Bentley is putting the final touches on its new Continental GT3 Pikes Peak racer, which targets another record run at the famous hill climb. The new Bentley race car has already completed three dynamic test sessions and its renewable fuel engine development, a first for the British carmaker. The race car will run on renewable fuel at Pikes Peak on June 27.
The new Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will run on 98RON renewable racing fuel, which is a dedicated blend of advanced biofuels specifically designed for motorsport applications, offering a greenhouse gas reduction of up to 85 percent. Bentley’s extreme race machine will be powered by a reworked race version of the twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine, producing more than 750 HP and 1,000 Nm of torque at sea level for testing. The company says that the engine will be more powerful for the race itself.
The twin-turbo V8 has been upgraded with new pistons and conrods, as well as a reinforced and thicker carbon-fiber intake manifold in order to run at a higher boost pressure. In addition, the exhaust manifolds are custom, one-off 3D-printed Inconel units by Akrapovic, leading to a set of bigger turbos with external wastegates. The exhaust system itself is very short in length, with the pipes exiting behind the front wheels. Bentley has also developed and installed a secondary cooling system at the back of the car, with air inlets replacing the rear windows, channeling the air through a radiator. The air then exits through ducts in the boot lid.
A standard racing transmission from Bentley is used, running a specially formulated lubricant, but the rear driveshaft is now thicker for extra durability. The chassis has of course been tuned to the specific nature of the Pikes Peak course, featuring significantly reduced negative camber on both axles and featuring softer springs and anti-roll bars to allow more body movement and maximize weight transfer for braking. Speaking of brakes, these are water-cooled, to cope with the conditions of an all-out attack at Pikes Peak.
And then, there are the extreme aerodynamic modifications; the new Continental GT3 Pikes Peak generates 30 percent more downforce at sea level thanks to its new aero kit while maintaining the aerodynamic front/rear balance. The biggest rear wing ever fitted to a Bentley is paired to an equally impressive diffuser but the balance is maintained thanks to the aerodynamic package at the front. The front end of the new Continental GT3 Pikes Peak features a two-plane front splitter flanked by separate dive planes.
The Bentley Continental GT3 Pikes Peak will race at the iconic hill climb event on June 27, featuring the black-and-gold livery of Roger Clark Motorsport and none other than three-times Pikes Peak champion Rhys Millen. Bentley wants to set a new record at the event, which will give them Pikes Peak’s ‘Triple Crown’, after setting the production SUV record and the production car record with the Bentayga W12 and the Continental GT W12 respectively.
