Pikes Peak

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Bentley Continental is the fastest car on sustainable fuel

Unfortunately setting a new record wasn’t an option at the latest Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the Time Attack 1 class, due to icy conditions at the summit of Pikes Peak, the course was shortened to finish at an altitude of 12,780 ft instead of the normal 14,115 ft, which rendered all ambition to set a new record impossible to realize, but the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak still managed an incredible feat despite a let engine issue.

In the end, the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak, jointly developed by a collaborative team of Bentley, Fastr, Roger Clark Motorsport, M-Sport, and Rhys Millen Racing, took second place in the grueling Time Attack 1 class and 4th place overall with former King of the Mountain Rhys Millen (NZ) behind the wheel, in a time of 6:36.281, a full 12 seconds faster than her closest competitor … if it wasn’t for a boost pressure issue just a few corners from the end, they would have been 16 seconds faster, which would have meant a first-place finish in her class.

It is wasn’t for the removal of the last third of the normal course, with a finish at Devil’s Playground, things might have looked considerably different for the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak, according to Bentley’s Director of Motorsport, Paul Williams: “We know we had the pace today both to win our class and to break the Time Attack 1 record. The weather sadly wasn’t with us though, with the shortened course meaning our assault on the record was never a possibility. While that’s a bitter pill to swallow, I’m proud to have entered such a strong renewably-powered racecar – the fastest at the event – and equally proud of the team that’s delivered this project. This is the first step on Bentley’s renewable fuel journey, and there will be many more opportunities to come. Perhaps we’ll even come back to Pikes Peak next year…”

This 2021 entry into the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was their third stint in recent editions, with highly successful record runs in a specially-prepared Bentayga that took the ‘Production SUV’ record), and another Continental GT that set the ‘Production Class record’, this year’s entry is the first of a long-term renewable fuels program created to develop the use of genuinely sustainable fuels to future Bentley clients.

The 750+ bhp Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is the first step from Bentley into a renewably powered racecar, this trend will continue as part of their Beyond100 strategy to evolve into the world’s leading sustainable luxury mobility company, including their future racecars.

Let’s enjoy some more photos of this amazing Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak during her Hill Climb at Pikes Peak 2021:

June 29, 2021 / Comments Off

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Bentley’s Continental GT3 Pikes Peak specifications

Bentley already managed to obtain two Pikes Peak records, in 2018 the Bentley Bentayga W12 took the Production SUV record, and in 2019 a Bentley Continental achieved the outright Production Car record, for the 2021 edition of the Pikes Peak mountain time attack, Bentley is bringing a Continental GT3 that’s been prepared specifically for this record attempt, on June 27 none other than three-time Pikes Peak champion and former “King of the Mountain” Rhys Millen (NZ) will be behind the wheel of this special Bentley.

To break the current record for the Pike Peak Time Attack 1 the Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak edition will have to start at 9,300 ft and climb a total of almost 5,000 ft to reach the finish line at an altitude of 14,100 ft, where the air is a third less dense than at sea level, it will take Rhys into a total of 156 corners, during which he’ll have to reach an average speed of more than 78 mph to reach the top in less than 9 minutes and 36 seconds.

To achieve such a feat, this Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak special has been heavily modified to make it competitive on those altitudes, and that started with the engine, a 4.0-Liter twin-turbo race-proven version of the normal road car unit has been completely reworked to reach a power output of more than 750 bhp and 1,000 Nm of torque … at sea level testing. But to make even more power at the race itself they will install different pistons and conrods to achieve a higher boost pressure in excess of 2.2 bar.

None other than famous exhaust company Akrapovic 3D-printed bespoke, one-off titanium manifolds that get a pair of larger turbos complete with external wastegates … the exhaust itself is very short and comes with dedicated ‘screamer’ pipes that come out of the bodywork inches behind the front wheels.

During the Pikes Peak Time Attack this Bentley Continental GT3 will be running on Fuel, a dedicated blend of advanced biofuels designed for racing called 98RON Renewable Racing Fuel with a greenhouse gas reduction of up to 85%, as part of the strategy to maximize the pace of Bentley’s progress towards outright carbon neutrality, as part of its Beyond100 journey.

Because at the altitudes the Pikes Peak mountain track is located the air being a lot less dense, the Bentley Continental GT3 needs additional cooling for the high-performance engine, so there is a secondary cooling system installed, complete with a dedicated second water pump and air scoops that completely replace the rear side windows and draw air onto an additional radiator that has air vents integrated into the rear boot lid.

Both the gearbox and the engine run on Mobil1 supplied oil, the purpose race-built gearbox is a standard track unit from Bentley but comes with bigger rear driveshafts to handle the massive torque. The chassis on the other hand has been meticulously finetuned specifically for the Pikes Peak event, running a reduced camber both on the front and on the rear axle compared to a regular Continental GT3, which helps with low-speed corners on this special mountain track.

Aerodynamic balance is very important in a car with this kind of performance, but for the Pikes Peak race Bentley had to heavily modify the standard aero kit, they managed a 30% increase in downforce at sea level, this Pikes Peak version comes with the largest rear wing Bentley ever fitted to a car that hovers above a modified rear diffuser … but to keep the overall balance a substantially modified front aerodynamic setup had to be created, we now see a two-plane front splitter with separate dive planes, mostly made from carbon nylon filament in their rapid prototype department.

The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak boasts the race livery from Roger Clark Motorsport, they will run the car in the UK) in a stunning black-and-gold theme, but for this occasion, Bentley had to add their instantly-recognizable Pikes Peak mountain graphic that was also featured on the earlier Pikes Peak variants of the Bentayga in 2018 and the Continental GT in 2019.

