Ken Block is going to conquer Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak is perhaps the most famous mountain race in the world. Mario Andretti, the Anzer family, as well as world rally stars such as Walter Röhrl and Ari Vatanen, Sebastian Loeb, turned a crazy 20-kilometer race of 156 turns into a legend in world motorsport.


Winning the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Race, also known as "Race in the Clouds", will help the Drift King with a Porsche SVRSR named "Hoonipigasus", combining Ken's team name "Hoonigan Racing Division" with "Pegasus" - the logo of Block's new sponsor, the most successful oil brand in Pikes Peak's "Mobil-1" history. The car is painted in a curious pink, referring to the 917 Porsche 20/1971. At one time, this car was nicknamed "Pink Pig". This nickname, one of the variants of the sports prototype racing legend, was awarded not only because of the magnificent body shapes, but also because of the terrible handling.

Porsche 917/20: pink, with tail and piglet

On June 22, 1970, Porsche decided to design for the 24 Hours of Le Mans "a coupe with less aerodynamic drag than current models." In this case, the car must provide an equivalent level of downforce and directional stability. The result was the 917, with a short tail and larger body. This is the fourth model of the 917, after the "long tail", "short tail" and "short tail with side fins", combined the features of each of them.



Curvaceous curves of the body inspired the design studio Porsche to paint the car pink and dotted parts of the body, as butchers do on carcasses in shops. Nicknamed the "Pink Pig", the 917/20 was the most photographed entry in the 1971 Le Mans race!

The crew, consisting of Willi Kausen and Reinhold Jost, managed to show seventh place in qualifying, which is unexpected for a car that did not participate in the tests. But during the race, the 917/20 in fifth position retired due to an accident.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb - PPIHC (Racing in the Clouds)

Every year, motorcycle and car enthusiasts gather in Colorado for the annual Race in the Clouds, which is the second oldest auto race in the United States, after the Indianapolis 500.



In 1916, the Pikes Peak Highway opened, ushering in an era of automobile tourism in the region. An engineering marvel of the time, brainchild of marketing guru Spencer Penrose. The construction of the nineteen-mile road cost $400, and required the extensive use of draft animals, people, and explosives. To recoup the investment, Penrose charged a fee of fifty cents to anyone who wished to drive on the road. Anticipating the reluctance of some tourists to pay to climb to the top, Penrose launched an extensive marketing campaign. An advertising pamphlet from 000 states: “Price does not matter! It would be foolish to let the issue of cost keep you from the most wonderful trip in the world!”

To bring more attention to the Pikes Peak Auto Highway and the Broadmoor Hotel, Penrose created the annual Penrose Trophy: Pikes Peak mountain climbing competition. Spencer personally contributed $2000 to the prize pool. This caught the attention of the press, and articles about the new race appeared on the front pages of 650 different newspapers! Since then riders from all over the world have climbed Pikes Peak 99 times. In 2022, the XNUMXth anniversary race will take place, and showman and rally driver Ken Block will take part in it. Here's what he had to say about the upcoming race:



Ken Block calls his new car “the craziest since the Hoonicorn”, remember that since 2017, Ken has been trying to conquer Pikes Peak, piloting a 1400-horsepower Ford Mustang RTR V2, equipped with a twin-turbocharged and methanol-powered engine.

"Hoonicorn" Mustang, 1965 - custom drift car with all-wheel drive

Debuted at the 2014 SEMA Show, the Hoonicorn received a more powerful engine in 2016. The name "Hunicorn" is a combination of the words "Hoonigan" and "unicorn".

The first version of the Mustang-Hoonicorn was equipped with a V8 engine with a capacity of 845 horses. But in the course of modernization, he received a 6,7-liter “eight” with twin turbocharging, with a capacity of 1400 horsepower! The Mustang-Hoonicorn uses a six-speed sequential gearbox and all-wheel drive. The car is able to accelerate to a speed of 100 kilometers in 1,8 seconds! However, this Mustang Hoonicorn is more of a drift car than a real race car, so Block never had a chance to win.

But with the Porsche SVRSR, things should be different: with this car, Ken is going to win the PPO (Pikes Peak Open) class!

Engine and layout

To win at Pikes Peak, Block enlisted the support of the Californian company BBi Autosport. The firm is a renowned specialist in Porsche sports cars, so it's no surprise that Ken asked them to help build the Hoonipigasus. So, from now on, this classic 911 series 964 is not air-cooled! Instead of the old air vent, BBi took the liquid-cooled four-litre, flat-six, liquid-cooled engine from the current track Porsche 992 GT3, and fitted it with twin turbos!



Classic 991s are rear-engined cars, with the engine located behind the rear axle, but for the Hoonipigasus, the layout was changed to a mid-engined one. Also for Pikes Peak, BBi Autosport widened the track, equipping Ken Block's car with extremely developed wheel arches.

Aerodynamics and transmission

Block is an all-wheel drive specialist, so on the Hoonipigasus, the Porsche GT3 engine sends its 1400 horsepower to all four wheels via a Sadev six-speed sequential gearbox.



To create downforce, a huge XXL front splitter was installed on the car, as well as a rear wing on high racks, more like a dining table in size! Under the bottom of the car is a powerful diffuser, significantly lengthening the body.

Active GPS suspension

BBi Autosport is going to use GPS and telemetry data from 2021 to control the active wheel suspension. This is to ensure that the car knows what to expect from each of the circuit's 156 turns.



Hoonipigasus 2022 is not Ken Block's first attempt at Pikes Peak. In 2005, he stormed the mountain in a Group N rally Subaru Impreza. But then the "storm" turned into a light breeze, as in the rarefied mountain air the power of Blok's car fell to a meager 200 horses.

But now Ken has a worthy weapon that can lead him to victory! The start of the race, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, is scheduled for Sunday, June 26th.