The 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is well underway with this year�??s event gathering enormous media attention with nine-time WRC champion Sebastian Loeb competing in a purpose built Peugeot 208 T16.
The Peugeot team, which consists of more than 60 people, has been undertaking a massive task to ensure victory at Sunday�??s race, but to also set a record time that will remain unbeatable for years to come.
Drifting champion and last year�??s Pikes Peak winner Rhys Millen, who has been coming to the famous hill climb since 1992, is racing in his new Hyundai RMR PM580-T but readily admits that beating Loeb will be extremely challenging.
�??The sheer quantity of dollars thrown at their effort has never been seen before and to parallel that effort I would have to walk into Hyundai and say I want to build an all-wheel drive car and develop it, I need to ask for five million dollars and that ain�??t gonna happen�?� Millen told CarAdvice.
Millen believes that Sebastian�??s time will become an unbeatable benchmark if the French team has its way on Sunday. Asked if he could beat Loeb:
�??Not on this road, not in this car. If they have a good run on Sunday you will never see that record fall again.�?�
Though he is expecting to break into the nine-minute barrier for the first time, Millen is well aware that his competition is in a different league.
�??Respectfully I understand their approach, if I could get that support and get that program, you would want that program. I have no negatives towards it, I think it�??s incredible to watch the workmanship, but their engines are from the 2005 LeMans program�?� it�??s an incredible car. It�??s a four-wheel drive Formula 1 car.�?�
Speaking of the race�??s future, Millen is cautious as he points out the difficulty others will face in attempting to beat Loeb�??s record, suggesting that the ability for other manufacturers to compete in the unlimited division is going to suffer as a result of Peugeot�??s efforts this year.
Regardless of Loeb�??s efforts this weekend, Rhys Millen is expected to win the 2WD category in his Hyundai and given the event�??s unpredictable nature, may still have a shot at the outright title.
The 2013 Pikes Peak Hill Climb will get underway this Sunday and CarAdvice will bring you full coverage from Colorado as the event unfolds.
Read: 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb: Introduction
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