The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is already located in the United States as you read this, going through some extensive chassis tests at Willow Springs and later also high-altitude testing in Aspen, Colorado to make sure they can finetune the engine and calibrate everything for maximum performance at Pikes Peak later this month. At the same time, they had an engine running through extremely high-load tests at the base of M-Sport in Cumbria back in the UK.

I for one can’t wait to see how this black-and-gold Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will perform on June 27 on the mountain track … let’s hope they can break, or at least come close to the standing record …

June 6, 2021 / Comments Off

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Bentley’s 2021 Pikes Peak racer unveiled

Bentley wants to add a third consecutive victory to their Pikes Peak performance, they already managed the Production SUV record and the Production Car record in 2018 and 2019, and now want to tackle the Time Attack 1 record with a very special, bespoke built race car driven by former ‘King of the Mountain’, Rhys Millen.

The new Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak has been specifically designed to compete for the Time Attack 1 record at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb taking place on June 27 this year, the 12.42-mile course will be run on a biofuel based gasoline, a first for a competition Bentley, as a goal to offer sustainable fuels to Bentley’s customers around the world.

This specific car is a heavily modified Continental GT3 racer, run in conjunction with British Continental GT3 customer team Fastr, who have successfully campaigned their Bentley race car in time attack competitions in the UK. Teams from both Bentley and Fastr are working together with specialists from M-Sport in Cumbria to achieve the maximum possible performance from the Continental GT3 package, before taking the car to Colorado where it will be driven by Fastr with assistance from K-PAX Racing.

Taking the Time Attack 1 record will have this Continental GT3 Pikes Peak cover the climb in less than 9 minutes and 36 seconds while reaching an average speed of 78 mph over the 156 corners during a nearly 5,000 ft climb, but as the start is already at a 9,300 ft elevation, the finish at 14,100 ft high comes with a 1/3 less density for the air compared to sea level, which requires very specific settings for both the car’s aerodynamics and the engine tuning.

This 2021 Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak boasts the largest rear wing ever seen on a Bentley, a massive rear diffuser helps even further while the front has a two-plane splitter fitted together with massive ‘dive planes’ on either side for optimum stability in those grueling 156 corners that have to be taken at the highest possible speed to reach that record-setting time at the finish.

At this time the Continental GT3 Pikes Peak is undergoing final testing and fine-tuning in the UK, but the car will soon be transported to the USA for high-altitude testing to make sure the car is as ready as possible for the ultimate test on June 27 at the 99th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

April 13, 2021 / Comments Off

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McLaren Denver commissions 600LT Pikes Peak Edition from MSO

McLaren Denver placed an order with McLaren Special Operations that turns the limited-edition 600LT Spider into the limited-to-six, 600LT Spider Pikes Peak Edition. Each car wears one of MSO’s Bespoke or Heritage exterior colors, matte black vinyl stripes, and interior embellishments. The shades come in Black Gold, White Gold, Nerello Red, Volcano Red, Aurora Blue and Midas Grey. The MSO Club Sport Pack upgrades the outside with carbon fiber cantrails, carbon fiber front fender louvers, and titanium wheel bolts to affix the Satin Speedline Gold wheels.

Inside, a Satin Gold band identifies top dead center on the steering wheel, and extended paddle shifters in Satin Gold hang out behind the wheel. Lightweight carbon fiber racing seats taken from the McLaren Senna get contrast stitching Satin Gold, the headrests embroidered with the Pikes Peak logo in the same color. A plaque reading “Pikes Peak Collection 1 of 6” alerts the world to the exclusivity.

The 600LT Spider Pikes Peak Edition remains untouched otherwise compared to the standard open-top, a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 providing 592 horsepower and 457 pound-feet of torque suitable for charging up 14,000-foot mountains on Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires. In an environment where road-holding and braking would be especially important, the 600LT Spider upgrades its game with suspension bits from the 720S, carbon ceramic brake discs, and lightweight calipers. Price remains a mystery, but expect a healthy premium over the $256,500 MSRP for the ‘regular’ 600LT Spider.

July 27, 2019 / Comments Off

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Volkswagen: Pikes Peak Hill Climb Record Holder

Over the weekend, Volkswagen sent out their all-electric prototype to crush the Pikes Peak Hill Climb record. A century-old race that has 12 miles and 156 curves, Pikes Peak has been setting laps and letting cars chew up miles for greatness up top.

Jalopnik reports that the 670-horsepower Volkswagen I.D. R prototype set a climbing record in under eight minutes (7:57.148, to be exact),

The goal was to beat the EV record set by Rhys Millen in a 1,595-HP car in 2016, which was 8 minutes and 57 seconds. The I.D. R, instead, became the first car to run Pikes Peak in under eight minutes, beating the all-time record for any car set by Sébastien Loeb in 2013. The I.D. R ran a 7:57.148 with prior Pikes Peak champion Romain Dumas at the wheel, compared to the 8:13.878 Loeb ran in an 875-HP Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car.

For something that was developed in 9 months, Volkswagen worked with Porsche to create an efficient hill-climbing monster. There are some amazing engineering involved in this record-breaking attempt which included:

Two electric motors producing 670 horsepower; one in each axle
Aerodynamic design to produce more downforce because the air becomes less dense as you climb up in altitude
Charging stations powered by glycerol, which is a bio-diesel byproduct (More on that here)

Kudos to Volkswagen in pursuing electric technology for racing and pushing the limits on what it can do. It’s amazing because they’re paving the way for the future.

June 25, 2018 / Comments Off

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VIDEO: Audi And Ducati Team Up To Attack Pikes Peak

One iconic mountain, two iconic brands: 12.42 miles of 156 nail-biting curves that go up 14,110 steep mountainous feet. The Audi RS 5 and the Ducati Multistrada 1200 S tackle the legendary Pikes Peek together.

August 13, 2012 / Comments Off

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