RE: Monstering The Mouintain: Pikes Peak On Video
Wednesday 11th August 2010
Monstering The Mouintain: Pikes Peak On Video
Watch Nobuhiro Tajima take on Pikes Peak in his 900hp Suzuki
Most self-respecting petrolheads with access to a computer will have a copy of 'Climb Dance', Ari Vatanen's spectacular 1988 run up the Pikes Peak hill climb, squirreled away somewhere on their computer - or at least a link to it (If you don't then take a look at Climb Dance here).
Well, this is a 21st century take on Climb Dance. It's a start-to-finish video of current king of the hill, Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima assaulting the 12-mile, 156-turn monster. His weapon for doing so is 3.1 twin-turbocharged litres of Suzuki V6, giving 897bhp - which is a lot.
This doesn't have the balletic delicacy of Vatanen's run - more downforce and more Tarmac than Vatanen had sees to that - but as an adrenaline-fuelled 10 minutes or so of pure speed, Tajima's run is a pretty cracking watch.
We quite like the computer game-inspired production style, too...
Discussion
As good as the Suzuki vid is, I prefer Ari's run in the Pug...
.. The lack of grip, the sound of that old T16 engine blaring away, the manual gearbox (remember them?!) which lead to big periods of time sliding one-handed, all epic stuff.
For a great demonstration of men-being-men in the olden days of motor racing, watch around 3:30 in where Ari is fighting the car, one handed on the way into a haripin with a huge drop-off, while holding his other hand up to shield his eyes from the sun! Awesome.
Maybe I prefer Ari's run because it's from the motor sport era I grew up in, or maybe it's because of the way his Pug looks like a road car, not an engineered tool. That old French tin box actually looks like a ropey road car with some Halford's body adenda & stickers, that might be found in your local taxi rank on a Friday night..... Imagine hailing Ari down to give you a run home, kebab in hand, after 10 pints!
TAXI!!
.. The lack of grip, the sound of that old T16 engine blaring away, the manual gearbox (remember them?!) which lead to big periods of time sliding one-handed, all epic stuff.
For a great demonstration of men-being-men in the olden days of motor racing, watch around 3:30 in where Ari is fighting the car, one handed on the way into a haripin with a huge drop-off, while holding his other hand up to shield his eyes from the sun! Awesome.
Maybe I prefer Ari's run because it's from the motor sport era I grew up in, or maybe it's because of the way his Pug looks like a road car, not an engineered tool. That old French tin box actually looks like a ropey road car with some Halford's body adenda & stickers, that might be found in your local taxi rank on a Friday night..... Imagine hailing Ari down to give you a run home, kebab in hand, after 10 pints!
TAXI!!
356Speedster said:
As good as the Suzuki vid is, I prefer Ari's run in the Pug...
.. The lack of grip, the sound of that old T16 engine blaring away, the manual gearbox (remember them?!) which lead to big periods of time sliding one-handed, all epic stuff.
For a great demonstration of men-being-men in the olden days of motor racing, watch around 3:30 in where Ari is fighting the car, one handed on the way into a haripin with a huge drop-off, while holding his other hand up to shield his eyes from the sun! Awesome.
Maybe I prefer Ari's run because it's from the motor sport era I grew up in, or maybe it's because of the way his Pug looks like a road car, not an engineered tool. That old French tin box actually looks like a ropey road car with some Halford's body adenda & stickers, that might be found in your local taxi rank on a Friday night..... Imagine hailing Ari down to give you a run home, kebab in hand, after 10 pints!
TAXI!!
I agree. As admirable as the new record run is and as skilled as the drivers are, you can't beat the original Climb Dance video for pure emotion and sense of scale for what these pilots actually did... The lack of grip, the sound of that old T16 engine blaring away, the manual gearbox (remember them?!) which lead to big periods of time sliding one-handed, all epic stuff.
For a great demonstration of men-being-men in the olden days of motor racing, watch around 3:30 in where Ari is fighting the car, one handed on the way into a haripin with a huge drop-off, while holding his other hand up to shield his eyes from the sun! Awesome.
Maybe I prefer Ari's run because it's from the motor sport era I grew up in, or maybe it's because of the way his Pug looks like a road car, not an engineered tool. That old French tin box actually looks like a ropey road car with some Halford's body adenda & stickers, that might be found in your local taxi rank on a Friday night..... Imagine hailing Ari down to give you a run home, kebab in hand, after 10 pints!
TAXI!!
WMP said:
Very nice, but not quite epic.
