[ZX3_2NV]

It took 13 years for Rod Millen's 1994 Pikes Peak run to be toppled by Nobuhiro Tajima in 2007. And when Tajima set a new record of 10:01.408 in the Suzuki XL7 Hill Climb Special, there were doubts that time could ever be eclipsed. This weekend, those doubts could be put to rest by Mach 2 Racing and its specially-prepared Ford RS200.

Partnering with Avon Tires, the Essex-based motorsports firm has created the ultimate rally-bred Ford, packing a new turbo that boosts output to 950 hp, and then, for good measure, includes a 70-liter nitrous oxide tank to deliver another 200 hp for a total of 1,150 hp.

Manning the helm is ex-British Rallycross Champion, Mark Rennison, who maintains that the Pikes Peak-prepped RS200 could break the ten-minute mark over the 12-mile, 156-turn course. "If everything on the day goes right and the weather conditions are good beating the 10-minute barrier shouldn't be a problem," Rennison says in the release (after the jump), "But strange things happen at Pikes Peak, it's a unique event." To say the least. Expect the RS200's performance and the rest of the competitor's to be reported on over the weekend.