100th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Photo: Louis Yio.

PARK CITY, Utah. — Long-time local and popular rally driver Ken Block was unable to compete in Saturday’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) due to pre-race, catastrophic engine failure.

Fellow Parkite and Team Hoonigan mechanic Jeff Price told me, “Unfortunately, we lost the engine in the car and scrambled all night to try to get it sorted, but it looks like this year it’s not in the cards for us.” Price referring to Block’s newest car, the pink 1,400 horsepower, all-wheel drive Porsche nicknamed the Hoonipigasus and built specifically to race Pikes Peak.

First staged in 1916, the PPIHC is the second oldest race in America. The invitation-only event often called The Race to the Clouds, is held annually on the last Sunday of June on Pikes Peak – America’s Mountain, near Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The famous 12.42-mile (20 km) course consists of 156 turns, boasts an elevation gain of 4,725 feet (1,440 m), and reaches a finish line at 14,115 feet (4,302 m) above sea level. The PPIHC’s automobile categories feature various vehicles representing multiple forms of motorsport; everything from production-based Time Attack challengers to purpose-built Open Wheel racers and state-of-the-art Unlimited vehicles take on America’s Mountain pursuing victory.