The legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of the longest-running automobile competitions in the United States. Held in the Rocky Mountains since 1916, this motorsport landmark has undergone many changes over the past century, but remains one of the most challenging events in the world.

Affectionately known as «the race to the clouds», this hill climb features a 19.93 km long course with 156 turns, starting at an altitude of 2,865 metres and finishing approximately 1,440 metres higher. The machineries, bodies and nerves are put to the test. The changing air pressure significantly influences engine power throughout the climb whilst the drivers often have to deal with a particularly dusty road, changing weather conditions, changing angles of the sun, blind curves and the ever-present threat of the ravine!

Always ready to take on the toughest challenges, the Alpine and Signatech teams will tackle Pikes Peak on Sunday, 25 June, with an Alpine A110 GT4 Evo. The car has undergone extensive development work to master the subtleties of this iconic climb and features imposing aerodynamic appendages to keep it stuck to the ground.

In conjunction with Alpine’s design office, Signatech engineers and technicians have focused on aerodynamics and the engine to meet the stated challenges. To underline the links with the road car while demonstrating all the inherent qualities of the A110’s chassis on American soil, the A-arrowed brand has also chosen to enter the Time Attack 1 category. As such, the Alpine A110 GT4 Evo will remain in two-wheel drive mode in a field where it will be alongside more atypical prototypes with different philosophies, such as those entered in the Unlimited category.

Alpine will rely on the experience of Raphaël Astier in its maiden Pikes Peak appearance. Winner of the 2022 FIA R-GT Cup with the Alpine A110 Rally, the Frenchman has four previous Pikes Peak starts to his name. In his third participation, he set the record for his class – already in Time Attack 1 – by completing the climb in 9:23.721s. On the strength of this promising initiatory course, Raphaël Astier now embarks on this new journey, which Alpine is approaching, as always, with humility and an irrepressible thirst for learning in the face of the eight other prestigious brands that it will face in Time Attack.

See you in the upcoming weeks to learn more about our band of racers’ American dream, fully echoing the brand’s genes!

Raphaël Astier

«Pikes Peak is a legendary race that I have always dreamed about, and I am thrilled to return there for the fifth time in my career. It is an honour to be part of this adventure initiated by Alpine and Signatech after two years of competition with the Alpine A110 Rally. I am extremely proud to be the driver chosen for this programme and I look forward to bringing all my experience and knowledge to the brand’s first-ever Pikes Peak participation. While winning the overall classification is not the target, I am confident our A110 GT4 Evo will perform well in its class, and I can’t wait to see what we can achieve in this first attempt!»

Philippe Sinault, Managing Director of Signatech

«Pikes Peak is one of the most important events in motorsport. All of us have been amazed by the iconic footage of this ascent, and this dream naturally found its way into our teams after watching a documentary on Pikes Peak during a sleepless-night while we were testing in Spain. We are racers, and this challenge is ultra-attractive. We know all too well that this is a very different, specific exercise on a highly atypical course, somewhere between a hill climb and a special stage. But this only makes the sporting and technical challenge even more motivating. Above all, we want to put the Alpine name on this event, and this first-ever participation will allow us to see where we stand compared to the fierce competition in our category. While we are not aiming for the overall win, we know that we can count on the versatile and high-performance A110 GT4 Evo, adapted to the specificities of the event. We are also fortunate to have the support of our long-standing partners Michelin, as well as one of our finest ambassadors, Raphaël Astier, who has a wealth of experience to contribute to this project. We are delighted he has agreed to join us to continue the adventure after his international title with Alpine. This commitment also allows us to consolidate Alpine’s position as a brand having a vast motorsport footprint, including the three Formula 1 Grands Prix and the 1000 Miles of Sebring in the United States.»

Since announcing its entry in one of the world’s most iconic hill climbs, Alpine and Signatech have kept working hard behind the scenes to meet the challenge that awaits them on 25 June 2023.

THE MOST EXTREME A110 EVER

Designed to cope with the subtleties of the 19.93 km race to the clouds, the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak is a true masterpiece of aerodynamics and engine design to meet the challenge of Pikes Peak. Thanks to a close and fruitful collaboration among the Alpine design office teams led by Raphaël Linari (design manager) and those of Signatech led by Lionel Chevalier (technical director) and François Letort (project manager), the car, the most extreme A110 to date, has been converted into a formidable racing machine.

Among the most impressive features are the intensely pronounced splitters and deflectors on the ends of the spoiler, not to mention the imposing rear wing to generate downforce in the 156 corners of the course. The radical work done on the Alpine A110R also appears via the side skirts and diffuser of this one-off model, while an inlet appears on the roof to force air into the engine, resulting in nearly 500 horsepower. Specific work has also been done to reduce the car’s weight to only 950 kilograms.

The Alpine designers have thus fully embraced their choice of extremes, demonstration and visual impact while maintaining some original proportions to ensure the car remains eligible for the Time Attack 1 category, which is depicted in the inclusion of a ‘Le Mans-style’ shark fin on the rear window that literally cut through the massive rear wing.

The lights have also received more aggressive treatment. Two exceedingly thin laser-cut bars replace the two circles at the front. Meanwhile, the light functions of the rear lights have been shifted into three vertical segments on the side rails and central ridge, as a nod to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while also reinforcing the perceived width of the car, highlighted by other details such as bespoke wheels.

THE A110 PIKES PEAK READY TO TAKE THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

This unique Alpine will soon embark on its assault on the American peaks with the aim of breaking records. After its debut runs at Lurcy-Lévis on 25 and 26 April, the model will welcome its designated Pikes Peak driver, Raphaël Astier, who will get behind test the car in its final configuration for the first time next week.

2022 FIA R-GT Cup winner with the A110 Rally, Raphaël Astier will conduct a first session in the Drôme, then at Val Thorens. The Frenchman, who has already participated in the event four times, will then fly with the team to Colorado Springs, where they will work on their final preparations for 25 June 2023.

Look out for more information about this new challenge for Alpine soon!

Raphaël Linari, Alpine Chief Designer

«The A110 Pikes Peak brings out the wildest side of this iconic car. It is agile and light by design, but with its specific aerodynamics and extreme proportions, it has become a genuine racing beast. This legendary event was an endless source of inspiration to push our creativity and enhance the A110 while integrating the constraints associated with performance. This project was completed in a decidedly short timeframe, thanks to the close collaboration with Signatech’s technical teams. We look forward to seeing our creation challenge the American powerhouses on their home turf. I want to thank Jun Okazaki and Victor Sfiazof, the two designers who worked with me on the design of this car. Not to mention the great collaboration with the Signatech team, who are as skilled as they are passionate.»

François Letort, Alpine A110 Pikes Peak Project Manager

«The Alpine A110 Pikes Peak pushes the boundaries of our imagination, far beyond anything we could have envisioned in the early stages of the project. It was a pleasure to work with the Alpine design office, with whom we quickly moved in the same direction thanks to our in-house expertise and ability to be incredibly responsive. Our core business lies in this strength and we could also rely on a network of local suppliers and subcontractors who were attentive to our needs. The first two testing days went really smoothly. The Alpine A110 Pikes Peak met all its initial targets, which is a remarkable feat in such a short time. We are thus proud to unveil a spectacular model, both visually and in terms of its performance. All of us look forward to the legendary challenge that awaits us!»