RE: Elusive 10-Minute Mark Smashed At Pikes Peak
Monday 27th June 2011
Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima has finally smashed the 10-minute barrier at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, chucking his Monster Racing special up the famous mountain course in 9mins 51secs.
Mind you, you could argue that Tajima's achievement isn't quite so epic given that year's course, though not entirely asphalt, features more of the black stuff than ever before - and so you might argue that the times for the hill climb ought to tumble.
Elusive 10-Minute Mark Smashed At Pikes Peak
And yes, it was Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima what did it...
In the process Tajima, driving a 900hp beast bearing the most passing of resemblances to a Suzuki SX4, beat his previous record (set in 2007) by a whole 10 seconds.
Good thing he managed it this year, too, because, and to paraphrase Elvis, 2011 was 'now or never' for a 'proper' sub-10min run: from next year it's highly likely that the entire course will be Tarmac.
"This our last chance to run the gravel section of Pikes Peak," says Monster (in the preview video you can watch below), "I will miss it very much".
But his rivals didn't really get anywhere near him. Rhys Millen in his Le Mans prototype-alike Hyundai could only manage 10mins 09secs, while Jean-Philippe Dayraut and his 850hp Dacia Duster crossed the finishing line with 10mins 17secs showing.
Well done, Monster - we're glad you did it while there was still dirt at the top of the mountain...
And here's the full video...
Discussion
That took a long time! According to http://www.clubvw.org.au/audis_at_pikes_peak.htm:
"[In 1987] the event went to the amazing Walter Rohrl,who blasted the Audi to the top in an amazing 10:47.85, shattering Bobby Unser’s record by 21.4 seconds! This was Walter Rohrl’s first ever attempt at Pikes Peak, and he beat Ari Vatanen’s Peugeot by more than 15 seconds. [...] And here’s some food for thought: after his 1987 record, Walter Rohrl admitted that he had made many mistakes (being his first attempt), and that should he try again, he could yet shave a further 25 seconds off his time ! What a shame that never came about."
So if Walter was right, it took another 24 years to lose the other 20-odd seconds to get to single digits.
"[In 1987] the event went to the amazing Walter Rohrl,who blasted the Audi to the top in an amazing 10:47.85, shattering Bobby Unser’s record by 21.4 seconds! This was Walter Rohrl’s first ever attempt at Pikes Peak, and he beat Ari Vatanen’s Peugeot by more than 15 seconds. [...] And here’s some food for thought: after his 1987 record, Walter Rohrl admitted that he had made many mistakes (being his first attempt), and that should he try again, he could yet shave a further 25 seconds off his time ! What a shame that never came about."
So if Walter was right, it took another 24 years to lose the other 20-odd seconds to get to single digits.
lgomgf said:
why do our friends on the other side of the pond have to ruin everything.... cant they just live the way it is... if you cant drive up there on your car.... try to walk... geez... next they will put a gondola there for the lard ones to make up without any effort...
Exactly, it would be like some idiot putting a train track up a mountain. How silly.tosh.brice said:
So if Walter was right, it took another 24 years to lose the other 20-odd seconds to get to single digits.
Rod Millen ran 10:04 in 1994, it took 13 years and half the course being sealed before anybody beat that time. I guess the law of diminishing returns is always a factor too.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_Kbxj-h5I
GravelBen said:
Rod Millen ran 10:04 in 1994, it took 13 years and half the course being sealed before anybody beat that time. I guess the law of diminishing returns is always a factor too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_Kbxj-h5I
Now that's a proper run!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF_Kbxj-h5I
aparently, some tarmac sections have been narrowed using hay bails. This was an attempt to slow the course down to a similar spee as last year, but without making the 10min barrier impossible... I think its great that he managed that after all these years. They were very lucky with the conditions, as im sure this is what has prevented the 10min run in the past.
Although its a shame that its being tarmaced, ( unthinkable ) i actually look forward to the new chapter and whatever madness it brings.
i do hope it only does good for the event. New audiences, machines, drivers. Who knows. All i know it it will still be insane, and even faster.
Although its a shame that its being tarmaced, ( unthinkable ) i actually look forward to the new chapter and whatever madness it brings.
i do hope it only does good for the event. New audiences, machines, drivers. Who knows. All i know it it will still be insane, and even faster. I hate to say it, but I'm not that impressed.
They should have been. Doing it ever since more and more of the course has been tarmaced.
It would be a helluva PR stunt for McLaren to rock up there next year with this year's F1 cars and a set of hillclimbing tyres from Avon.
Sub 10 minutes?
They should have been. Doing it ever since more and more of the course has been tarmaced.
It would be a helluva PR stunt for McLaren to rock up there next year with this year's F1 cars and a set of hillclimbing tyres from Avon.
Sub 10 minutes?
Life Saab Itch said:
I hate to say it, but I'm not that impressed.
They should have been. Doing it ever since more and more of the course has been tarmaced.
It would be a helluva PR stunt for McLaren to rock up there next year with this year's F1 cars and a set of hillclimbing tyres from Avon.
Sub 10 minutes?
The race will be a farce from now on. No spectacular drifts through the corners anymore. So why watching then.They should have been. Doing it ever since more and more of the course has been tarmaced.
It would be a helluva PR stunt for McLaren to rock up there next year with this year's F1 cars and a set of hillclimbing tyres from Avon.
Sub 10 minutes?
I do not understand why they ruined the race by paving the road. The Pikes Peak Race is dead.
vintageracer01 said:
I do not understand why they ruined the race by paving the road. The Pikes Peak Race is dead.
"The work is the result of a 1997 lawsuit by the Sierra Club accusing the city of Colorado Springs -- which operates the highway - - of violating environmental regulations by allowing gravel from the road to roll down the mountain. "http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20...
I think a 12 mile hill climb will still be popular, are there any similar events that are longer than that?
Will we get an in-car video of the whole run this year?
Last year's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y3OFf0ArU
Last year's:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2y3OFf0ArU
EDLT said:
"The work is the result of a 1997 lawsuit by the Sierra Club accusing the city of Colorado Springs -- which operates the highway - - of violating environmental regulations by allowing gravel from the road to roll down the mountain. "
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20...
I think a 12 mile hill climb will still be popular, are there any similar events that are longer than that?
seriously!?http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20...
I think a 12 mile hill climb will still be popular, are there any similar events that are longer than that?
right i vote that it takes Colorado Springs Highway teams at least the next 50 years to pave the mountain!
they can keep putting it off like my local council by just rolling up, laying down a little strip, do a really bad job of pating the tarmac down, then drive off before even sealing it!?
sound familiar to anyone else??
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