Jeff Zwart Driving a New Kind of Porsche Hybrid at Pikes Peak This Year

Earlier in the week we showed you a video of Jeff Zwart testing at 12,000 feet as he prepares for the 2013 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb taking place over the next few days. What was special about that video, besides how much courage you need to drive at those speeds so close to the edge, literally, was what it revealed about Jeff’s Porsche of choice.

In 2010, Jeff Zwart, made Pikes Peak history by running a road racing car – the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup – at the world’s most famous hill climb, smashing the Time Attack class record and winning his seventh championship.

Then, in 2011, Zwart drove his Porsche 911 GT2 RS turbo street car – not only up the Mountain, but on the Interstate from L.A. to Colorado Springs – and sliced 24-seconds off the record for a street-legal car, but was edged for the class title by an all-out race car.

So, for 2013, Zwart is combining the best of both worlds – the great race car he had in 2010 with the turbo power he had in 2011 to seek his eighth class title at the 91st Running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. That explains the turbo sounds we heard in the video earlier this week.

“Our decision to run the 2010 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the most balanced car I have ever run at Pikes Peak, in conjunction with the Porsche 911 Turbo motor, the best power I have ever felt at the Mountain, was based on the data that showed the turbo delivered the most even power at both the bottom and the top of the mountain. This solved the high elevation horsepower starvation that occurs in normally-aspirated cars,” said Zwart.

With the Pikes Peak course now fully paved, the down-force and balance the Cup car has shown gives Zwart the feeling of “wearing” the car. The low-ratio sequential gear box means he is busy through the 156 turns, but it makes the car very quick.

Zwart’s History at Pikes Peak

Zwart has won his class at Pikes Peak – all in Porsche Turbo street cars – in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2004, setting new class records three times, before winning with the Cup car in 2010. He co-drove a Porsche Cayenne with Pikes Peak veteran Paul Dallenbach at the challenging TransSyberia Rally (Moscow to Mongolia) in 2007. He also has an SCCA PRO Rally Championship (1990) and a SCORE Baja 100 class win (2004) to his credit.

More About the Race and How to Watch or Follow Along

Fans around the world of the famed Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will be able to watch and enjoy the 91st edition of America’s second oldest motorsports race via the Internet for the first time on June 30. Saturday is a fan fest at Pikes Peak, and the race Sunday begins at 5:00 AM MDT.

Results and audio commentary will be on the official Pikes Peak web site – www.ppihc.com. Details of the audio and video coverage are below.

Following the results and live audio (audio is Sunday only) on www.ppihc.com. There will be limited video streaming available Sunday on www.RedBull.TV

A detailed map of the course is available here

The complete entry list is available here.

Broadcast Info

Race veteran Dan Cochell of 1580 AM in Colorado Springs will be the voice of the live stream, Chris Shearer of Shearer Brilliance will produce the show, Windstar Studios will provide pre-produced interviews with key drivers and racers and Access Media will provide cameras and operators on the course. The PPIHC will provide exciting overhead helicopter images along the 12.42-mile course to the summit finish line.

KRDO NewsRadio 105.5 FM and 1240 AM will broadcast flag-to-flag coverage of the 91st running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Coverage will include the technical inspections, qualifications, Fan Fest from downtown Colorado Springs on Friday, June 28, and the race on Sunday, June 30.

The race can be heard around the world on KRDO.COM, and the free KRDO iPhone and Android phone apps, both available on the radio page of KRDO.COM.

Live Streaming

Porsche of Colorado Springs will be live streaming the event tonight, Wednesday, June 26th from 6 to 7pm central time as Jeff Zwart and Romain Dumas make their runs. You can view the stream via their site here.

Other Porsche Blog Posts You Will Enjoy
Jeff Zwart’s Results from the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Jeff Zwart Debuts the Porsche 911 GT2 RS at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Zwart Wins Seventh Pikes Peak Title Shatters Class Record by 38 Sec
Pushing Porsches up Pikes Peak