Dumas to defend Pikes Peak Hill Climb title

Two-time Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winner Romain Dumas will defend his title in the Unlimited Class, driving the Norma MXX RD Limited open-cockpit prototype developed with French constructor Norma.

Dumas' victory in the 100th running with his Unlimited class Norma M20 RD Limited – which was converted to four-wheel drive to improve its traction through the 156 turns that mark the road to the summit – went into the record books for the centennial race as the second-fastest run ever up "America's Mountain" in Colorado, at 8m51.445s. Sebastien Loeb's extraordinary run of 8m13.878s en route to victory with his factory Peugeot in 2013 remains the fastest for Pikes Peak's first century of competition, but the win enabled Dumas to one-up Loeb by making him the first two-time Pikes Peak winner from his country, as he had previously won in 2014.

"It's a fantastic adventure when it culminates with a win, but always full of huge efforts and sacrifices," said Dumas, who will compete for the fifth time. "It's a hill climb, and by definition there are always unforseen challenges and difficulties to overcome. Everything has to come together on race day and it's never easy. That's what I have learned from year to year: You have to plan for the unpredictable.

"The objective hasn't changed: I want to win again, and even more so to defend my title as current overall champion. In addition to the climb itself, the competition will be really tough. The electric vehicles are very strong and we'll have to have a perfect day to win. I can count on my team, which has vast experience there, as well as the support of Norma and Norbert Santos. The entire team is excited to return to Pikes Peak's unique atmosphere."

Dumas will attempt to become the first driver since Nobuhiro Tajima (2007-2011) to defend his title. RD Limited will enter a second car in the Time Attack 1 class, which it won in 2014 and finished second with Raphael Astier in 2016.

It was announced in November that Dumas and fellow Porsche driver Marc Leib would be reallocated from Porsche's LMP1 team to other areas within the brand's motorsports activities. He's also announced sponsorship of the Arion Racing Team, a world endurance powerboat racing champion.