Dumas confident of Pikes Peak chances with upgraded Norma

Romain Dumas is exuberant about his prospects for a repeat of his 2016 and 2014 victories in Sunday's 95th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with his Norma prototype – and maybe a shot at the all-time speed record of 8m13.878s set by Sebastien Loeb and his Peugeot in 2013.

Following qualifying on the lower section of the course, in which he scored pole position, Romain Dumas continued his preparation for the "Race to the Clouds" with five runs on the middle section on Thursday and two runs on the top sector on Friday before the day was cut short due to fog.

The Frenchman has been fastest in every session thus far, an endorsement of the progress made to his Norma MXX RD Limited. Since last year, the car has been upgraded with an aggressive new aero package, including an all-new front splitter, as well as significant mechanical revisions. The all-wheel drive system incorporates a completely revised braking system with a switch to carbon and a new disc/caliper/pad package. Other work has focused on improving mechanical grip, while the car now rides on Michelin tiress. The four-cylinder 2.0l Honda will still power the French prototype, but has been augmented by a new turbo and intercooler.

"We feel good heading into the race. We made progress run after run, and day after day," said the two-time overall winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. "We’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. Like every year, we wish we could have more time to practice, but the team did a good job. On every level, we’ve made progress: the chassis and engine, top-end performance, and driver comfort."

As is typical with the unpredictable nature of Pikes Peak, certain external factors made their appearance for the final day of practice. Fog shortened the Friday running for competitors practicing on the top portion of the 12.42-mile road to the 14,110ft summit. And according to some predictions, the weather could be a factor in this 95th edition.

"Our last day of prep didn’t go as planned because of the fog that kept us from running," Dumas conceded. "That’s a big factor when it comes to such an important sector of the mountain road, and it’s a little glimpse of what we could see on Sunday. I had that bitter experience in 2012 and I hope we have good conditions for the race in order to show what our potential really is.

"Pikes Peak is a unique event. We try to prepare as best we can, but year after year, it’s a whole new adventure that is best experienced rather than told. Despite that, it’s up to us to write a new chapter in the history books."

The 95th edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will start Sunday at 8 a.m. local time. Dumas will make his run following the motorcycle classes. Also entered by the RD Limited is Laure Many, who will be taking part in the event for the first time in the Pikes Peak Open class (in which Dumas holds the record) with a Porsche 911 SC 3.0l Gr4. Laure will be the only woman driver to compete in 2017.

The race will be available via live stream on the organizer’s website: www.ppihc.com.