2021 TLX Set To Make Racing Debut At Pikes Peak Hill Climb

One of the oldest and most well known motorsport events in the world, The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, is set to take place on August 30, 2020. It will also mark the official racing debut of the completely reimagined 2021 Acura TLX. 

Acura will compete in the 98^th running of the "Race to the Clouds" with two race prepared 2021 TLX Sport Sedans and a "Time Attack" NSX. All three cars will be piloted up the 14,115 foot mountain by Acura's own team of R&D engineers. 

The all-new TLX is set to arrive at dealerships this fall while its involvement in the race also foreshadows the arrival of Type S next spring.

With Precision Crafted Performance infused into Acura's DNA, the company has used the punishing Pikes Peak Hill Climb as a testing bed for future performance techonologies and developing the skill sets of their young engineers. Led by a group of R&D engineers, Acura's Pikes Peak team will take on all aspects of the competition from development of vehicles, race prep, crew support, and navigating cars to the finish line.

Acura has scored numerous race records and podium finises at Pikes Peaks over the last few years. RealTime Racing TLX GT, driven by Peter Cunningham, finished first in the Open Class for the third year in a row in 2019. Acura also holds two current records including a Hybrid-production car record for the Acura NSX driven by James Robinson (10:02.448) and a front-wheel drive record for the Acura TLX driven by Nick Robinson (10:48.094).

Official Pace Car

This year, the TLX Type S will also serve as the official pace car. Driven by Nick Robinson, principle engineer in Acura's Chassis Development Group, the Type S Pace Car is an early development prototype used for circuit testing. Powered by Acura's new 3.0 V6 Turbo engine, the Type S is expected to produce 355 Horsepower and 354 lb. -ft of torque with power distrubed to all four wheels via Acura’s fourth-generation Super Handling All-Wheel Drive™ (SH-AWD®). 

Exibition Class Entries

The two 2021 TLX cars will compete in the Exibition Class with multiple modifications to take on the chanllenging climb. One of the TLX, driven by Jordan Guitar, is a 2.0-litre which has been race tuned to include a larger turbocharger and intercooler for more power. The other TLX, driven by Justin Lumbard,is also a 2.0 litre tubro with  an engine tune and more aggressive suspension tweaks.

Time Attack NSX

The "Time Attack" NSX, driven by 10-time Pikes Peak veteran James Robinson, will be returning to Pikes Peak for third year in a row. Robinson set the hybrid production car record with the NSX in 2018 plus podium finises in the Exibition, Open and Time Attack 1 classes.

The 2021 Acura TLX, quickest sedan in Acura's history, paves the way for a new era in performance. It will be arriving at Markham Acura early this fall while Type S high performance variant is expected to arrive next spring!