Rivian R1T Will Take On The 2023 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

It’s the EV maker’s first time attending the famed climb to the 14,115-foot summit.

By: Iulian Dnistran

Feb 2, 2023 at 2:18am ET

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As hill climbs go, the one at Pikes Peak in Colorado is considered to be one of the most intense out there, with a total distance of 12.42 miles, a 156 turns, and an elevation gain of 4,725 feet.

It’s where Randy Probst put a modified Tesla Model S Plaid in the Top 10 fastest cars and where the late Ken Block put on a great show in his Mustang. But it’s also where Rivian will make its official debut in the hill climb world with an R1T, as the Rivian Owners Forum discovered.

According to the official list of competitors invited to participate in the 101st running of the PIkes Peak International Hill Climb, a Rivian R1T will be driven by Gardner Nichols, the EV company’s Senior Performance Test Engineer, who’s a racing enthusiast, regularly posting photos and videos of his race track adventures on his Instagram account.

Gallery: 2022 Rivian R1T: First Drive Review

This is the first time a Rivian will officially take part in the famed hill climb run, bearing the race number 21 in the Exhibition class. According to the event’s official website, there are no records for this class because of its exhibition status, but “entries are eligible for recording an overall course record, or attempting specific former class records, if their vehicle passes Technical Inspection under the rules of those former classes.”

The quad-motor Rivian R1T has a maximum power output of over 800 horsepower, sprints to 60 miles per hour in around 3 seconds, and has an EPA-estimated range of 328 miles with the Large Pack battery.

Back in 2018, the all-electric Volkswagen ID. R race car driven by French racing driver Romain Dumas set a new record at Pikes Peak, going up the 12.42-mile course in 7 minutes and 57.148 seconds. This year, the so-called Race To The Clouds will be held on June 25 and is sponsored by Broadmoor and Gran Turismo (the racing game). Besides the Rivian, there will also be a Tesla Model S Plaid driven by Randy Probst and a Nissan Leaf driven by Takashi Oi.

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