The nine times World Rally Champion, Sebastien Loeb won the prestigious Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He was the winning driver crossing the finish line at some 4 300 meters high in 8’ 13’’878 wearing an RM watch on his wrist. It was the very first time Sebastien participated as rookie at Pikes Peak in the Unlimited category which offers total engineering freedom and no regulations as in other motorsports.

«The race to the clouds» is the oldest race in the United-States after Indianapolis. The climb is 19.93 km long, has 156 corners and the starting line begins at the height of 2 800 meters. Pikes Peak is a very demanding race whether it is for the drivers or the cars due to the rapid increase in height over the whole distance. To fully understand the spirit of Pikes Peak imagine a Formula 1 race car competing in a rally in the middle of the mountains.

In his 875-horsepowered Peugeot 208 T16 weighing the same in kilograms, Sebastien Loeb dominated the qualifying but it was on Sunday that he established the fastest time in the history of Pikes Peak which breaks the old mark achieved by Australian Rhys Millen by over one minute. To achieve this extraordinary performance the French driver negotiated the climb at an average speed of around 145 kph. His engineers estimated that he would be timed between 8’15’’ and 8’20’’ and Sebastien improved this already incredible estimation.

This victory is achieved by a driver that relishes challenges and who is renowned for having unlimited capacities in adapting himself to new competitions. Whether it is on asphalt, gravel or snow Sebastien Loeb has swept away everything in his path by winning races with such ease and has obtained the respect of the automotive community.

Richard Mille is proud of Sebastien’s victory as he is the last member to join the RM family. The RM brand has among the best drivers in the world and is fully committed in the creation of innovative calibers with optimal performances adapted to each motorsport discipline. Sebastien Loeb’s victory is a fantastic laboratory result for Richard Mille designers to progress in the development of future calibers for the French champion.