Pressiteade
"Alpine'shistory has been built on challenges. From Jean Rédélé's first ventures to ourpresent-day challenges, the brand's DNA is as vibrant and present as ever. Thisquest for performance leads us to always aim higher, towards the summits. Hillclimb racing has always been a passion of the A-arrow enthusiasts. Today, ourunquenchable thirst for competition brings us to Pikes Peak, a motorsport eventthat has captured the imagination for decades. We look forward to being therewith our partners from Signatech and Raphaël Astier, racers whose drive ismatched only by their unwavering hunger for challenge. To race on a legendarycourse, we needed a car fit for the event. The Alpine A110 Pikes Peak is here.It is the culmination of Alpine's art. Aggressive, extreme and stylish, thisproject again embodies our roots, present and future, all in a country ofstrategic importance. We stay humble, but we are determined to give our best onthe other side of the Atlantic to write a new and unforgettable chapter in thehistory of Alpine through this magnificent adventure to the clouds." LaurentRossi, Alpine CEO
PIKES PEAK, THEMYTH
Featuring among the mostlegendary races, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is one of thelongest-running automobile competitions in the United States. Held in the RockyMountains since 1916, this motorsport landmark has undergone many changes overthe past century, but remains among the most challenging sporting events.
Affectionately known as"the race to the clouds", this hill climb features a 19.93 km longcourse with 156 turns, starting at an altitude of 2,865 metres and finishingabout 1,440 metres higher. The cars, bodies and nerves are put to the test. Thedifference in air pressure significantly influences engine power outputthroughout the course, whilst the drivers often have to deal with aparticularly dusty road, changing weather conditions, different exposures tothe sun, blind curves and the ever-present threat of the ravine!
Always ready to take on thetoughest challenges, the Alpine and Signatech teams will tackle Pikes Peak onSunday 25 June with the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak, which has been the object of amasterpiece of engineering to grasp the subtleties of this iconic climb.
Did you know?
FRANÇOIS LETORT:"THE A110 PIKES PEAK PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF OUR IMAGINATION"
Technical manager for allcustomer racing activities around the Alpine A110 Cup, A110 GT4 Evo and A110Rally, François Letort took on the challenge of adapting the new berlinette to aunique challenge. Today, he unveils the first secrets of the Alpine A110 PikesPeak...
What was thegenesis of the Pikes Peak project?
"Pikes Peak is one ofmotorsport's landmarks. It's a race I've always been familiar with, and earlyin my career, I was lucky enough to work for a supplier involved inJean-Philippe Dayraut and Sébastien Loeb's projects. Within Signatech, the ideaemerged in 2022, but we had other priorities back then. Everything finally cametogether in November with the enthusiastic support of Alpine. We quicklystarted with sketches and meetings with our most important suppliers to be asresponsive as possible."
How doessomeone approach such a challenge for the first time?
"We formed a commandooperation led by our technical director Lionel Chevalier. I was appointedproject manager while working on the electronics side, while Etienne Mulon wasput in relation with the design. Additional support came on board as needed,but the roles were naturally divided with the Alpine design office, our enginepartner Oreca - as for all our programmes with the Alpine A110 - and oursuppliers. Chronologically, we first carried out preliminary studies combiningturn-by-turn analysis and a rally stage approach. We tried to collect data fromthe climb, but we were unsuccessful, so we studied a lot of videos, thencollected impressions to refine our initial observations of the demands ofPikes Peak."
How did thecollaboration with the design office go?
"It was a pleasure tocollaborate with the Alpine design office, with whom we quickly moved in thesame direction thanks to our in-house expertise and ability to be extremelyreactive. Our core business lies in this strength, and we were also able torely on a network of local suppliers and subcontractors who were attentive toour needs. For example, the designers quickly proposed a dynamic air intake.This snorkel gives the car an aggressive look, and we immediately adopted it byadjusting the air intake. We quickly responded to their ideas, and thisresponsiveness is one of the many reasons for the success of this fruitful andproductive collaboration."
Was it anobvious choice to use the Alpine A110 GT4 Evo as a base?
"We are proud of allthe cars produced for Alpine in customer racing, and the idea was to come withour GT4 as the Time Attack category offers great diversity with many brands inthe field. So, naturally, we went down this route to maintain the spirit of ouroriginal target."