Climb Dance is a classic but my favourite Pikes Peak video is Walter Rohrl in a Quattro from 1987. Now that IS awesome, the noise and obvious commitment sends shivers down my spine.
Whilst I agree about the Walter Rohrl video how on earth can you not find this latest video EPIC.Climb Dance is a classic but my favourite Pikes Peak video is Walter Rohrl in a Quattro from 1987. Now that IS awesome, the noise and obvious commitment sends shivers down my spine.
What in your eye's is EPIC by todays standards and dont say F1.
[AJ] said:
356Speedster said:
As good as the Suzuki vid is, I prefer Ari's run in the Pug...
.. The lack of grip, the sound of that old T16 engine blaring away, the manual gearbox (remember them?!) which lead to big periods of time sliding one-handed, all epic stuff.
For a great demonstration of men-being-men in the olden days of motor racing, watch around 3:30 in where Ari is fighting the car, one handed on the way into a haripin with a huge drop-off, while holding his other hand up to shield his eyes from the sun! Awesome.
Maybe I prefer Ari's run because it's from the motor sport era I grew up in, or maybe it's because of the way his Pug looks like a road car, not an engineered tool. That old French tin box actually looks like a ropey road car with some Halford's body adenda & stickers, that might be found in your local taxi rank on a Friday night..... Imagine hailing Ari down to give you a run home, kebab in hand, after 10 pints!
TAXI!!
I agree. As admirable as the new record run is and as skilled as the drivers are, you can't beat the original Climb Dance video for pure emotion and sense of scale for what these pilots actually did... The lack of grip, the sound of that old T16 engine blaring away, the manual gearbox (remember them?!) which lead to big periods of time sliding one-handed, all epic stuff.
For a great demonstration of men-being-men in the olden days of motor racing, watch around 3:30 in where Ari is fighting the car, one handed on the way into a haripin with a huge drop-off, while holding his other hand up to shield his eyes from the sun! Awesome.
Maybe I prefer Ari's run because it's from the motor sport era I grew up in, or maybe it's because of the way his Pug looks like a road car, not an engineered tool. That old French tin box actually looks like a ropey road car with some Halford's body adenda & stickers, that might be found in your local taxi rank on a Friday night..... Imagine hailing Ari down to give you a run home, kebab in hand, after 10 pints!
TAXI!!
Why did they make more and more of these asphalt sections anyway? I doubt there is so much traffic on a commom day. It ruins the entire event!
I think it would have been better to watch it all as helicopter footage. The incar footage was exciting for a few seconds but takes away from the scale of the event when all you can see is the road twenty feet ahead.
The older videos were better too, more like men fighting with snarling beasts to get up the hill rather than super-engineered cars made specifically for the event.
The older videos were better too, more like men fighting with snarling beasts to get up the hill rather than super-engineered cars made specifically for the event.
Man that Monster can drive for an old boy!
I hadnt watched climb dance for years I forgot how exciting it is.
All the talk of modern machinery I think the Susuki was really struggling for grip on the loose stuff when u compare it to the 406 or WRs Quattro (just me thinking that?), I would say the modern stuff is much more comparmised on the gravel sections because of stiffer set ups or tyres more suited to the longer tarmac sections that they now face.
Still, this is racing on an EPIC! scale no matter the period, these guys are driving gods one and all. Long live Pikes Peak.
I hadnt watched climb dance for years I forgot how exciting it is.
All the talk of modern machinery I think the Susuki was really struggling for grip on the loose stuff when u compare it to the 406 or WRs Quattro (just me thinking that?), I would say the modern stuff is much more comparmised on the gravel sections because of stiffer set ups or tyres more suited to the longer tarmac sections that they now face.
Still, this is racing on an EPIC! scale no matter the period, these guys are driving gods one and all. Long live Pikes Peak.
Mastodon2 said:
I think it would have been better to watch it all as helicopter footage. The incar footage was exciting for a few seconds but takes away from the scale of the event when all you can see is the road twenty feet ahead.
The older videos were better too, more like men fighting with snarling beasts to get up the hill rather than super-engineered cars made specifically for the event.
So are you saying that these Group B cars where not made for the job either?? They had just as much HP and the chassis where designed specifically for Rally.The older videos were better too, more like men fighting with snarling beasts to get up the hill rather than super-engineered cars made specifically for the event.
Technology evolves, the Suzuki is no different to the others. Had you seen a driver cam you would realise this, good example is the RWD winner of then event. A 911 GT3.
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Awesome videos. Stunning runs.

t out of me! 
