Colorado Springs—-2018 Olympic figure skating bronze medalist Chris Knierim will be behind the wheel of the Official Pace Car for the 2018 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, on Sunday, June 24.
Knierim and his wife, Alexa Scimeca Knierim, captured the bronze medal in the team event in PyeongChang. In the pairs free skate, the Knierims became the first USA pair and the second pair in history to successfully perform a quad twist at the Olympic Winter Games.
“It’s a surreal honor to be selected as the Official Pace Car Driver for the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb,” said the Olympic star. “I say surreal because I can still remember the first couple of times that my Dad let me work on cars with him. In hindsight, I wasn’t doing much more than passing a wrench or holding a light, but it brought us closer together and also forged my love of cars at a very young age. There’s a part of me that still feels like that 10-year old Chris–the one that was holding the light is now leading the pack! It’s all wonderfully surreal.”
“It’s also an honor, and I say that because I understand and appreciate the history and heritage of this event. The 96th running–with 156 turns and nearly 5,000 feet of climbing–will undoubtedly be one for the ages, and I’m humbled to play a small part in such an iconic American sporting event,” added Knierim.
“Chris is the perfect choice to drive the Official Pace Car,” said PPIHC Executive Director Megan Leatham. “Colorado Springs is Olympic City USA, Chris and his wife train here, and the city has hosted this unique motorsport event since 1916.” Knierim enjoys working on cars and hopes to open his own auto shop. He graduated from Pikes Peak Community College in 2015 with an associate degree in diesel mechanics.
Acura returns to Pikes Peak, America’s Mountain for the seventh consecutive year with the all-new 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec selected as the Official Pace Car for the 96th running of the world’s most famous motorsport hill climb.
In addition to its pace car distinction, Acura will field multiple entries, ranging from production cars to full-fledged race car applications for the race. Competing vehicles include a production-based NSX race car, TLX V6 A-Spec, all-wheel drive TLX GT race car, and the all-new RDX A-Spec making its racing debut.
Acura will present the 2019 Acura RDX A-Spec, the first-ever Acura SUV available in sport appearance A-Spec trim. Sporting an all-new design, platform, and powertrain; the 2019 RDX is the first in a new generation of Acura vehicles and delivers top-of-class performance, a more spacious and luxurious cabin than ever before, and a host of premium technology and features. Designed, developed and manufactured in America, the new turbocharged RDX will go on sale mid-year as the quickest, best handling and most luxurious RDX yet.
“The all-new RDX represents the very definition of what Precision Crafted Performance means for the Acura brand,” said Jon Ikeda, vice president and general manager of Acura, “I can’t think of a more appropriate motorsport event for us to debut it than on Pikes Peak.”
Acura is a leading automotive luxury nameplate that delivers Precision Crafted Performance, representing the original values of the Acura brand – a commitment to evocative styling, high performance and innovative engineering, all built on a foundation of quality and reliability.
The Acura lineup features six distinctive models – the RLX premium luxury sedan, the TLX performance luxury sedan, the ILX sport sedan, the 5-passenger RDX luxury crossover SUV, the seven-passenger Acura MDX, America’s all-time best-selling three-row luxury SUV, and the next-generation, electrified NSX supercar as a pinnacle expression of Acura Precision Crafted Performance.