What can youtell us about the technical specifications?
"We focused on thelightweight of the car to keep the Alpine DNA. We worked on the weight byremoving everything unnecessary for this event. We went from an Alpine A110 GT4Evo of 1,080 kg to the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak of 950 kg. We have revised thecinematics and the damping while retaining many standard parts. At the sametime, we worked extensively with Oreca to specifically adapt the engine-gearboxassembly to the challenge of the gradient. With a start at an altitude of 2,800metres and a finish at 4,400 metres, the demands on the power supply are huge,as we lose 100 millibars of pressure as soon as we climb 1,000 metres. The aimwas to keep the same amount of power input throughout the climb without goingoverboard. We have been working hard to ensure that the performance is alwaysthe same, which has required a lot of work on this significant power increasecompared to the capacity of our engine. The large turbocharger received specialattention to eliminate any lag phenomenon and throttle response time. Lastly,our partner Elf was deeply involved in providing us with specific fuel andlubricants to enable us to maintain an optimal level of performance at anyaltitude.”
What about thetyres?
"We already workclosely with Michelin in all the Alpine customer racing programmes organised bySignatech. Pikes Peak offers an open regulation for tyres, and Michelin alreadyhas a specific range for hill climbs. We chose the Michelin Pilot Sport H S5C+with a differentiated tyre size of 17 inches at the front and 18 at the rear.We decided with Michelin to go with a narrower front tyre size after reducingthe car's weight to extract the full potential of this truly unique Alpine A110Pikes Peak."
How helpful wasRaphaël Astier in this project?
"His experience hasbeen invaluable in many areas. His previous participation has helped usimmensely and freed us from the requirements associated with the newcomerstatus. As it is our first entry, we needed people who already knew about theevent. We aim to get the best out of the car and driver we have. We need to puteverything together to perform well, and Raphaël's contribution is crucial asthere is so much to gain in driving. What's more, he knows the fundamentals ofthe car and has an outstanding record in a category at Pikes Peak!"
Are yousatisfied with the final result?
RAPHAËL LINARI: "THE WILDEST SIDE OF AN ICONIC ALPINE"
Raphaël Linari is Alpine'schief designer and has worked at Renault Group for over ten years. Raphaël hasbeen at the heart of some of the most ambitious projects of the A-arrow brand,including the future Alpine Hypercar, and had the opportunity to display hismost expressive side with the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak.
How was thedesign office involved for the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak?
"Last year, LaurentRossi, Philippe Sinault, David Gendry and Anthony Villain met to discussseveral projects during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Pikes Peak was studied andvalidated, and we started working on it in December. It was an extremelyexciting and stimulating adventure. It is a legendary competition, and thedesire to create the wildest Alpine A110 was highly motivating. I already hadsome ideas and a fairly clear vision in this direction, and we were able tooutline the project with the Signatech teams on 23 December. They blew us awayby accepting all our ideas, even the craziest ones, to make this car atypicaland iconic."
How did youovercome the tight agenda for this project?
"We were aware of theperformance requirements as well as the viability and creation of the specificparts. We aimed for efficiency with Signatech. Our goal was to have the mostimpactful and distinctive car possible within the shortest timeframe and givenconstraints. We worked hand in hand and clearly understood each other, andnothing was impossible. It has allowed us to materialise many ideas."
How did youjoin the Alpine's line with the brutality of Pikes Peak?
"More than a harmony,we wanted to make the most visually striking object possible. A race like PikesPeak requires a demonstrative, almost wild car, amongst the American monsters.It had to stand out, and this was a unique opportunity to make a truly extremecar."
How does thisvisual impact manifest itself?
"Pikes Peak is a racewhere you need a lot of aerodynamic downforce, but the Time Attack regulationslimit us in widening the body and tracks. Therefore, on this Alpine A110 GT4Evo base, we have added very pronounced splitters at the front and deflectorson the edges of the front bumper. On the sides, we have borrowed the sideskirts and diffuser from the Alpine A110 R. There is also an air intake on theroof to provide air to the engine, which is now nearly 500 horsepower. Lastly,there is this huge wing at the rear."
Has thisproject allowed you to fulfil some ideas?
