Wesley Motorsports Challenger Stuns at 2020 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Dodge Challenger Redeye finished third in class and eleventh overall in the 45-vehicle field.
This past weekend, the 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was held in Colorado. Most of the 45 vehicles in the field are lightweight, purpose-built racecars, but the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye campaigned by Kevin Wesley and his Wesley Motorsports team tips the scales at a hefty 4,350 pounds. However, even being one of the biggest and heaviest cars in the field of 45, Wesley got to the top of the 12.42-mile course in just 10 minutes and 25.915 seconds. That allowed the supercharged Mopar muscle to finished eleventh over and third in class, with 10 lightweight race cars finished ahead of Wesley’s Challenger Redeye.
In the video below from the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb YouTube channel, Kevin Wesley talks about his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and his successful run up the mountain for 2020. More importantly, we get to ride along as Wesley carves all 156 corners with his 4,350-pounds Mopar muscle car.
The Wesley Challenger Redeye
The video begins with an interview with Kevin Wesley, the many tasked with driving the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He explains that the car is production-based, but it has been modified. The engine is fitted with a set of headers and a tune to run E90 ethanol blend. It also has a set of upper control arms from All Angles Design and double adjustable Bilstein shocks, but the rest of the suspension components are factory parts.
Finally, this Challenger has the front splitter and the huge rear wing from a Dodge Viper ACR-E along with the brakes from a Viper ACR. The package is completed with a set of Toyo racing slicks on aftermarket wheels. Of course, it has an elaborate wrap, but it isn’t a race car, it is a modified production road car.
While this Challenger Redeye no longer has working air conditioning, it does have a working factory UConnect system. Some interior panels have been removed with the seats. A race bucket seat is joined by a full roll cage, but as you can see in the image above, the car has the factory dash board and steering wheel. Wesley points out that if it had exhaust and street tires, this Pikes Peak finisher could be driven on the street without any problem.
That would be one badass street car.
2020 Pikes Peak Hill Climb
While talking about his Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye, Wesley points out that the track was a little slippery with the fresh Toyo tires. As a result, he was battling an understeer issue early in the run and later in the run, the engine was running a little hot. That caused a loss of power, but it still made it to the top of the mountain in impressive fashion.
Wesley and his Challenger turned in a time of 10:25.915. That was good enough to finish third overall in the Unlimited class, trailing only a pair of heavily modified race cars that are both much smaller and lighter. The class winner was Daijiro Yoshihara in his 900-horsepower Toyota 86 and the runner-up was Derek Boyd in his race-ready Mitsubishi Evolution X.
Those two Unlimited class cars finished ninth and tenth overall. Four of the other eight vehicles in the top ten were open wheel race cars. One was a NASCAR-style Chevy SS race car and three were purpose-built race cars, including two Porsches and an Acura NSX.
None of the cars in the top ten had as many production components as the Wesley Challenger, nor do any of them weigh anywhere close to the Redeye, but the big Mopar still turned in similar times to those small, lightweight race cars.
While the quicker cars in the Unlimited class were Japanese compacts, there were two other American muscle cars in the field. A 2002 Camaro driven by Steve Goeglein finished fourth in the class and 13th overall while a 2017 Mustang GT driven by Kash Singh finished fifth in the Pikes Peak Open class, 33rd overall.
Check out the in-car video below with your speakers cranked up for the full effect. Dodge road racing fans should be on the lookout for Challenger Redeye V2 from Wesley Motorsports at the 2021 Pikes Peak event.
Vehicle photos: Wesley Motorsports
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