The Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the first DiRT Rally is one of the rare times the legendary course has appeared in a racing sim, and it was awesome.
There are certain legendary cars and tracks that are surprisingly hard to find in racing sims. The McLaren F1, 90's CART, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway to name a few. Mods can often save the day, but as official content some of the most well-loved vehicles and locations can be tough to own. Pikes Peak certainly belongs in that group.
Pikes Peak Hill Climb is the legendary ascent in Colorado dating back over 100 years that has challenged drivers to a 20 kilometer sprint to set the fastest time point-to-point while ascending over 1,400 meters. The course has been a mix of paved and gravel sections for most of its history, but since 2011 the entire course has been paved, which is the version included in DiRT Rally.
While it could be argued that, broadly speaking, DiRT Rally 2.0 does everything better than its predecessor, only the first DiRT Rally includes Pikes Peak.
The ascent undertaken with Pikes Peak is so great that the landscape undertakes a total transformation between the start and the finish. You begin the climb in the middle of a green, densely treed forest. The end of the course lands you in an environment more akin to Mars than the beautiful forest you left less than 15 minutes prior.
But admiring the impressive landscapes will be the last thing on your mind when taking on this course. The rapid ascent makes for many blind sections, including countless corner entries. Those undulations also hold the potential to upset the car's balance.
Aside from the elevation changes, the course itself can best be summarized as winding, and relative to the average speed it feels narrow. Another reason drivers get the feeling of being on a narrow course is the near constant threat of the vehicle falling off a cliff if the track limits aren't respected.
It's a very challenging, very rewarding experience to drive Pikes Peak, and thankfully we have it in DiRT Rally. If you've moved on to DR2.0, or are seeking a new challenge in sim racing, it might be worth buying or reinstalling the first DiRT Rally to take on Pikes Peak Hill Climb. An excellent, and unfortunately rare, experience in the world of sim racing.
If you've tried Pikes Peak Hill Climb in DiRT Rally, share your thoughts on the experience in the comments below.
There are certain legendary cars and tracks that are surprisingly hard to find in racing sims. The McLaren F1, 90's CART, and Indianapolis Motor Speedway to name a few. Mods can often save the day, but as official content some of the most well-loved vehicles and locations can be tough to own. Pikes Peak certainly belongs in that group.
Pikes Peak Hill Climb is the legendary ascent in Colorado dating back over 100 years that has challenged drivers to a 20 kilometer sprint to set the fastest time point-to-point while ascending over 1,400 meters. The course has been a mix of paved and gravel sections for most of its history, but since 2011 the entire course has been paved, which is the version included in DiRT Rally.
While it could be argued that, broadly speaking, DiRT Rally 2.0 does everything better than its predecessor, only the first DiRT Rally includes Pikes Peak.
The ascent undertaken with Pikes Peak is so great that the landscape undertakes a total transformation between the start and the finish. You begin the climb in the middle of a green, densely treed forest. The end of the course lands you in an environment more akin to Mars than the beautiful forest you left less than 15 minutes prior.
But admiring the impressive landscapes will be the last thing on your mind when taking on this course. The rapid ascent makes for many blind sections, including countless corner entries. Those undulations also hold the potential to upset the car's balance.
Aside from the elevation changes, the course itself can best be summarized as winding, and relative to the average speed it feels narrow. Another reason drivers get the feeling of being on a narrow course is the near constant threat of the vehicle falling off a cliff if the track limits aren't respected.
It's a very challenging, very rewarding experience to drive Pikes Peak, and thankfully we have it in DiRT Rally. If you've moved on to DR2.0, or are seeking a new challenge in sim racing, it might be worth buying or reinstalling the first DiRT Rally to take on Pikes Peak Hill Climb. An excellent, and unfortunately rare, experience in the world of sim racing.
If you've tried Pikes Peak Hill Climb in DiRT Rally, share your thoughts on the experience in the comments below.
