Thread: Nobuhiro Tajima proves he's still ‘King of the Hill'

Three days of intense practice for the 87th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb appeared to eliminate 80 percent of the marquee field, as crashes and mechanical failures took out three of the top challengers.



Only overall record-holder Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, in his 1,000-plus-hp turbocharged Suzuki SX4, had everything under control. He posted the best time on each day of practice.

The first car to fail was Mark Rennison's Ford RS200. Seven-time U.K. Rally-Cross champion Rennison hoped to surprise the locals with his updated 1,200-hp, ex-Ford rally racer, but he dropped a valve on his first run, completely eliminating the Ford from the three days of official practice. He made do by renting a car and driving up and down the mountain with the tourists during the park's normal hours.

Sweden's Andrea Eriksson was the next to falter when he inverted his brand-new Olsbergs Motor Sport Evolution team Ford Fiesta on day two. Eriksson ran wide at Boulder Park and lost it on the rain-slicked surface. It was his first run of the morning, and the crew's inexperience with the mountain's fickle weather got the best of the team. After practicing in the dry the previous day, they did not realize that the usual rain on the top section at night completely changed the team's tire requirements for the section.

On day three, two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm--in Olsbergs' other Fiesta--blew his engine when it lost coolant just yards from the finish line of the mountain's paved section.

Saturday's “rest day” left all of Tajima's challengers with just enough time to rebuild their shattered racers. Rennison's crew flew parts in from the U.K. and spent the next two practice days completely removing and rebuilding the engine, finishing just in time for Sunday's official race start. The Olsbergs team worked around the clock to have both of the Fords back on the line for the 9 a.m. start.

Unlike all other Pikes Peak entrants, Unlimited Class drivers choose their start times by simply bringing their cars to the start line; this maximizes their chances to put in a clean run in light of the peak's constantly changing weather.

Rennison was first to take a shot. With no experience at significant speed on the tricky course, he put in a commendable run of 12 minutes, 11.561 seconds. Eriksson followed and again slid off course on the lower, paved section, recording a DNF.

Next was the Flying Finn, and Grönholm showed exceptional speed and smoothness as he smoked the lower sections in record time, leaving fans wondering whether he could keep his pace up all the way to the top. Grönholm employed left-foot braking, and while the technique delivers speed, it is hard on equipment. Grönholm overcooked the Ford's rear brakes as he kept throttle applied in an effort to keep his turbo spooled up sout of the corners. Even worse, the strain on the engine caused the Ford's turbo to expire just a couple of miles from the top. Grönholm arrived at the 14,110-foot summit with the car on fire and little power.

Race morning was uncharacteristically dry, as no rain fell the previous evening. Additionally, strong winds dried much of the gravel surface, leaving it exceptionally slippery; not a good sign for a record run.

Tajima brought his Suzuki to the start line after all of his competitors had tried and failed to beat his existing record of 10 minutes, 1.408 seconds, set in 2007. Grönholm's run was easily on pace to break that mark before his turbo went south.

Tajima's 20-year history at Pikes Peak means he is an expert on the mountain's confusing variables: weather, road surface and altitude compensation. His times through the mountain's three distinct sections were extremely fast, but the treacherous conditions near the summit prevented him from putting maximum power to the ground. He once again won the title “King of the Hill” with a near-flawless drive of 10 minutes, 15.368 seconds, but the elusive 10-minute barrier--his lifetime goal--still stands. After receiving his award he said, “We'll be back.”

But the mountain will change again as plans move forward to pave the road all the way to the summit.

Pikes peak is so unique. Its the only place I can think of where you build an offroad vehicle that makes "Le Mans Prototype" levels of downforce.

Wow... paving it all the way to the top would be a disappointment...

Originally Posted by CliffJumper

Wow... paving it all the way to the top would be a disappointment...

+1. I agree. That would be a let down. Maybe they should pave Bonneville too.

I've heard severl times that they will pave it all the way to the top.. damn shame.
But it will usher in some amazing times as it will open up the hill climb to all the road race series cars.
I will definitely miss the challenge it presents to the drivers and teams now.