For the 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Evasive Motorsports has designed what they consider their “most ambitious EV project to date”: a modified 2025 Hyundai IONIQ 5 N developed in partnership with the Korean manufacturer. Officially called the Evasive Motorsports Hyundai IONIQ 5 N Pikes Peak, it will be piloted by Rob Walker in his return to the team and the mountain after last competing in 2016.

Evasive is no stranger to electric hillclimbing. In 2022, their Tesla Model 3 was the fastest EV up Pikes Peak with Dai Yoshihara, which finished ninth overall with a time of 11:06.205. This time, the team wants to step up their game.

“Our goal is to break the elusive ten-minute barrier,” Evasive CEO Mike Chang stated. “We’ve come close in the past and feel it’s far more achievable with the IONIQ 5 N. We’re confident our driver is equipped with the tools and support needed to deliver a strong finish this year.”

Compared to the production model, the hillclimber is 500 pounds lighter after the interior was stripped and body paneling like the doors and tailgate were replaced by carbon fiber. Most of the parts, which did not exist prior to the project’s launch and had to be made on short notice, were sourced from a handful of vendors like Voltex Japan: the company received a 3D scan of the IONIQ then provided Evasive with the components like the front lip and splitter, fender flares, side skirts, rear wing, and underbody. The car also features a six-point roll cage from Eimer Engineering, one-off Moton coil-over suspension, Krontec air jacks, Titan 7 T-P10 racing wheels fitted with EVS discs, and 310/690-R19 A005 Yokohama tires; EVS additionally provided prototype anti-roll bars. It is capable of 641 horsepower with 568 pound-feet of torque when its N Grin Boost is activated.

Last year, Hyundai fielded the IONIQ 5 N TA Spec at Pikes Peak for WRC driver Dani Sordo. This version produces 678 horsepower and finished third overall with a time of 9:30.852.

The Hyundai is Evasive Motorsports’ sixth Pikes Peak project. The Cerritos-based performance tuner debuted in 2013 with a Scion FR-S, then built Toyota 86s in 2015 and 2019 followed by the Tesla. Their latest car was a Honda S2000RS, though Yoshihara retired in its 2023 entry.

Walker raced the team’s Scion and Toyota from 2013 to 2016.

“I have a dedicated sim rig I’ve been using nonstop since I was asked to drive for Evasive again at Pikes Peak,” Walker said. He also bought the stock version as a new daily driver. “The biggest challenge with sim racing is the sense of speed, G-forces and brake timing, but it remains a valuable tool for race preparation.”

The IONIQ 5 was introduced in 2021, while the 5 N performance variant debuted two years later. It has a different design from the original model, larger and lower, and comes with two electric motors. 5 N cars are mainly used in road racing, most notably with Hyundai’s IONIQ 5 N eN1 Cup spec series.

The 2025 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb will take place on June 22. Walker and his Hyundai are entered in the Exhibition class.

Featured image credit: Evasive Motorsports