OPTIMA Batteries is returning to the 101st running of Pikes Peak to charge the first-ever Rivian R1T to compete in the fabled hill climb. Alongside the R1T, OPTIMA is also sponsoring Tanner Foust in a bespoke Radford Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition, 2022 PPIHC winner Robin Shute, two-time PPIHC winner Rhys Millen and James Clay in the BimmerWorld BMW E36 M3. Each sponsored vehicle will be fitted with OPTIMA ORANGETOP HYPERCORE Lithium Quad-30 batteries.
Pikes Peak rookie Gardner Nichols will drive the G Autosport team’s Rivian R1T in the race. The only modifications made to the R1T include required safety equipment and approved modifications like high-performance DOT-rated Pirelli tires. Nichols will be competing for the all-new Production Truck/Van record.
Although a rookie to the 156 treacherous turns of the 12.4-mile race to Pikes Peak, Nichols is not a stranger to high-performance driving. His resume includes four years as a test driver for Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and he’s currently a senior performance test engineer at Rivian Automotive.
Nichols will run two OPTIMA ORANGETOP Lithium Batteries in his Rivian to complement the factory 12-volt system and increase its available amp hours during this intense use situation. Along with the two ORANGETOPs, OPTIMA Batteries will help charge Nichols’ R1T and power the G Autosport team pit using the OPTIMA Power Station portable charging trailer unveiled at the 2022 SEMA Show alongside custom Rivian R1S and R1T overland rigs. The OPTIMA Power Station was designed and engineered to charge EVs and other electrified vehicles on or off-grid making it an ideal power and charging solution for the base of the mountain.
Alongside the first-ever Rivian R1T to race at Pikes Peak, OPTIMA will sponsor Tanner Foust and his bespoke Radford Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition. Foust is an internationally acclaimed rallycross driver, Formula Drift champion, television star, stunt driver and more. His Radford Type 62-2 Pikes Peak Edition was engineered to use an OPTIMA ORANGETOP Lithium Battery for lightness and power.
Robin Shute won the PPIHC in his Wolf TSC open-wheel car in 2019, 2021 and 2022 and was the first-ever British driver to win the grueling race. He will return this year with his Wolf and chase the trophy again, this time with an OPTIMA ORANGETOP Lithium Battery.
Rhys Millen, son of five-time PPIHC winner Rod Millen, is a two-time PPIHC winner himself, and this year he is entering his 27th Race to the Clouds in an all-new BMW 8 Series equipped with an OPTIMA ORANGETOP Lithium Battery.
James Clay will be attacking the Race to the Clouds for his fifth time this year, piloting his BimmerWorld BMW E36 “Bergsteiger.” Clay, the founder of the renowned BMW specialist company BimmerWorld, has been racing since 1998 and is competing in the open category this year using an OPTIMA ORANGETOP Lithium Battery for the first time.
