2022 Acura MDX Type S Breaks Cover Alongside Pikes Peak Hill Climb Race Cars

The first-ever race was held here in 1916, and back then, a Romano Demon Special managed to complete the course in 20 minutes and 55 seconds! Fast forward to 2021, the current record stands at a whopping 7 minutes and 57 seconds. This was established by Romain Dumas, driving an electric Volkswagen I.D. R, back in 2018. I can still remember following the race when everyone was trying to break the 10-minute barrier.

MDX Type S Debuts as Tow Vehicle

With less than two weeks left until the 99th edition of the "Race to the Clouds", the people over at Acura have come up with some interesting news, for both people interested in the race itself, and also for those who would much rather stick to normal day-to-day vehicles. The 2022 MDX Type S has been designated to be the official tow vehicle for the Acura Race Team and is being showcased alongside the TLX Type S, which it will transport from Raymond, Ohio, all the way to Pikes Peak in Colorado.

In total, four Acura race cars will be taking on this year's challenge, and I find it very suiting that everyone on the team, from mechanics to drivers, is an Acura R&D engineer. This goes to show that the knowledge gained by competing in these cars will most definitely be used in the development of future models, making tomorrow's cars faster and safer at the same time.

The new MDX is going to be the first Acura SUV to wear the Type S badge, which might be a turnoff for people who used to love the Integra, but might help the brand appeal to a whole new audience of clients who need an SUV in their lives but also need it to be fast and exciting at the same time. With 355 horsepower and 354 lb-ft (480 Nm) of torque on tap, this is going to be the brand's quickest and most powerful SUV yet.

To Infinity and Beyond!

This turbocharged V6 unit is going to be available exclusively on Type S models, and future owners can rejoice at the idea that their car has benefitted from the work of several Acura engineers that have also helped develop the twin-turbo V6 NSX. Acura is advertising the MDX Type S as a high-performance SUV, and with its Super Handling All-Wheel Drive system, Bremo front brakes, and double-wishbone front suspension, this might be interesting to drive.

As you might already know, the 2021 Acura TLX Type S Pace Car will be driven by "Wheeler Dealer" star Ant Anstead, but let's have a look at the race cars as well. This year's drivers have some big shoes to fill, as in 2019, Peter Cunningham set a Pikes Peak Open Class record in an Acura TLX GT race car. At 9 minutes and 24 seconds, this was faster than what David Donner could achieve in a 2019 Porsche GT2 RS Clubsport one year later.

Not only that but the Hybrid Class record also bears the Acura logo, as it was set by James Robinson behind the wheel of an NSX, with a time of 10 minutes and 1 second. The front-wheel-drive record belongs to Nick Robinson, and it was set three years ago, in a 2018 TLX A-Spec, with a time of 10 minutes and 48 seconds. So the task ahead is quite enormous, to say the least, but with four cars at their disposal, Acura might still have a word to say this year too.

Acura Takes on Pikes Peak With Four Cars

Jordan Guitar is going to take on the Exhibition division in one of the two TLX Type S, while Justin Lumbard will attack the Open division in the second car. James Robinson will be back in his NSX in the Time Attack 1 division, while Nick Robinson is also driving an NSX in the Exhibition class. Each of the cars has been prepared accordingly, and chances are high that at least one new record will be set this year.

Justin Lumbard's TLX Type S is about 600 lbs (272 kg) lighter than a road-going version of the same vehicle, and it also has a race-spec suspension, race-compound brakes that also come with additional cooling, and lightweight HRE wheels that are wrapped in Pirelli slicks for maximum grip levels. Lumbard has been part of the team since 2017 and has been leading it since last year. He finished 6th in the Exhibition division in 2020, driving a 2021 TLX 2.0T.

While Justin Lumbard is an engineer, Jordan Guitar is a member of the Acura Chassis Development Group, so you can be sure that he knows a thing or two about what it takes to build a highly capable performance vehicle. He has been driving at Pikes Peak for the last three years now, and he will be taking on the challenge once again. His car is slightly heavier than that of Justin Lumbard, but that isn't going to slow him down too much.

The Time Attack NSX is back at Pikes Peak for the fifth year in a row, but its driver, James Robinson is now celebrating his 11th official race here. He will undoubtedly try to break his previous record, and with 625 horsepower on tap, and an overall reduced weight figure, he needs just two seconds to break the ten-minute barrier. That might not sound like a difficult task, but consider the fact that he has to drive 12.42 miles (19.98 km) up the mountain, with 156 turns between him and the finish line.

Nick and James are brothers, and it only seemed fitting that both of them would drive NSX models for the race. While James is behind the wheel of the Time Attack version, Nick has been given the assignment of taking on the Time Attack 2 class, where he will attempt to set a record this year, in his near-stock NSX. The only thing he can count on for this race is the OMP safety equipment and a set of Hoosier race tires.