Paul Dallenbach Goes for the Unlimited Pikes Peak

Only a couple of weeks are left before those with enough guts and some cars to push to their limits will take on the famous Pikes Peak, in their attempt to be the fastest to the top. Among them, Paul Dallenbach, a former record holder and winner of the Race to the Clouds six times.

This year, the racer will be fielding a very special vehicle, built together with Banks Power, and will try to take the win in one of the most challenging classes of the race: Unlimited. The car he prepared for the run is powered by an engine tweaked beyond recognition (Unlimited is a class that has practically no rules when it comes to what you can do to the engine to make it better, or worse).

The unit fitted somewhere under the body of the car once developed 745 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. Now, thanks to some turbocharging and other tuning magic, the vehicle boasts an almost unbelievable 1307 hp and 1206 lb-ft. In a small package such as that, the only thing stopping it from taking the title should be his ability of keeping the car on the road.

The Pikes Peak Hill Climb kicks off on June 26, to continue a tradition which began in 1916. The 89th edition of the race will witness dozens of cars and drivers racing to the top on a 12.42 miles that begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the mountain’s 14,110 feet. Among them, some newcomers like the Dacia Duster, who got a GT-R implant and now hopes for a page in the history books.