Over the past five years, Acura has been a staple at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. It’s done quite well for itself there, including last year when it sent three modified NSX supercars, scoring the Time Attack 2 win with a time of 10 minutes and 28 seconds. This year, the Honda-owned automaker will make it six years in a row at Pikes Peak, and once more, it’s bringing with it some heavy-hitting machinery, including a GT3-inspired NSX, a TLX GT racer, and a debuting TLX A-Spec racer.

All three cars will be competing in Pikes Peak, so don’t expect these machines to be run of the mill. Each have been prepared specifically to handle the rigorous hill climb, arriving at the event packing aerodynamic, engine, and suspension upgrades. Pikes Peak isn’t your typical race track after all, so you can be sure that all three cars are getting ready to stake their names in the race. Beyond having these racers, Acura’s involvement at Pikes Peak also extends to pace car duties since the company is the Official Pace Car sponsor at this year’s race. On top of that, Acura is also participating in a handful of pre-race activities to showcase all of the four-wheeled racing hardware it's bringing to the event and hosting an MDX Rookie Orientation in the lead-up to the race. It’s going to be a busy weekend for Acura when the flags start flying on June 23.

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Acura's all geared up to stake its climb at Pikes Peak

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is always a fun place to watch competitive racing, partly because it doesn’t have the traditional set-up of competitive racing. But it’s been around for 95 years, so that longevity counts for something. This year, we’re expecting a heavy dose of exciting racing and Acura is going to be in the thick of things with three race cars that have all been prepared to do some serious damage at the event.

The first two of these racers are based on the TLX, including the TLX GT, which will be making its Pikes Peak debut. Despite its neophyte status, the TLX GT will be piloted by long-time Acura race car driver Peter Cunningham where it will compete in the event’s Open Class. Not only is the car getting a driver that knows his way behind the wheel of a race car. it also received some potent artillery, none more important than a bi-turbo V-6 engine that’s proven its worth in the Pirelli World Challenge series. The car itself has also been heavily tuned to handle the rigors of Pikes Peak, right down to the suspension tuning, the aero upgrades, and modified gearing. It may be short on experience in a course like Pikes Peak, but don’t sleep on what it’s capable off when the flags are waved.

note: photo of the Acura TLX GT

The other Pikes Peak-bound Acura TLX racer is the new TLX A-Spec. It’s set to compete in the Exhibition Class of the event and it will be driven by Nick Robinson, who’s looking to replicate his success in Pikes Peak after piloting the NSX to a Time Attack 2 victory last year. This time, Robinson will take control of a racer that’s packing a 3.5-liter turbocharged V-6 engine making 500 horsepower. All that power is complemented by a carbon fiber splitter, a new rear wing, a spartan interior, a heavily modified suspension system, and a limited-slip differential. Hard to say that Acura didn’t prepare the TLX A-Spec to be all that it can be at Pikes Peak. With all these modifications in place, it’s hard to see the debuting racer fall short of expectations.

note: photo of the Acura TLX A-Spec

Last but certainly not least is the Acura NSX racer that’s looking to build off of the success it had in the Time Attack 2 Class last year. This time, the NSX is moving up in class as it prepares to compete in Time Attack 1. The competition is expected to be a lot tougher as is the case when you race against more potent race cars, but Acura isn’t short-cutting its goals either. In addition to having Pike Peak mainstay James Robinson sit behind the wheel of the NSX, Acura also put in a lot of work on the GT3-inspired race car, including putting in a new front splitter and a massive rear wing. A software tune to the car’s hybrid system should also ensure improved performance out of the car.

note: photo of the Acura NSX racer

It goes without saying that Acura’s taking its participation at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb very seriously. Whether it gets the desired results in the race is something that we’re all looking forward to seeing. What’s important at this point, though, is that the preparations have been made and the Honda-owned automaker is all geared up to make another run at glory at the Race to the Clouds.

Read our full review on the Acura NSX GT3 here.