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:

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By now, no doubt you’ve heard that Rhys Millen’s attempt to set a sub 10-minute time and reclaim the world record for his family at the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb was less than successful. Not only did Millen fail to break the 10-second time, but he managed just third place with a distant 11:06.208 run after his purpose built 650-hp Hyundai race car suffered mechanical problems. Worse still, he was bested by Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima and his race-prepped Suzuki. This was Tajima’s fifth consecutive win, but wasn’t his fastest, with his best attempt back in 2007 at 10:01.41 – which bested Rhys’ father, Rod Millen’s, previous world record of 10:04.06, set back in 1994.

And while it’s no record-setting run, the team at Red Bull Racing made an incredible video out of the event which is sure to get plenty of eyeballs thanks to high production quality and the sheer awesomeness of both the event and the car.

The video documents the attempt and the challenges any team faces trying to conquer the mountain in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Millen himself put it best in a post race interview, commenting that, “Everything that could have gone wrong went wrong today.”

Check out the video after the jump:

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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]