The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second oldest race in the country (the Indy 500 is just slightly older) and it takes place this Sunday, June 26th. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the race and practice sessions have been taking place this week. 156 turns and just 12.4 miles of uphill climbing are what separate the racers from a year’s worth (or more) of bragging rights. The end of the race at the summit sits 14,110 feet above sea level. There are no guardrails so the race is not only a test of the vehicle but also the driver’s ability to maintain composure and focus on the course ahead and not the ground below. This year, perennial contender Mike Ryan returns with his highly modified Freightliner semi truck.
Exact figures are not available but the team estimates the truck’s output at 2400 horsepower. It is powered by a Detroit Diesel engine that has received additional oomph from Banks Power. We caught up with Ryan after one of his practice sessions this week to get a run down of his rig and get his thoughts on this year’s race. An interesting tidbit of information: his truck is the heaviest vehicle in the race, with the second heaviest being a Tesla Model S P90D that comes in at almost half the weight of his truck. Watch the video below to see Ryan take it through one of his practice runs from earlier this week.
