Ok, so the Red Bull livery might not make the Peugeot 208 T16 as cool as it was during its matte black days. But it is still a daunting machine that does its job very well as on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb testing, this 875-horsepower hill climber was the fastest even during its first test run.
Donning the legendary Pikes Peak-winning Peugeot 405 T16 racing colors, the new 208 T16 looks at home on the hills with nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb behind the wheels. And the combination truly did not disappoint as Peugeot says that the result of the team’s first weekend of practice was “particularly encouraging”, having the team taking a one-step-at-a-time approach.
The team first put the engine to the test on a test bench over at Colorado Springs to find out how the engine performed at such altitude. They then took the car to the town’s nearby “Speedway” to sign off the changes made since the car’s final test run in France. It was in this time Sebastien Loeb was able to learn the 156 turns of the course, assisted by his co-driver Daniel Elena.
The Peugeot 208 T16 went through the course for nine times so that Loeb was able to make a mental note of the whole course. “I feel very confident with the car. That’s a reassuring start, if only because of the speeds we get up here. We are already close to the limit in many places. All we need to do now is make some detail changes and we will be ready for the Big Day!” said Loeb.
