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TARGET: PIKES PEAK 2028

RACE TO
THE CLOUDS

An internal combustion car against the thin air of 4,300 metres.

19.99 kilometres. 156 turns. 1,440 metres of elevation gain. The air at the summit holds 30% less oxygen than at sea level.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb systematically destroys internal combustion engines, strips aerodynamic downforce, and breaks drivers. The overall record sits at 7 minutes and 57 seconds, held by a purpose-built electric vehicle backed by one of the largest automotive corporations on earth. The thin air does not affect an electric motor.

The thin air does affect ours.

Kalana development mule facing camera in the Pininfarina wind tunnel Pininfarina Wind Tunnel. Torino. 2023.

This is the development mule — a test car built to prove the technology before the final machine. Carbon-fibre construction. Tested in the Pininfarina wind tunnel in Torino.

"Tested at the Pininfarina Wind Tunnel in Grugliasco, Torino — with an impressive downforce level."

— Pininfarina
Powertrain 5.0L Twin-Turbo V6
Target Output at 4,300m Altitude 1,200 bhp
Target Weight 900 kg
Downforce at 250 km/h 2,860 kg
Chassis Carbon Fibre Monocoque
Suspension Double Wishbone / 3-Way Damper (Heave)
7:57 Time to beat
Porsche Ring
Pärnu, Estonia · 2023

Shakedown. First real run after a single Italian test event.

1:09.111
Lap record
Previous 1:11.579 — Martin Rump, Formula Renault 2.0
Bikernieki
Riga, Latvia · 2024

Suspension testing on rougher surfaces.

1:12.725
Lap record
Previous 1:14.093 — Šlegelmilhs, Formula 3. Stood for 18 years.
Porsche Ring
Pärnu, Estonia · 2024

Continued development. Broke our own record.

1:08.438
Lap record
Previous 1:09.111 — Kalana, set the year before.
Pikes Peak
Colorado, USA

The goal everything points to.

7:57.148
Target
Record to break Romain Dumas, Volkswagen I.D. R. 2018.

"The track record that was set 18 years ago by Šlegelmilhs with an F3 specification car has been broken!"

— Baltic Touring Car Championship

"This thing holds the lap record at Porsche Ring and it was just casually driving around — and lapping everyone — during today's open track evening."

— r/spotted

Built in a repurposed 1970s seaside sports base in Estonia. Four full-time engineers and a network of specialists with backgrounds in Formula 1 aerodynamics, composite structures, and driver-in-the-loop simulation. No factory backing. No corporate testing facility.

The driver has not been announced.

The seat is open. So is the conversation about who fills it.

This is where we are.

Completed
Simulation
Lap time simulation to set the performance targets.
In Progress
Aerodynamic Design
Iterative CFD optimization until targets are met.
Upcoming
Vehicle Engineering
Component design, structural analysis, suspension geometry.
Upcoming
Manufacturing
Monocoque, body tooling, powertrain, and machined components commissioned.
Upcoming
Assembly
Chassis, body, powertrain, suspension, and electrical systems brought together.
Upcoming
Track Development
On-track testing, simulation correlation, and ongoing refinement.
Target 2028
Race Week
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Oldbac Kalana development mule attacking Pikes Peak Highway in Assetto Corsa simulation

The development mule. Pikes Peak Highway. Assetto Corsa.

A simplified version of the driver-in-the-loop model used during development. The real physics run on a different engine. This is what we can share.

The tracks we race on — some built in-house, some by the community.

Sim car physics by IER Simulations

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