Sebastien Loeb Crushes Pikes Peak Record by Over a Minute

Sebastien Loeb can add another superlative to his resume. He is not only the rally driver with the most wins in history; he now holds the record time in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. In his one run up the 12-mile (20km) course, Loeb set a time of 8:13.878 to beat the previous record of 9:46.164 by over a minute and a half. Loeb averaged 145km/h (90.1mph) over the course's 156 corners. 

“For me, this was the race of the year. 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," said Loeb.

Loeb's 875hp PeugeotPeugeotFrance, 1882 > present120 models
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208 T16 Pikes Peak competed in the Unlimited class of the rally, which allows for whatever modifications a team would want as long as they are safe. His car used a turbocharged V6 engine, and the platform from the 908Peugeot 908France, 2011 > present3 photos
Le Mans racer. 

Loeb's time was even faster than Peugeot believed possible. The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb only allows drivers to practice and qualify on certain sessions of the course. Only on the final day do teams get to take on the entire course. By programming Loeb's practice times into a computer, Peugeot estimated that the theoretical ideal was 8:15. Apparently Loeb never gave it his all in practice because he beat the theoretical limit by nearly two seconds.

“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," he said.

Hyundai'sHyundaiRepublic of Korea, 1967 > present79 models
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RMR PM580-THyundai Coupe RMR Pikes P...Republic of Korea, 2013 > 2000, a highly modified Hyundai Genesis CoupeHyundai Genesis CoupéRepublic of Korea, 2013 > present6 photos
, came in second place with driver Rhys Millen setting a time of 9:02.192

In 1988, Peugeot set the Pikes Peak record with Ari Vatanen at the wheel of the 405Peugeot 405France, 1987 > present22 versions
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T16 Pikes Peak and set a then record of 10:47.220, however that is when the course was still mostly dirt and gravel. Today, it is entirely paved.