Video worth watching: Romain Dumas' winning run at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the fastest and most terrifying events in motorsport. Drivers and riders race up a hill measuring just under 20km, to an altitude of 14,000ft above sea level. This year, it was Romain Dumas (yes the same Romain Dumas that won at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans) who took first place at the event, with a time of 8min 51.445sec in a Norma M20 RD Limited. This car uses a turbocharge Honda HPD K20 four cylinder petrol engine, which displaces 2,000cc. While developing this car, the team's main objective was to obtain a 1:1 power to weight ratio. The car weighs just 610kg and gets an all-wheel drive system.
In this video all you'll see a first-person view of the Norma M20 RD Limited's bonnet that is ploughing its way up the hill with its turbocharged engine howling away. You will also notice how the car lunges forward, as soon as the engine gets over the teeny bit of turbo lag, making everything around it a blur. As Dumas gets higher up the hill, the trees start to thin out, snow starts to appear and the scarily high cliffs give you butterflies in your stomach.
Watch the video below to be blown away by the level of skill required to complete the Pikes Peak Hill Climb successfully.