Romain Dumas aims for outright victory in return to Pikes Peak

For the third year in a row, Romain Dumas will take part in the most famous hill climbing event in the world, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Second in the 2012 edition driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R, the French driver will pilot a Norma M20 with Honda power entered by the Romain Dumas Rallye Team. Completed by « RD Limited », the development of the prototype began with one objective in mind : fight for outright victory.

The road to Colorado and the summit at Pikes Peak is still a long one, but the adventure has already started for the Romain Dumas Rallye Team, taking delivery of the Norma chassis in its Alès, France workshops a few weeks ago. On the menu, mechanical evolutions and installation of the turbo engine, which is the same type as the one Romain Dumas used in the 2013 edition, ahead of a testing program in Cévennes.

"From the very first laps I did last year, I said the Norma chassis was competitive and that I enjoy how the car handles. At the time I was convinced that this car is well suited to the unique demands of Pikes Peak, and I still am." explains Romain. "Last year, we lacked time and reliability. Nonetheless, we still gathered a lot of information during the week of practice on the mountain and we made the most of that participation. The conclusions are simple : we’ve established a plan for preparing the car and we decided to develop the engine. We’ve opted to make changes while keeping things the same as the engine will be the turbo Honda. It’s the logical choice which keeps us from having to start from a blank sheet of paper compared to 2013. The car will be fitted with Michelin tires and we’ve worked hard with PKM Consulting regarding the handling."

Following a first-time participation in 2012 where the goal was to learn and discover the uniqueness of Pikes Peak – which led to a class victory, a best rookie honors, and a second place overall time – Romain Dumas returned the following year with ambitious plans. However, 2013 saw the driver retire due to a mechanical issue, but that only increased the official Porsche factory driver’s motivation to take outright victory at this legendary American race.

"I’m the type of person who likes to move forward, and despite the disappointment of last year, I’m determined to add Pikes Peak to my resumé !" admits Romain Dumas. "I’ve always known that you have to approach this event with humility and that’s my top feeling as we tackle this challenge for 2014. But I also don’t want to hide my ambitions. I think we have the pieces to put together a shining effort. Pikes Peak is a dream you want to realize. The entire team wants this and we will be putting #MakeYourDreamComeTrue on the car this year. It sums up the passion the team has for this event and the human adventure that we are experiencing. Our story at Pikes Peak is a good one, and one that we have yet to finish. We want to write the best chapter yet !"

Romain Dumas will unveil more details on the Norma « RD Limited » in the following weeks.

The « RD Limited » brand offers several accessories and parts developed by the Romain Dumas Rallye Team, offering products, among others, for Porsches competing in rallies.

Romain Dumas