Elle Cayabyab Gitlin

Randels Media Group/Revvolution.com, Official Photographers of the PPIHC

Elle Cayabyab Gitlin

Elle Cayabyab Gitlin

Corey Davis | Randels Media Group/Revvolution.com, Official Photographers of the PPIHC

There aren't many events in racing quite like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb . The second-oldest race in the nation, it wends its death-defying route up the side and over the top of Pikes Peak, just outside of Colorado Springs. Cars and motorbikes race against the clock, starting at 9,390 feet (2,862m) for their "race to the clouds." In recent years, the annual hill climb has become something of a testbed for electric vehicles. They suffer no altitude-related drop in power, unlike the internal-combustion-powered competitors, and the 12.4-mile (19.99km) course is right-sized for batteries.

Even being a spectator requires a little more commitment than your average race. Things get going early on the mountain, and fans who want to see the action from above the tree line need to be there well before dawn. Thankfully this year, there's an alternative. The race organizers and a company called Matchsports have joined forces to livestream it, no mean feat considering the challenges involved.

As you might imagine, there is somewhat of an infrastructure deficit on the mountain—the road to the top was only fully paved in 2012, and cell phone and radio reception can be extremely spotty thanks to the area's geography and geology. Red Bull managed to stream the event in 2013 when it, Peugeot, and Sebastian Loeb turned up to destroy the hill climb record, but that was a one-off, backed with plenty of energy drink cash.

But the hill climb organizers and Matchsports think they've got the technology to make it work, following a two-day test back in September.

"Despite the immense technical design challenges presented by Pikes Peak's remote location and extreme weather conditions, we are confident the hard work and focus our team has put into designing this broadcast will make it a success," explained James Kalogiros, CEO of Matchsports. "We are excited to work closely with our new partners as well as the local community to provide the Hill Climb with the exposure it has long deserved and share this historic and prestigious event with the world."

Another notable change is the doing away with separate classes based on electric or internal combustion. So the Unlimited class will see 2016's winner Romain Dumas face off against the electric-powered Rhys Millen and "Monster" Tajima for overall honors. Blake Fuller and his Tesla P90D are returning as well, now competing in the "Time Attack 2 Production" class, and there's going to be an exhibition match between Unplugged Performance and its souped-up Tesla P100D and Faraday Future, which is bringing along an FF 91.

Listing image by Elle Cayabyab Gitlin