Pikes Peak record broken

[songhoh]

Year after year a wide variety of machines drive up the Pikes Peak mountain in the United States, chasing the record of 10 minutes and 4 seconds set by Rod Millen in 1994. The annual event is probably the most evocative off-road races and without a doubt the most important hillclimb of the year. The Toyota racer's record was finally broken in 2007 with Suzuki Motorsport chief Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima completing the 19.87 km run in 10 minutes 1.408 seconds. His weapon of choice was a custom built spaceframe racer with a Suzuki XL7 silhouette body.

Built to the unlimited class specifications, the XL7 'Pikes Peak' Special uses a steel spaceframe chassis with double wishbones all around. Mounted amidships is a twin turbocharged V6 engine that produces a staggering 1000 bhp and 1000 Nm. That massive amount of power is transferred to all four wheels through a sequential six speed gearbox. Unlike most other rally cars, the Pikes Peak cars need some serious downforce, to keep the powerful machines on the track at speeds of over 200 km/h. Bearing some resemblence to the recently launched XL7 road car, Monster Tajima's Suzuki sports some of the biggest dive planes and wings ever fitted to a racing car.

Suzuki debuted in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb all the way back in 1989 with a very wild twin engined special. The cars have changed many times, but the driver remained the same; Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima. Before the 2007 edition, he won the legendary hillclimb five times already. He has also successfully conquered the Race to the Sky in New Zealand, which has been now been nick-named 'Tajima Mountain' in his honour. As he had done in the year before, he won both major hillclimb races in 2007.

While 'Monster' Tajima has finally broken the record, he will most certainly join the many other competitors next year. His new goal will no doubt be to break the 10 minutes barrier.

[VincentVega]

Badass

That car is a blast to drive in GT too

[onewhippedpuppy]

Pretty cool. Why can't that filter down to their cars?

[m325ix]

that monster looks as much as the Suzuki XL7 sameway as my mailbox looks like Shuttle spacecraft

[RallyJon]

Do you think the good 'ol boys will rename it "Tajima Peak" now?

[sammyg2]

Those guys have large ones. No, make that HUGE ones.

I attended a small dinner put on by Toyota last year with a group including Juan Fangio II, Ivan Stuart and Rod Millen. Rod seemed pretty unasuming considering he must have more guts than most men alive. I could not even imagine driving those roads at that speeds. He acted like it wasn't that big of a deal.

Juan Fangio II looked like he belonged in an Elvis Presley moving portraying a rich playboy and he had his very good looking young "niece" with him.
Ivan must spend a great deal of his time in the gym. The guy is ripped for his age.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Agreed. Easily the ballsiest, then the WRC guys.

[bell]

didn't they pave part of the dirt road? i remember reading an article a while back where they were discussing this......due to safety concerns for normal road use.
when millen ran in '94 was it in the trick tacoma truck they built?

[sammyg2]

Nope, he broke the record in a "slightly modified" toyota celica turbo.
The car was on display at last year's monterey historics in the southern toyota display. Not quite as trick as the toyota F1 car, but close.

He drove the tacoma later and while he didn't break his own previous record he did record the fastest time of the event at least a couple of times.

[URY914]

Here is a shot of the "pick up truck" he drove...

[bell]

yes that's the one......i remember they were using NOS to help compensate the change in atmosphere, the under tray of the truck had a big inverted wing

[songhoh]

They had to limit the horsepower of the Suzuki to 1000 HP and 1000 LBS of torque because of the wheelspin. These "trucks" are geared low and they run on dirt. Too much wheelspin is the result. I can't tell you how many overpowered cars I beat because they had too much power.

[sketchers356]

How is that a pickup?

[URY914]

[URY914]

Originally Posted by sketchers356

How is that a pickup?

How is this a Suzuki?