A Rivian R1T Will Race at This Year's Pikes Peak Hill Climb
A Rivian R1T will be competing in the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in June, an official entry list for the event has revealed.
The entry list, released on Monday, lists a 2022 Rivian R1T pickup truck as one of the vehicles set to participate in the event, with a driver named Gardner Nichols behind the wheel. Nichols is a senior performance test engineer for the startup, according to his LinkedIn profile.
It's unclear at this time what sorts of modifications, if any, will be made to the R1T in question in preparation for the event. In a statement given to Road & Track, Rivian confirmed it is not involved in Nichols' entry:
At Rivian, employees are encouraged to pursue adventure both inside and outside of work. Rivian isn’t a sponsor or affiliate of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb; this participant is a passionate employee using their own vehicle on their own time for an epic adventure, and we can’t wait to see how it goes.
It's not uncommon to see electric vehicles compete at Pikes Peak, as their instant torque provides excellent performance advantages over internal combustion engines, which struggle to make adequate power at the high elevation where the hill climb takes place. And as far as electric pickup trucks go, the R1T is the sportiest, most on-road capable we've ever driven. Even stock, we don't think it would do too badly.
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