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Tajima will have his hands full in the showcase class again, because also coming back will be six-time Open Wheel champion Paul Dallenbach of Basalt, Colorado, a proven performer who was sidelined last year by a broken axel after finishing second behind Tajima in 2010. The popular star has competed in the event 16 times.
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Not to mention the other drivers in the Unlimited field, all eager to break the record on the demanding 12.42 mile course that is now fully paved for the first time.
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They include previously announced Rhys Millen of New Zealand, second last year at 10:09.242, France’s Jean-Philippe Dayraut, third at 10:17.707, Hungary’s Kris Antal, and British driver Mark Rennison. And, there’s more to come in the weeks ahead.
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Tajima, who will be 62 in June, has registered his 4WD, 2012 Monster Sport Pikes Peak Special, but has not yet released the details of the auto. He set the record last year in a GoPro, 910HP, Suzuki SX4.
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Dallenbach will drive a 2WD 2011 PVA-03 this year when he attempts to dethrone Tajima and possibly set another new mark on the mountain.
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There will be two Dallenbachs racing on America’s Mountain this summer in autos owned by Leonard Arnold of Lyons, Colorado.
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Paul’s 19-year-old Nephew, Wyatt Dallenbach (Basalt, Colorado) will make his debut at Pikes Peak in the Open Wheel Division, driving a 2005, 2WD PVA-2.
That makes three Dallenbachs who have challenged in the nation’s second-oldest motor sports race behind the Indianapolis 500.
Wally Dallenbach, Jr, Wyatt’s dad, won the Open Wheel division in 2006.
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