Help us pursue the dream!
It is our goal and dream to compete in the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb. We are a small, focused and dedicated team armed with unique cars that we believe will give us an edge on the competition. We are confident that we can go head-to-head with big factory-backed efforts on a fraction of their budgets. Still, it will take a good deal of resources and we need financial help from both commercial sponsors and individual supporters. These pages will tell you about our plan, our motivation and how to become part of the effort.
Why Pikes Peak?
The Pikes Peak International Hillclimb is perhaps the only major international race where the overall win and record is potentially accessible to a newcomer on a modest budget. In most established circuit racing series, rules are designed to create close competition. This is done primarily to help maintain audience interest over the length of a season (oddly, reducing costs is almost always used as the excuse even though in reality the effect is just the opposite). The rules therefore all but preclude a dramatically different design from entry. Not so at Pikes Peak - a once-a-year event where the Unlimited class places no restrictions on technical innovation.
In reviewing the nature of the race, which will be fully paved in 2012, we realized that our cars would indeed provide a great advantage over existing designs. The key unique feature is the unprecedented combination of extremely light weight, AWD, high power, ultra-compact size and advanced ground-effects aerodynamics. The power/weight ratios of Palatov designs match or exceed top competitors while the chassis provides far superior agility.
We firmly believe that 'Light is Right' and that one doesn't need 1,000 hp to be King of the Hill. We need your help to give us a chance to prove it.
What is the plan?
The pages on this site can tell you the details on our car, our drivers and our team. Based on the support received so far we have decided to move forward with a D4 Turbo, with David Donner as the driver. It is the most developed and tested implementation of our platform, with the addition of a turbo to a standard AWD D4 chassis. With 300+ hp in a 900 lb package it is a fast car and with luck it may have a shot at the overall win. Our best estimate is that it will take $75K to build, test, transport and race it (as of current spec, we are considering upgrades). Keep in mind that a sponsor willing to put up a car's full 'price tag' will own the car after the race!
What makes us think we can compete?
We believe that having the advantage in agility while giving up nothing in power/weight is what will give our car the edge.
A large portion of the course consists of tight switchbacks. In the past, gravel surface leveled the field by forcing all cars to drift through corners. Driver skill was the primary differentiating factor on these portions of the course. Now, on paved surface, the larger cars will still have to drift in order to rapidly change direction and maintain engine in the power band. While spectacular, it is slow, wasteful of energy and hard on tires and drivetrain. In contrast, a very compact car that can carry high lateral g in tight turns and maintain momentum will be much faster through corners and will get better drive onto connecting straights.
We also know that a race car is only as good as its pilot. Therefore, to extract the cars' full potential on the mountain and in testing we have enlisted the help of talented and experienced drivers. David Donner, a 3-time overall winner at the Peak, will drive our car in the race. The entire Palatov team is ready to back the effort with skill, efficiency and determination.
We have extensively simulated the D4 Turbo in rFactor driving simulator on a virtual Pikes Peak course and have confirmed that at least theoretically an overall time below 9:30 is possible. This is almost half a minute ahead of current all-time record. While It is expected that in 2012 several top competitors will run under 10 minutes, we believe that Palatov car has the potential to run at the front of that pack. Help us show you what we mean!
