Pikes Peak is the toughest course, and setting a new record there is the most impressive prize. Hyundai will bring four electric Ioniq 5 N performance cars to the event this year. They want to beat the SUV course record set by the Lamborghini Urus Performante, and it looks like they might be able to do it. Hyundai announced the goal of this year’s Race to the Clouds and the drivers who will be competing. The Korean company will use the knowledge of Ron Zaras, who used to work for Ken Block; Robin Shute, who won four times; Dani Sordo, who won three times in the WRC; and Paul Dallenbach, who won Pikes Peak eleven times overall. When it comes to the Production SUV class, Shute and Sordo will race modified cars, while Dallenbach and Zaras will drive stock cars. The public will be able to get the updated cars and liveries later. Pirelli test driver Simone Faggioli set the track record when he lapped the Urus Performante in 10:32.064 during a private run that wasn’t a race in October 2022. The stock Ioniq 5 Ns will try to beat that time. On paper, the two SUVs would go well together. Which Car? says the Hyundai is 4,916 pounds heavy and makes 601 horsepower (641 horsepower in launch mode). Invoice Pricing says that the Urus has a lot more power than the Mustang (657 horsepower) but weighs a little more (4,986 pounds). In addition, these are only a handful of the many positive aspects. The Hyundai only gets 245 horsepower per ton, while the Lamborghini gets 264 horsepower per ton. EVs are faster, from 0 to 60 mph (3.1 seconds) than the Hyundai, which takes 3.25 seconds, because they don’t do as well at high speeds. It also gives better power after that point. They could drive up Pikes Peak’s many steep hills and tight turns, where the Lamborghini’s four-wheel handling made it even more maneuverable. (The Lamborghini may have also gotten better course conditions during its private lesson.) Even though Lamborghini is ahead, Hyundai still has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. The Ioniq 5 N is lighter, has a lower center of gravity, and spreads out its weight better. High altitude won’t hurt it because it’s electric, so it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make as much power as it could. At first, a supercharged engine may lose about a quarter of its power. As it gets closer to the 14,115-foot peak, it may lose a lot more. EVs’ instantaneous power transfer makes them equal to the Lamborghini’s less responsive twin-turbo V8. Remember that the VW ID.R had a lot more power than the Peugeot 208 T16, which held the mark. It’s a tie overall, but Hyundai wouldn’t have taken the chance if it wasn’t sure it could win. And if the stock cars don’t work, the modified cars will, as long as the weather permits. It is impossible to predict what the weather will be like on the day of the marathon.
