Ken Block will race at the 2022 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
(PPIHC) in a purpose-built Porsche 911 called "Hoonipigasus."
Built by BBi Autosport, the latest Hoonigan vehicle is mid-engined,
all-wheel drive, and boasts 1,400 hp, according to a press release from
Block's Hoonigan Racing Division. It also features a specially designed
transmission tunnel that goes from shoulder height down to the front
axle, which helps lower the center of gravity, Hoonigan claims.
A massive rear wing helps compensate for the thin air at Pikes Peak,
where racers start at 9,300 feet above sea level and climb to 14,115
feet. Despite its porcine name, the car weighs a fairly svelte 2,204 lb.
It also has GPS-actuated height-adjustable suspension that uses
telemetry from the previous year's race.
As for the name, it's reference to the Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig"
that raced at the 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans. After seeing the car's
engorged bodywork (the result of wind-tunnel testing to improve
aerodynamics) the race team gave it a pig-inspired livery complete with
marks for the different cuts of meat on an actual swine. The
Hoonipigasus gets its own version of that one-off livery.
The 911 will race in the Pikes Peak Open (PPO) class, which includes
few restrictions other than those related to safety. Block and BBi
Autosport will be gunning for an overall win. The latter already has
eight podiums and five class wins at Pikes Peak.
Block previously ran the Pikes Peak course in his "Hoonicorn" Ford Mustang for the 2017 "Climbkhana: Pikes Peak" video. He also entered the PPIHC in 2005 in a Group N rally car.