This 1,150-horsepower Ford RS200 will compete in the Unlimited Division at the 2009 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. (Courtesy of Mach 2 Racing)

If you live anywhere near Pikes Peak Mountain in Colorado Springs then you’re probably already aware of the significance of this week — it’s time for the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (aka “The Race to the Clouds“). Since 1916, competitors from around the world have gathered here to see who can drive to the finish line the fastest. Sounds easy, right? Well, not when the finish line is 12.42 miles and 156 turns away at an elevation of 14,110 feet.

Not only that, but the course also features a mix of asphalt and gravel surfaces and one particular turn that every racer gives just a little extra care when rounding. The turn is named “Bottomless Pit” and if a driver were to go off-course here, well, that would be bad news — it’s a 6,000-foot (1,829-meter) sheer drop. So far, no race competitor has made that mistake.

It’s a difficult course to say the least. And it becomes even more challenging when you factor in the extreme altitude. In fact, by the time they reach the summit, engine power has been reduced by up to 30 percent and the driver’s reflexes have been slowed, too. Forbidding as all of this sounds, the big question for this year’s race is: Will the 10-minute barrier in the Unlimited Division finally be broken?

Ex-British Rallycross Champion, Mark Rennison, thinks its possible. He’s driving a specially-prepared Ford RS200 from Mach 2 Racing, an Essex-based motorsports firm that has partnered with Avon Tyres to run in this year’s uphill race. According to the press release from Avon Tyres, “The Mach 2 Racing RS200 has been developed specifically for the Pikes Peak event. Its Garrett turbo and high-octane fuel deliver 950bhp, but 70 litres of Nitrous Oxide gas boosts the power output to a mind-numbing 1,150bhp.”

Wow! A 1,150-horsepower, race-prepared Ford RS200 rocketing to the top of Pikes Peak in less than 10 minutes? I’m truly hoping that a video of this entire run shows up on YouTube (or similar).

Rennison is hoping to take the record away from Nobuhiro Tajima, the driver who currently holds the Unlimited Division record of 10 minutes, 1.408 seconds in his Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special. Tajima has held the record for a relatively short time when you consider that driver Rod Millen’s 1994 record of 10 minutes, 4.06 seconds stood for 13 years prior to Tajima’s 2007 sprint to the summit.

Rennison was quoted in the press release as saying, “If everything on the day goes right and the weather conditions are good beating the 10-minute barrier shouldn’t be a problem. But strange things happen at Pikes Peak, it’s a unique event.”

You can say that again. And if you still need further proof, just take a look at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb course map on this page from Mach 2 Racing.

More related stuff:
How Horsepower Works
How does nitrous oxide help an engine perform better?
How Altitude Sickness Works
How Ford Works