang Mach-E – a sharper, lighter, and arguably more dangerous version of the otherwise mundane electric crossover, purpose-built to set records at Pikes Peak. After two years of headline-making electric builds – from the wild E-Transit SuperVan to last year's title-winning F-150 Lightning SuperTruck – Ford's latest creation feels like a surgical strike. Engineered To Conquer The Treacherous Colorado Mountain The Super Mustang Mach-E has all the ingredients to secure a win at Pikes Peak. It weighs around 250 pounds less than the SuperTruck, tipping the scales in favor of agility and balance. On a climb where weight and precision can make or break a run, that's a huge advantage. But there's more than weight savings at play here. Powering this monster is a trio of UHP 6-phase electric motors that deliver more than 1,400 horsepower, curiously tuned down a bit compared to its road-course version. Matching this huge grunt is 6,900 pounds of downforce generated at 150 mph, resulting in a car that sticks to the tarmac, unlike few others at this event. The Super Mustang Mach-E also employs 710 kW of regenerative braking, reeling back serious energy to the system during tight turns and whatnots. Source: Ford A Record-Setting Legend At The Helm But a top-rank contender is nothing without a worthy pilot at the helm. Behind the tiller of the Super Mustang Mach-E is none other than Romain Dumas, a Pikes Peak legend who holds the all-time course record (in a Volkswagen, by the way) that the Blue Oval contender wants to break. It's a solid driver-car combo that resulted in a winning run for Ford last year. This year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is happening on June 22, 2025, with a slew of contenders from various automakers. One of them will be the Honda CR-V e:FCEV, set to become the first hydrogen-powered vehicle to complete the Race to the Clouds. About the Author Jacob Oliva View Profile
The Citizen
17-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Hyundai goes aero-mad with Pikes Peak-prepped Ioniq 5 N
There is plenty of motorsport happening today, including Formula 1 and Le Mans, but here is a look at something that takes aero to another level. Hyundai and Evasive Motorsports have prepared a bespoke Ioniq 5 N for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday. Looking for a new or used Hyundai? Find it here with CARmag! Driving duties fall to Rob Walker, a Pikes Peak veteran who previously ran a Scion FR-S. The car has been overhauled specifically for the 103rd running of the event. Evasive Motorsports calls it their 'most ambitious EV project to date', and that's not just marketing talk. The Ioniq 5 N has dropped 227kg thanks to a fully stripped cabin and extensive use of carbon fibre. That includes new doors, a custom tailgate, and other lightweight components. Finding race-ready parts for the Ioniq 5 N wasn't easy. With limited aftermarket support, Evasive turned to Japanese aero firm Voltex, which came up with a bespoke body kit. It includes a carbon front splitter, flared fenders, side skirts, underbody panels, and a massive rear wing — all designed to boost downforce for the high-altitude climb. The car's upgrades go beyond aerodynamics. Krontec air jacks help with fast servicing, and 19-inch Titan wheels wrapped in Yokohama slicks provide grip. A Moton coilover suspension with prototype anti-roll bars from EVS Tuning sharpens handling. Inside, a six-point roll cage and a single Sparco carbon fibre seat take care of safety, while CSG Spec pads handle braking. Related: Road Test: Hyundai Alcazar Executive diesel AT The dual-motor setup remains stock, still pushing 478kW and 769Nm to all four wheels. That's enough to get the standard Ioniq 5 N from 0–100km/h in 3.25s and on to 261km/h. 'We've come close in the past and feel it's far more achievable with the Ioniq 5 N,' said Evasive Motorsports co-president Mike Chang. Click here and browse thousands of new and used vehicles here with CARmag! The post Hyundai Goes Aero Mad With Pikes Peak Prepped Ioniq 5 N appeared first on CAR Magazine.
