Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima knows a thing or two about cars having conquered the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb multiple times.
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With raceday approaching, more of the cars set to compete in this year’s Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb are starting to emerge.
“Monster” Tajima’s record-setting Pikes Peak car was heavily sponsored by GoPro Cameras, which is why it’s no surprise that they’re letting us experience the glory of the sub-10-minute run for ourselves.
Tajima’s Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special was outfitted with multiple cameras, capturing every angle of the epic run. GoPro’s dedicated team of boffins is editing the footage right now—good luck boys, and I’ll buy you a Red Bull Sugarfree for your efforts—but what we do have right now is the most important angle of all: the front view out the cockpit, shot on the GoPro Hero in full, glorious 1080p HD.
Watch Tajima storm the tarmac after the jump.
Standing Pikes Peak record holder Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima is once again back on top of the world, being the first ever to break the 10 minute barrier at the treacherous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. As in the past his weapon of choice was a Suzuki, with the SX4 Hill Climb Special laying down a massive 910 horsepower.
With a 9:51.278 time, Tajima broke his old record of 10:01.408, which has stood since 2007 despite increasingly fierce competition on the “hill”.
The Pikes Peak Hill Climb, which takes place annually on Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, starts at an elevation of 9,300 feet and finishes at an elevation of 14,110 feet – where the air is so think drivers’ reaction times begin to slow and their race car engines lose 30 percent of their power. Drivers drift around 146 corners in 12.42 miles of track made up of dirt and asphalt, nearly missing guard rails and trees, while avoiding cliffs with 2,000-foot drop-offs.
GALLERY: Monster Tajima, Pikes Peak
[Photos: Monster-Source.com]
Watch video of the record breaking run after the jump: (Warning… don’t get your hopes up for this).
Hyundai may have created a lot of buzz with its Pikes Peak record attempt this year but it was Suzuki (yes, Suzuki) that climbed the hill the fastest. Even more surprising is the fact that Suzuki driver Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima won the race for the fifth straight year, setting a dominant pace that put him at the top of the hill a half a minute before his closest competitor.
In anticipation of Tajima breaking his own world record of 10:01.41 Falken Tire decided to document the 2010 effort. Sadly Tajima’s 2007 record remains, with this year’s run clocked at “just” 10:11.490.
The good news is, that’s a few extra seconds that we get to enjoy the awesome ride-along experience of the 910-hp twin-turbo AWD Suzuki SX4 using up every last inch of the road – and in some cases, even more.
As for what this all has to do with Falken Tire, well, the Japanese tire company is using the video to help promote its new Falken WildPeak A/T tires – which Tajima used during his dominant performance.
Check out the awesome video after the jump:
With plenty of lead up to its introduction at the 88th annual Pikes Peak Hillclimb, the Rhys Millen Racing Hyundai Genesis PM580 didn’t deliver on any of its promises and instead was overshadowed by the Suzuki of Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima. Rhys Millen had set out to break the 10 minute barrier on the treacherous mountain and reclaim the record for his family. (Rhys’ father Rod set a record of 10:04.06 in 1994, which Tajima topped in 2007 with a 10:01.41).
Tajima once again came out on top on the weekend’s race, claiming his 5th consecutive overall win at America’s second oldest race with a 10:11.490. In second was three-time hillclimb champion Paul Dallenbach with a 10:39.534 run. As for Millen, he placed a distance third with an 11:06.208 run after his purpose built 650-hp Hyundai race car suffered mechanical problems. “Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong today,” said Millen.
The Pikes Peak Hill Climb, which takes place annually on Pikes Peak in Colorado Springs, Colorado, starts at an elevation of 9,300 feet and finishes at an elevation of 14,110 feet – where the air is so think drivers’ reaction times begin to slow and their race car engines lose 30 percent of their power. Drivers drift around 146 corners in 12.42 miles of track made up of dirt and asphalt, nearly missing guard rails and trees, while avoiding cliffs with 2,000-foot drop-offs.
[Source: Associated Press]
Both Ford and Suzuki had high hopes heading into this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, but both were disappointed as neither automaker managed to run the 156 turn course in under 10 minutes.
Suzuki pilot Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima still managed to run the fasted time of the day, however, at 10 minutes, 15 seconds in his 885hp Monster Sport SX4 Hillclimb Special. While Tajima didn’t beat his time last year of 10 minutes and 1 second, he is still the Pikes Peak world record holder and reigning King of the Hill.
Ford’s efforts with two 800hp Fiestas, piloted by two of the world’s best rally drivers, came up significantly short of the mark as Marcus Gronholm managed only an 11:29 while Andreas Eriksson crashed his car during practice and again during the timed run.
GALLERY: Pikes Peak Ford Fiesta
GALLERY: Monster Sport SX4 Hillclimb Special
[Source: BSMotoring]