"Indeed! It wasextremely inspiring as we all have a vision of the A110. For a long time, Iwanted to make a central shark fin on the rear window and, to make it even moreextreme, I imagined it cutting the rear wing in two. The result is quitespectacular and punchy. With the repositioning of the light functions, we havea laser cutting and broadening the rear wing. It is one of the strongestdetails of this car. At the same time, we also worked on the front lightsignature, with two other very thin lasers giving a truly aggressive look.Pikes Peak was the perfect medium to showcase the Alpine A110, whosereinvention is more exciting than ever... And several easter eggs remain to bediscovered!"
How would yousum up this project?
Q&A WITHRAPHAËL ASTIER
French Rally Cup winner in2016, Raphaël Astier also scored FIA R-GT Cup titles in 2018 and 2022. In thewake of his international title with the Alpine A110 Rally, the 32-year-oldFrench driver is about to make his fifth start at Pikes Peak, where he holdsthe Time Attack 1 class record of 9:23.721s…
Raphaël, whatdoes this project mean to you?
"Pikes Peak is alegendary race that I always dreamed of, and I am thrilled to return for thefifth time in my career. It is an honour to be part of this adventure initiatedby Alpine and Signatech after two years of competition with the Alpine A110Rally. I am so proud to be the driver chosen for this programme, and I can'twait to provide all my on-site experience and knowledge to the brand in itsfirst runs at Pikes Peak. While winning overall is not the target, I amconvinced that the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak will perform well in its Time Attackcategory. It's an extremely motivating project, and I think we will have a lotof fun while giving our best for Alpine in this first appearance!"
What are yourfirst impressions after driving the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak?
"The first runs wentvery well. We tested for three days in France, and the results were extremelypositive. The car is very agile and easy to drive. The chassis sticks to theground, the engine looks promising, and the weight loss makes the Alpine evenmore dynamic than it already is naturally. It feels very light and responsive,with very direct steering and no delays in shifting. We now need to confirmthis good feeling on other roads and heights, but our debut has been more thanpositive, and I am confident."
What are thebiggest challenges for any driver at Pikes Peak?
"There are fourpractice mornings during the week of the competition. The competitors aredivided into several groups from Tuesday to Friday, and each day, we work on agiven sector. We get to discover the course throughout the week, but we neverrun the complete climb before the event, when we only have one attempt. That'swhat makes it so unique. On Sunday, you have to give it all you’ve got from thestart. You have to immediately get into the rhythm and not let up, even if it'sthe first and only time you know the evolution of the tyres and their pressuresover the entire course. Fortunately, I am lucky enough to have a bit ofexperience with four starts already under my belt. The other catch is that alot of the sections look the same. Many incidents are due to confusion betweentwo corners. When you're in the thick of it, some things can throw you off, soyou have to remain focused, and that's quite a challenge in itself."
Q&A WITHLIONEL CHEVALIER
Signatech TechnicalDirector Lionel Chevalier oversees all the projects linked to the Alpine A110for customer racing. Initiator of this new adventure along with PhilippeSinault, the Frenchman explains the main challenges taken up by his teamsbefore looking ahead to Colorado...
What do youthink of this new Alpine A110 racing version?
"At the beginning ofour collaboration with Alpine, we never imagined that we would offer so manydifferent versions, but the success is well and truly beyond our expectations.We had previously thought of adapting an A110 GT4 for hill climbing, but we hadnever gone this far with a car specifically designed for Pikes Peak. Alongsidethe A110 Cup, A110 Rally and A110 GT4, it is thus a fourth model intended forracing, with new and dedicated parts as well as different cinematics. It hasbeen meticulously thought out whilst respecting the DNA and nature of theAlpine A110, and we are very proud of this new close collaboration with Alpineand its design office to offer the best of our worlds."
What were thetargets of the test sessions?
"With such a tighttimeframe, we had less than a month between the completion of the car and itsdeparture for the US. This schedule was a challenge as we had no room formistake. Carrying over many well-known parts helped us make the right technicalcalls to avoid fundamental issues. The tests went very well. We first conductedengine-specific tests on track to validate things before focusing on thechassis driving on twisty rally stages to prepare for Pikes Peak and its variedroad profile. We then went to Val Thorens to do the same at altitude, althoughthe snow and the closure of the passes meant we couldn't run above 2,400metres. We knew it would be difficult to find roads at Pikes Peak elevations inEurope, but we were productive in gathering valuable data for what’snext!"
