Photo: al.yasid / Instagram
Last weekend, on June 25, the 101st running of the Broadmoor-sponsored Pikes Peak International Hill Climb met competitors with near-perfect weather conditions – unlike in 2022, when the tarmac was slippery and visibility poor. But that didn't stop a few 'funny' things from happening.
For example, BMW's attempt to set a new record for the fastest SUV at PPIHC ended in disaster – a crash rearranged that Porky Pig-style visage of the high-performance XM Label Red SUV. On the other hand, several class records were broken, as per tradition. And there were also no surprises at the top, where meticulous British driver Robin Shute continued to dominate the "Race to the Clouds" with his fourth overall victory in just half a decade of participation – still with the venerable Unlimited class 2018 Wolf TSC-FS rocking a turbo 2.1-liter engine from Honda. His time was eight minutes and 40.080s, by the way.
So, perhaps it's time to shake things up. In the real world, Shute's main adversary was none other than Romain Dumas, the Swiss sports car racing and hill climb legend (the all-time PPIHC record holder with 7m57.148s in an all-electric VW ID.R Pikes Peak), who wrestled to control his new zero-emissions monster – the 1,408-hp Ford SuperVan 4.2. It won the Pikes Peak Open class but only came second overall with a time of eight minutes 47.682s, followed by Frenchman Raphael Astier in the special Alpine A110 for Pikes Peak.
Note another exciting thing or two. So, the podium had an Italian-developed race car helmed by a Brit, followed by a Swiss in a Ford Europe electric van and a Frenchman in a French car. That makes us wonder – when will America reclaim glory at its most renowned hill climb event worldwide? Well, if that doesn't happen in the real world anytime soon, no worries – the imaginative realm of digital car content creators has a potential solution. So, cue to London, UK-based virtual artist Al Yasid, better known as al.yasid on social media, who is again making purists run amok, all crying their Shelby Cobra outrage this time.
And it is all because one of his bonkers, artsy car projects revolves around the AC Cars Shelby Cobra taking a swing towards complete and absolute racing madness with a single-seat configuration. Of course, the lack of a passenger seat is just a tiny detail lost in the translation of all the other crazy ideas – such as the ultra-slammed atmosphere, the minty green body shade, the humongous fender flares that make part of the widebody kit, the front Speedtail wheels, plus the absolutely stunning mix between a full-size roll cage and a black wing that looks like it could help a plane take off from a very short runway. Cool, right?
So, perhaps it's time to shake things up. In the real world, Shute's main adversary was none other than Romain Dumas, the Swiss sports car racing and hill climb legend (the all-time PPIHC record holder with 7m57.148s in an all-electric VW ID.R Pikes Peak), who wrestled to control his new zero-emissions monster – the 1,408-hp Ford SuperVan 4.2. It won the Pikes Peak Open class but only came second overall with a time of eight minutes 47.682s, followed by Frenchman Raphael Astier in the special Alpine A110 for Pikes Peak.
Note another exciting thing or two. So, the podium had an Italian-developed race car helmed by a Brit, followed by a Swiss in a Ford Europe electric van and a Frenchman in a French car. That makes us wonder – when will America reclaim glory at its most renowned hill climb event worldwide? Well, if that doesn't happen in the real world anytime soon, no worries – the imaginative realm of digital car content creators has a potential solution. So, cue to London, UK-based virtual artist Al Yasid, better known as al.yasid on social media, who is again making purists run amok, all crying their Shelby Cobra outrage this time.
And it is all because one of his bonkers, artsy car projects revolves around the AC Cars Shelby Cobra taking a swing towards complete and absolute racing madness with a single-seat configuration. Of course, the lack of a passenger seat is just a tiny detail lost in the translation of all the other crazy ideas – such as the ultra-slammed atmosphere, the minty green body shade, the humongous fender flares that make part of the widebody kit, the front Speedtail wheels, plus the absolutely stunning mix between a full-size roll cage and a black wing that looks like it could help a plane take off from a very short runway. Cool, right?
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