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VIDEO: Alister McRae wins Race to the Sky

Ride onboard as the 600kW Subaru climbs the mountain

Race to the Sky
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The Race to the Sky hillclimb, located in New Zealand's Cordrona Valley, is one of the world's greatest gravel roads.

Its 14.5km course is terrifyingly fast with enormous drop offs, and now Pikes Peak is paved, it's the longest gravel hillclimb in the world.

This year's event was won by Scotsman Alister McRae, fittingly driving a highly modified 600kW Subaru Impreza World Rally Car that once belonged to the late Possum Bourne.

Following an engine failure in qualifying, the Possum Bourne Motorsport team raced against the clock to fit a new engine, which despite being slightly down on power, McRae used to good effect to climb the hill in 8min17sec.

The Scotsman, brother of Colin, hasn't competed at an elite level for almost a decade, but appears to have lost none of his speed or commitment, judging by this jaw-dropping footage.

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Scott Newman
Contributor

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