Suzuki rally legend Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima has reinforced his position as King of the Mountain with another dominant performance at the world famous Pikes Peak International Hillclimb in Colorado.
Driving a modified SX4 race car complete with twin-turbo V6, Monster won the event for the fifth successive year and was never truly challenged by his rivals, winning the unlimited division in 10 minutes and 11.49 seconds and almost thirty seconds clear of his nearest challenger.
Monster has been a fixture at the world famous event since 1988 and has now won the unlimited division a record ten times – all behind the wheel of Suzuki vehicles.
And after exhaustive tests in his wind facility, Monster’s 2010 SX4-based special underwent significant aerodynamic changes to adapt to the modified road surfaces for the 2010 race.
And further development of his turbocharged 2.7-litre V6 engine saw the SX4 special produce a phenomenal 679 kW of power and 887 Nm of torque.
The race is run on a 19.9 kilometre-long course with 156 turns that begins at an altitude of 2860 metres and finishes at the 4300 metre summit of Pikes Peak. The dramatic rise in altitude robs engines of 30 per cent of their power at the summit and competitors employ special oxygen breathing apparatus to combat the changes in air pressure.
A total of 152 drivers competed in the 2010 Pikes Peak challenge, spread out among 18 classes. Monster holds the all-time course record with a time of 10 minutes 1.41 seconds set in 2007.
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