A stopover before the next round of the IDM in July: Lucy Glöckner will compete in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday. As part of the Wunderlich Action team, she’ll be racing as fast as possible up the summit of this giant in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado on the new BMW S 1000R. The race distance is 19.99 kilometers (12.42 miles). The course features 156 turns. The first practice sessions and the driver briefing have already taken place. Team boss Frank Hoffmann, managing director of Wunderlich GmbH, Lucy Glöckner, and Thilo Günther are ready for anything.
Pikes Peak is a mountain with an elevation of 4,301 meters, which is 14,110 feet according to the American measurement system. Pikes Peak is one of Colorado’s 53 mountains whose summits rise above 14,000 feet. It is therefore one of the so-called Fourteeners. Gold was discovered in the area in 1858; later, a ski resort was established at the summit, and today there is a souvenir shop and a small research station. The winding road up the mountain offers an impressive view. The road, which has almost no guardrails, was built as a tourist attraction. The race was intended to promote it. It was first organized as early as 1916.
Lucy Glöckner and Thilo Günther will start at an elevation of 2,862 meters. To reach the finish line, they must conquer a 1,439-meter elevation gain on a road with an average gradient of 7%. The course record has been held since 2013 by a driver: nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb. “Super Séb” completed the course in just 8:13.878 minutes in a Peugeot 208 T16.