Ken Block’s Porsche ‘Hoonipigasus’ to take on Pikes Peak

Ken Block has created another striking high-performance car with a classic Porsche 911-based racer designed to tackle the famous Pikes Peak mountain race.

Designed to be ‘the world’s ultimate Porsche race car’ according to a tweet from American race car driver Block, the so-called ‘Hoonipigasus’ packs 1,400bhp from a twin-turbocharged mid-mounted engine. Incorporating all-wheel-drive, the racer weighs just 1,000kg but also incorporates GPS height-adjusted suspension which uses the previous year’s race telemetry to automatically set the car to the correct height.

Built in collaboration with BBi Autosport, the ‘Hoonipigasus’ will be used to compete in the Pikes Peak Open class with the hope of continuing BBi’s winning streak; in 2021, the team entered three cars in three classes and took home two class wins and one podium finish.

The livery of the ‘Hoonipigasus’ pays homage to the famous 1971 Porsche 917/20 – known as the ‘Pink Pig’ – which saw success at the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race. This new design, however, has been created by artist Trouble Andrew, who is also known as Guccighost.

“The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is one of the big reasons as to why I’m a rally driver,” said Block. “The list of drivers who have raced and won this hill climb includes many of my heroes: Walter Rohrl, Ari Vatanen, Michelle Mouton, Sebastien Loeb and Rod Millen to name a few. I’ve always wanted the chance to race Pikes Peak at the top level and compete for an overall win – and with our team and BBi Autosport creating this amazing Porsche, we’ve got a good shot!

“And, with Trouble’s wild livery, inspired by one of the most famous Porsches in history, we’ll be hard to miss. I’m stoked to be a part of this iconic race and totally up for the challenge to add my name to those that have gone the fastest overall in the most technically challenging hill climb on the planet.”

The Pikes Peak Internation Hill Climb – often referred to as The Race to the Clouds – takes place in Colorado, USA, on Sunday, June 26. It’ll mark the 100th running of the event, which sees competitors take on the 12.42-mile course as it climbs to 14,115 feet above sea level.