The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was held on Sunday in Colorado. The Pikes Peak race covers 20 kilometres of mountain road towards the summit, with an elevation gain of three kilometres, reaching a peak of 4,302 metres.
Sordo took part in the legendary race, which includes 156 corners, for the first time. He drove a fully electric Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.
The Spanish veteran demonstrated good speed in practice and started as the favourite in the exhibition class competition. As expected, Sordo clinched the top spot in his class, but it was a surprise that he finished third overall.
Only Romain Dumas, who holds the Pikes Peak record, and Italian Christian Merli finished ahead of Sordo.
“We really did not expect such a great result in the overall classification!” Sordo exclaimed.
“But it is always a pleasure to be on the podium. I made a clean run without taking any risks.”
Over the years, Pikes Peak has attracted rally stars to the race. Competitors have included Ari Vatanen, Michele Mouton, Sebastien Loeb, and Marcus Grönholm.
This season, Sordo has shared responsibilities in Hyundai’s WRC team’s third car with Esapekka Lappi and Andreas Mikkelsen. He finished third in the Rally Sardinia held in early June.
