Quite the anticipated event that it is, this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb should be better than last years.

As we saw last year, the newly paved roadways not only added tremendous amounts of grip, it drastically cut transit time to the top of the summit.

The Sparco Rally xD team is under way in getting their rally car prepped for this event. Since this is essentially an all-tarmac event, their suspension needs change. No need for dampers with long stroke- in its place are a different set of TEIN Specialized Dampers with higher spring rates more appropriate for this event. Gone are the gravel tires, replaced with semi-slicks over 18″ wheels. It’s all about maximum grip on the asphalt surface. Other than that, the xD is left relatively the same as it is for rally events.

I’m definitely looking forward to what the new car can do this year. It’s been competitive throughout the year so far, even with the minor setbacks in the last two rally races. Let’s see if they can better their Pikes Peak performance for this year!

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes place on June 24th (tech inspections and practice days during the week), with race day on Sunday, June 30th.

For more information, please visit the following link- http://www.ppihc.com/

pics sourced from Scion Racing, Speedhunters, and Rally xd