Hyundai IONIQ 5 N To Compete At Pikes Peak Hill Climb On June 23

(RTTNews) - Hyundai Motor Co. said its IONIQ 5 N electric SUV is fully equipped to perform at Pikes Peak International Hill Climb or PPIHC on June 23, 2024. It will compete for Electric Production SUV/Crossover record in the event.

In addition, the South Korean automaker will debut a modified specification IONIQ 5 N to compete at PPIHC prior to the ADAC RAVENOL 24h Nürburgring on May 30.

PPIHC, also known as The Race to the Clouds, is an annual automobile hillclimb to the summit of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The invitation-only event, which was first staged in 1916, is the second oldest race in America.

At the 102nd running of the PPIHC, two 641-horsepower IONIQ 5 N cars will go after the Electric Production SUV/Crossover record as part of a four-car effort. The drivers are Paul Dallenbach and Ron Zaras. Dallenbach is an eleven-time PPIHC winner and set an overall record in 1993, while Zaras is a PPIHC rookie and the newest team member.

Further, the two modified specification IONIQ 5 N will be driven by Dani Sordo and Robin Shute. Shute is a four-time overall winner and King of the Mountain title holder at Pikes Peak. Sordo is a Spanish World Rally Championship driver for Hyundai Motorsport.

The company said a standard IONIQ 5 N with only minor updates is being prepared for the Pikes Peak. In the future, the company plans to swap the red paint with a new eye-catching Hyundai N livery.

Hyundai said its selection of IONIQ 5 N for the PPIHC Electric Production SUV/Crossover record is because it embodies the racetrack capability of every N performance vehicle. IONIQ 5 N has been tested in extreme temperatures and locations and developed and tuned specifically at the Nurburgring Nordschleife for enhanced racetrack capability.

Till Wartenberg, head of N Brand and Motorsport, said, "We are returning to the mountain stronger than we have left it, with a class-leading electric SUV in the form of IONIQ 5 N. Hyundai has a history of proving new technologies and products at Pikes Peak going all the way back to 1992 and the IONIQ 5 N brings that concept to high performance electric cars. The production spec IONIQ 5 N will demonstrate what customers can expect from their vehicles."