The nine-time WRC champ will take on America’s famous hillclimb with Peugeot this summer.
Sebastien Loeb is set to further broaden his horizons – quite literally – when he competes in the annual Pikes Peak hillclimb for Peugeot.
Loeb will drive the French make’s recently launched 208 T16 – a modern-day incarnation of its famed 205 T16 rally car from the 1980s).
Although not yet confirmed, the car is expected to produce 600bhp – double that of Loeb’s Citroen DS3 WRC machine.
It is the latest challenge to be announced by Loeb as he winds down his participation in the WRC before retirement. In 2013 he will also contest the FIA GT Series in a McLaren MP4-12C GT3 run by his own Sebastien Loeb Racing team, and he has also been linked to a future World Touring Car programme with Citroen.
Loeb’s presence in a Peugeot on Pikes Peak is sure to provoke memories of 1981 WRC champion Ari Vatenen’s famous run up the hill in a similarly-powered four-wheel-steering version of the 405 T16 GR in 1988.
Finn Vatanen set a record time up Pikes Peak – a feat captured in Climb Dance, one of the most stunning motor sport videos of all time.
This year’s Pikes Peak Hillclimb will run on 30 June. The course, in Colorado Springs’ Rocky Mountains, is just short of 12.5km and consists of 156 corners as it winds its way up from a starting point of 2800 metres to 4300 metres at its summit. Among its greatest perils are the high speeds and some huge drops.
Until recently the road used for the climb was gravel-based but has since been re-paved to make it an all asphalt event. The current record stands at 9m46.164s, set by Rhys Millen in a 700bhp Hyundai Genesis coupe last year.
Speaking of Loeb’s new project, Peugeot Brand CEO Maxime Picat said: “Pikes Peak is a one-off outing…It is also a tough, exceptional challenge which leaves no room for error. In other words, it’s exactly the sort of challenge that Peugeot adores.
“Our objective is to win, so we needed to stack up as many cards as possible in our favour by joining forces with the very best partners for this unique project, namely Total, Red Bull, Michelin and Sebastien Loeb. Indeed, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Citroen for this one-off ‘loan’ of its exceptional champion.”
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