Ken Block Will Race Porsche 911 "Hoonipigasus" Up Pikes Peak

Things in the Ken Block and Hoonigan world have been changing quite a bit as of late. The big news happened last year, when Block left his partnership with Ford after 11 years. But as you might imagine, he didn't remain a free agent for very long, returning to Subaru for a few races such as the Olympus Rally and the East Africa Safari Classic Rally. Shortly after all of that, he made the official announcement that he was joining team Audi, and today, he's got his eyes on Pikes Peak and has unveiled what Hoonigan Racing Division is calling their next "Hoonicorn": a 1,400 hp, Porsche SVRSR, dubbed the "Hoonipigasus."

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The all-wheel-drive Porsche was built by BBi Autosport for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb and features all-new livery created by renowned artist Trouble Andrew, a.k.a. Guccighost, paying homage to the 1971 Porsche 917/20 "Pink Pig." The team at BBi built a machine to attempt overall victory with the first-ever mid-engine, AWD, 4.0-liter, twin-turbo flat-six vintage Porsche 911. It was built to Block's personal driving style and even has a transmission tunnel, known as the "Chorizo Tunnel," which goes from shoulder height down to the front axle for a lower center of gravity.

Weighing in at just over 2,200 pounds, the custom Porsche features plenty of slick tricks, like its GPS height-adjusted suspension. A decade in the making, the Hoonipigasus project began with BBi Autosport's desire to build the ultimate vintage Porsche race car. Last year, BBi entered three cars on the hill climb and took home two class wins and one podium finish. This year the Porsche will be competing in Pikes Peak's Open Class.

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This isn't Block's first rodeo at Pikes Peak, either. He'd raced in a lower-class Group N rally car way back in 2005, though that car only had 200 hp and ended up as a major disappointment for him. Then, in 2017, he debuted his Climbkhana: Pikes Peak film behind the wheel of the wild Hoonicorn RTR V2. Even with 39 million views on his film, it wasn't what he truly wanted, and this year will be his first real go at the legendary hill climb race.

"The Pikes Peak Hill Climb is one of the big reasons as to why I'm a rally driver," said Block. "The list of drivers who have raced and won this hill climb includes many of my heroes: Walter Rohrl, Ari Vatanen, Michèle Mouton, Sébastien Loeb and Rod Millen, to name a few. I've always wanted the chance to race Pikes Peak at the top level and compete for an overall win - with our team and BBi Autosport creating this amazing Porsche, we've got a good shot! And, with Trouble's wild livery, inspired by one of the most famous Porsches in history, we'll be hard to miss. I'm stoked to be a part of this iconic race and totally up for the hill challenge to add my name to those that have gone the fastest overall in the most technically challenging hill climb on the planet."

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The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, also known as The Race to the Clouds is scheduled for Sunday Jun 26 and will mark the 100th running of the PPIHC, a 12.42-mile course with 156 turns and elevation gains of 4,725 feet, and the finish line at 14,115 feet above sea level.

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