Whatadjustments have been necessary, and what are the next steps?
"We tested two typesof gearboxes to try out different ratios and make our choice for our first runsat Pikes Peak. We also worked hard on the suspension and damping in closecollaboration with our long-time rally supplier, ALP Racing Suspension. OnMonday, the Alpine A110 Pikes Peak returned to Bourges. We cleaned it up afterit ran in the snow, and then we are servicing and preparing it for itsdeparture to the USA this coming Monday. We will do a shakedown on Thursday 8thJune at a track near Denver to ensure the car is operational as all fluids needto be drained for its journey. Then we will immediately switch to the firstthree days of testing at Pikes Peak from 9 to 11 June. These will run from 5:30am to 8:30 am before the road reopens for tourists, another unique feature ofthe event!"
TECHNICALSPECIFICATIONS
CHASSIS
Type Aluminiummonocoque
Safety Multi-point roll cage
Bodywork Aluminium
Aerodynamics Frontsplitter with fins, flat bottom, A110 R side skirts, rear fins, A110 Rdiffuser, rear wing, rear window with integrated shark fin
ENGINE
Type Four-cylinder1.8-litre 16v
Layout Rearmid-mounted
Power 500hpat 7,500rpm
ECU Magneti-MarelliSRG 140
TRANSMISSION
Type Rear-wheeldrive
Gearbox 3MOsix-speed sequential
Controls Steering-wheelmounted
Differential Self-locking,limited slip
Clutch Sintered steel twin-disk
AXLES ANDSUSPENSION
Suspension Double Wishbone, Coil Springs &Anti-Roll Bars
Shock absorbers ALPRacing Suspension, 3-way adjustable
FR brakes Ø355x32mm, six-piston Brembo callipers
RR brakes Ø300x28mm, four-piston Brembo callipers
Steering Electricpower-assisted
WHEELS
Rims Aluminium,8x17’’ (FR) et 10x18’’ (RR)
Tyres Michelin20-61x17 (FR) and 27-65x18 (RR)
DIMENSIONS,WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES
Length/width/height 4,230 / 1,850 /1,240 mm
Wheel base 2,415mm
FR/RR tracks 1,580 / 1,555 mm
Fuel tank FIAFT3 homologated, 25 litres
Weight Approximately950 kg
How to follow PikesPeak : https://ppihc.org/how-to-follow/
ABOUT ALPINE
Founded in 1955 by Jean Rédélé, the brand hasset itself apart with its French-style sports cars. In 2018, the brandpresented the new A110, a sports car faithful to Alpine's timeless principlesof compactness, lightness, agility and driving pleasure. The Alpine BusinessUnit was created in 2021 and thus became the brand dedicated to innovative,authentic, exclusive sportscars of the Renault Group, benefiting from theheritage and craftsmanship of its historic plant in Dieppe and the AlpineRacing and Alpine Cars teams engineering mastery.
Kõik sellel veebilehel olevad materjalid (sealhulgas, kuid mitte ainult: tekstid, fotod, graafika, helifailid, animatsioonifailid, videofailid ja nende paigutus veebilehel) on Renault SASi ja/või selle sidusettevõtete või kolmandate isikute omand, kes on volitanud Renault SASi nende piiratud kasutamiseks, ning on kaitstud autoriõiguse ja muude intellektuaalomandi kohta kehtivate õigusnormidega. Eespool nimetatud materjalide kasutamine muudel kui toimetuslikel eesmärkidel, eelkõige turundus- või reklaamieesmärkidel, on rangelt keelatud.
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
ALPINE A110 PIKES PEAK: HEADING FOR THE SUMMITS!
Kõik sellel veebilehel olevad materjalid (sealhulgas, kuid mitte ainult: tekstid, fotod, graafika, helifailid, animatsioonifailid, videofailid ja nende paigutus veebilehel) on Renault SASi ja/või selle sidusettevõtete või kolmandate isikute omand, kes on volitanud Renault SASi nende piiratud kasutamiseks, ning on kaitstud autoriõiguse ja muude intellektuaalomandi kohta kehtivate õigusnormidega. Eespool nimetatud materjalide kasutamine muudel kui toimetuslikel eesmärkidel, eelkõige turundus- või reklaamieesmärkidel, on rangelt keelatud.
