PRI was invited to a sneak-peek reveal of the new Hyundai IONIQ 5 N race car customized by Evasive Motorsports before it ascends to the summit of the 14,115-foot Pikes Peak.

Conquering the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in under 10 minutes is a rare and highly coveted feat. But to do so in an SUV?

When Hyundai reached out to Evasive Motorsports, the acclaimed motorsports tuner and parts retailer quickly jumped on the opportunity to discover how they could unlock the performance of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N. (Editor's note: The 'N' represents the first letter of Namyang, which is the global R&D center where Hyundai's high-performance models are created. It's also the first letter of Nürburgring, where these race vehicles are rigorously tested and refined.) Evasive Motorsports already has EV experience on the 12.42-mile Colorado mountain course in a Tesla Model 3 with driver Dai Yoshihara in 2021 and 2022, setting the fastest EV mark in the latter year.

Since there are very few off-the-shelf performance parts available for the IONIQ 5 N, Evasive had to work with its partner companies to manufacture custom components specifically for Pikes Peak.

Now, the two are working together to unleash the potential of the high-performance version of Hyundai's SUV, the IONIQ 5 N. Before any adjustments made by the Evasive team, Hyundai touts the stock model's maximum power output of 641 hp/478 kW, 568 lb-ft of torque (with N Grin Boost activated), and acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 3.25 seconds.

This new race car debuted during a gathering at Evasive Motorsports' shop in Cerritos, California. Business owners Tony Kwan and Mike Chang kindly invited the PRI team to the unveiling before loading the car on the trailer and traveling to Colorado Springs for the Sunday, June 22, event.

"We're obviously very honored to work with Hyundai Motor Group [on] this project," explained Chang to the gathering of more than 150 media, clients and guests. "We have one of our best chances this year to do well at Pikes Peak and break the 10-minute barrier. That's the goal.

"For those who didn't know, the IONIQ 5 N is a very, very fun and fast vehicle," he continued. "The biggest difference between this and the previous EVs that we've ran is that the IONIQ 5 N is able to run for a long duration without any overheating issues, so 600-plus horsepower will be there the whole entire way up the mountain. So that's going to give us a really good chance at actually doing well at Pikes Peak."

Returning to pilot the IONIQ 5 N is Rob Walker, who is no stranger to the team. In fact, Walker drove Evasive's first PPIHC event in 2013 in a supercharged Scion FR-S. Both he and the car returned the following year. In 2015 and 2016, Walker drove Evasive's Toyota 86 up the 156-turn course.

"It's been amazing to see the car coming along in such a short timeframe," Walker said regarding the short three-month project timeline. "I want to give my thanks to Mike and Tony and Evasive Motorsports for the opportunity. Not every day someone gets to drive Pikes Peak and for such a reputable company like Evasive Motorsports. On a personal note, driving Pikes is all about confidence. It's easy to think that it's all about tires and suspension and aero balance. But really, behind that, it's also about the people who support the program. And it's all about the expertise--the engineering, the R&D setup, everything that's behind the scenes that goes onto the car that actually gives drivers the need to push to the limit and also maybe go beyond it while staying cool. So I'm super happy to be driving for Evasive. That gives me that confidence to push the level. I look forward to running Pikes Peak next week and bring[ing] you back results."

Evasive Motorsports' driver, Rob Walker, purchased the street version of the IONIQ 5 N to get familiar with the vehicle setup while the race car was being built.

To get a race car ready in three months is obviously a challenge, so to become familiar with the IONIQ 5 N, Walker purchased the street version for himself.

"I actually got the car even before Evasive Motorsports got the car from Hyundai," Walker told PRI. "And then we started putting in brakes, suspension and slicks onto it. [It was] really for me to get specialized in that platform. When it comes to driving the actual race and race car, I'm familiar with it. I understand the software and the mechanical aspects of it and am able to extract as much as I can."

Since there are very few off-the-shelf performance parts available for the IONIQ 5 N, Evasive had to work with its partner companies to manufacture custom components specifically for Pikes Peak. Voltex Japan designed and crafted the car's front lip and carbon fiber splitter, fender flares, side skirts, carbon fiber underbody aero panels, and a massive carbon fiber rear wing for downforce.

"With a short timeframe before the race, we sent a 3D scan of the IONIQ 5 N to Voltex, allowing them to design and produce the aero parts we need," Chang said. "In the past, they would have sent a designer over from Japan, but now they can do everything from 3D files."

Krontec air jacks have been installed on the car, along with lightweight forged 19- x 11-inch Titan 7 T-P10 racing wheels with carbon fiber EVS Tuning aero discs, 310/690 VR19 Yokohama ADVAN A005 racing tire slicks, prototype EVS Tuning front and rear anti-roll bars, a custom six-point PPIHC-spec roll cage fabricated by Elmer Engineering, and a one-off Moton coilover suspension designed by MotoIQ's Mike Kojima. With all the specific motorsports upgrades, the team at Evasive claims they have shaved about 500 pounds from the original stock 4,851-pound vehicle.

Evasive Motorsports invited more than 150 media, clients and guests to the unveiling before loading the IONIQ 5 N on the trailer and traveling to Colorado Springs for the 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. 

Kwan appreciates Hyundai's commitment to "backing motorsports." He explained, "A lot of the car manufacturers right now don't really care too much about motorsports, but Hyundai is actually reinforcing it and making it a priority to make cars fast. And a car enthusiast can appreciate that. Because of that, we're doing something special, and we want to show Hyundai that we could do something special together, and then hopefully we can break records together."

To watch the 103rd Running of The Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, eight hours of live coverage will be available on the RACER Network and the RACER+ streaming app on Sunday, June 22, 2025. A second live viewing option is available through the Pikes Peak Region Attractions YouTube channel here.