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British based Mach 2 racing is aiming to dip under 10 minutes at this year’s Pikes Peak hillclimb, America's second oldest race and the world's greatest hillclimb.

The Essex (could it be anywhere else) team is entering a suitably modified Ford RS200, powered by an altitude quashing 2.4l, four-cylinder engine producing 846kW.


Fueled up with driver onboard mass is only 1 050kg. Considering it has to negotiate the peak's 156 corners with 1 016Nm shoving it along the ornate rear wing is entire understandable.

Men on a mission

You might think 846kW in a 1050kg car borders on being alarmingly overpowered, yet the Pikes Peak hillclimb, ascending 1 434m along a treacherous 20km course to a finish line at 4 300m, saps power at an alarming rate.

Mach 2’s aim is to best the current record of 10:01.41, set by a Suzuki LX7 in 2007.

To dip under the mythical 10 minute barrier necessitates as much power as possible.

This year will be team principle Alan Greenwood's third attempt, and the Englishman is taking no chances of running short on power, as cars lose 30% of their output during the climb.

The Mach 2 RS200 will be running on special Avon tyres and sport 70l of nitrous oxide onboard to boost power when required.


Complicated plumbing from Garrett unleashes 846kW from a 2.4l, in-line four.

Spooling up the Geoff Page built BDT-E engine will be a unique prototype turbo from Garrett, which should enable meticulous boost adjustment to cope with the radical oxygen starvation during the run.

Not being a direct-injection engine, like most modern units, the RS200's mill runs a mellow 8:1 compression ratio.

The remainder of the technical specifications are simply cartoonish. Power peaks at 8 000r/min with a silly 846kW, whilst maximum rotational force factors in at 1 016Nm.

Drive is split between the axles in a two splits, either a locked up 50:50, or reset 63:37 front/rear bias.

Piloting the utterly mad Mach 2 RS200 will be former British Rallycross champ Mark Rennison, obviously a very fearless chap.

If Mach 2 can managed to dip under the record 10 minute barrier, when the event gets under way on Sunday, it will be a most fitting way of celebrating the madcap RS200’s 25-year anniversary.

Current record holder Nobuhiro Tajima and WRC legend, Marcus Gronholm, will also be aiming at sub 10 minute times.

Gronholm will be making his debut at Pikes this year, and has controversially decided to take a co-driver onboard, which adds weight. His Rallycross Ford Fiesta is supercharged and produces 588kW.

Local hero, and three times winner, Paul Dallenbach, will be hoping his open-wheeled special, with 625kW on tap and weighing in at only 790kg, finally goes sub 10 minutes.

Our money is on Rennison and the Mach 2 team, for reasons of Group B rallying heritage...