It’s electric versus ICE once again at this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
There’s no race like Pikes Peak, and there’s no trophy that shines like setting a record there. That’s why Hyundai is going all-out for this year’s race by bringing a four-car team of electric Ioniq 5 N performance crossovers. Their target? The Lamborghini Urus Performante’s course record for SUVs, which they look to have a serious shot at beating.
Hyundai announced its target Wednesday, revealing its star-studded driver lineup for this year’s Race to the Clouds. The Korean make will employ the experience of 11-time Pikes Peak overall winner Paul Dallenbach, four-time winner Robin Shute, three-time WRC rally winner Dani Sordo, and former Ken Block affiliate Ron Zaras. Dallenbach and Zaras will captain stock examples in the Production SUV class, while Shute and Sordo will race modified versions. Those upgraded cars (as well as the cars’ liveries) will be revealed at a later date.
2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5 N. Hyundai
The stock Ioniq 5 Ns will target the course record set by Pirelli test driver Simone Faggioli, who took the Urus Performante up in 10:32.064 during a private non-race session in October 2022. On paper, the two SUVs are well-matched: the Hyundai makes 601 horsepower (641 in launch mode) and weighs 4,916 pounds according to Which Car?. The Urus is slightly heavier at 4,986 lbs per Car and Driver, but it’s also notably more powerful with 657 hp. And that’s only the beginning of its advantages.
For one, the Lamborghini has the superior power-to-weight ratio of 264 hp per ton, while the Hyundai notches just 245. That gives it a slightly quicker zero-to-60 mph time of 3.1 seconds to the Hyundai’s 3.25, not to mention better acceleration beyond that due to EVs’ diminishing high-speed performance. Those could add up along Pikes Peak’s many steep inclines and hairpins, where the Lamborghini’s four-wheel steering also aided its agility. (Then there’s the fact that the Lamborghini got a private session, potentially with favorable course conditions.)
Lamborghini Urus Performante at Pikes Peak in 2022. Lamborghini
But the edge isn’t all Lamborghini’s, as Hyundai still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. The Ioniq 5 N isn’t just lighter; it has better weight distribution and a lower center of gravity. Its power output may be less, but it’s electric, and therefore immune to the power-sapping effects of high altitude. The thin air can deprive even a turbocharged engine of a fifth its power at the starting line, and more near the 14,115-foot summit. EVs’ instant power delivery also levels the playing field against the less responsive twin-turbo V8 of the Lamborghini. Remember, the ICE record-holding Peugeot 208 T16 was much more powerful than the VW ID.R that knocked it off the top.
All in all, it’s a tossup, though Hyundai wouldn’t call its shot if it wasn’t confident it could land it. And if the stock cars don’t, the modified ones will do the job for them—weather permitting. There’s no telling what the heavens will bring down on race day.
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