Four Honda Cars To Take On The Fearsome Pikes Peak

After announcing that its public relations manager Sage Marie will be piloting the NSX pace car for this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, American Honda Motor Co. has also confirmed that it will be sending two electric-powered Hondas for this year’s ‘Race to the Clouds.’

A total of 13 Honda vehicles, including many Honda motorcycles will be participating in this year’s event.

The participating Honda cars include a yet-to-be-shown CR-Z that does not use the standard car’s IMA hybrid powertrain. Instead, the heavily modified CR-Z is an all-electric race car that features Honda’s Super Handling All-Wheel-Drive from the flagship Honda Legend.

The electric CR-Z will be piloted by Super GT ace Tetsuya Yamano. The CR-Z will be entered under the name Honda Electric SH-AWD with Precision All-Wheel Steer, and will participate in the Exhibition class. As such, it will not be eligible for setting any course record.

Completing the Honda EV racers line-up is an electric-powered Honda Jazz (known as the Fit in the US).

Not much else is known about the Pikes Peak Jazz EV, but it will be competing in the Electric Production Class and will be eligible for setting a course record. The 9:08.188 course record for Electric Production class is now held by the Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution III, set in 2014.

Also competing in the Exhibition class is rally specifications Honda Jazz, entered under the name Honda Fit B-spec, a Rally America competition car.

The Fit B-spec will be piloted by former Indy Lights champion and Indy 500 top-five finisher Alex Lloyd.

The highlight of Honda’s entry has to be a first generation NSX, participating in the Open Category.

Prepared by LoveFab Motorsports Fabrications, the NSX will be aiming for the 9:46.181 time set by Romain Dumas in 2012, in a Porsche 911 GT3 R.