Sunday witnessed the 2013 edition of the iconic Pikes Peak International Hill Climb at Pikes Peak, Colorado, USA. All eyes were on Sebastien Loeb in the 875 bhp Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak as he smashed the course record by an unbelievable 1 minute and 33 seconds. Loeb, previously known for winning the World Rally Championship nine times in a row (a record in its own right) completed the Pikes Peak climb in 8:13.878
The Frenchman mastered the legendary Colorado course, featuring 156 wrist-sapping bends winding up the 12-mile route towards the 14,000 feet high finish line. Loeb became the first driver to complete the [...]
This weekend saw Sebastien Loeb try out the Peugeot 208T16 at Pikes Peak for the first time ahead of this year’s event. His test run was split into two stages, covering the lower half of the run on Saturday and the second half on Sunday. On both occasions he was fastest overall. The divided programme was aimed at building up Loeb’s knowledge and pace notes ahead of his first full runs.
The 9-time WRC champion felt immediately comfortable with the 208T16, even though he only completed his first meaningful run in the car last month.
I feel very confident with the car. That’s a reassuring start, if only because of the speeds we get up to here. We are [...]
Peugeot has released a new video of the 208 T16 undergoing heavy testing at Mont Ventoux in preparation for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb to be held at the end of this month. The location for one of the most grueling stages of the Tour de France, Mont Ventoux represents the perfect spot to test the car because of its steep terrain and high attitudes which attracted racers as far back as 1902. Using the last six kilometers of the mountain’s summit road, the 208 T16 tested at rather high altitudes for Europe, but with a peak of 6,263 feet, even the barren summit is more than 3,000 feet below the start of the Pikes Peak International Hill [...]
In 1988, former Finnish World Rally Champion (WRC), Ari Vatanen won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a record-breaking time with his turbocharged Peugeot 405 T16. This famous feat was documented in an equally famous short film by Jean Louis Mourey called ‘Climb Dance’. Peugeot is now making a return to Pikes Peak after a 14-year absence with the stunning 208 T16. The radically designed car will be piloted by the most successful driver in WRC history and a record 9-time champion, Sebastien Loeb.
Beast.
Red Bull [...]