Falken shod 910bhp Suzuki sets new Pikes Peak course record

For the first time in the 89-year history of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb the “Race to the Clouds” course has been completed in under ten minutes. Record breaker Nobuhiro Tajima sped up to the 4,301-metre summit in just 9:51.28 minutes in his GoPro Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special using FALKEN tyres.

60-year old Nobuhiro Tajima beat the “young guns” in his 910bhp GoPro Suzuki SX4 HillClimb Special racing on FALKEN ZIEX S/TZ01 tyres. The veteran reverentially referred to as “Monsuta Tajima” or Monster Tajima by his compatriots achieved a new world record despite experiencing problems with his radiator. Reaching the top in just 9:51.28 minutes, Tajima beat 37-year old Rhys Millen, who came second with a time of 10:09.24, and 42-year old Jean-Philippe Dayraut who finished third in 10:17.77 minutes, the latter pair failing to match the previous 10:01.41 record set by the FALKEN shod Tajima in 2007.

Since 1989, Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima has been taking part in the hillclimb which features a range of vehicle categories from 4x4s to racing cars, classic cars and motorcycles. Racing this time in the Unlimited Class, the new record run marked the sixth time that Tajima has teamed up with tyre manufacturer FALKEN to compete in the event.

With almost 20 kilometres of asphalt and gravel surfaces, 156 turns, and elevation changes totalling 1,439 metres, the “Race to the Clouds” is the ultimate mountain challenge. The course winds its way into the clouds through the superb Rocky Mountain scenery at an average incline of seven percent. The race starts at an altitude of 2,862 metres and takes drivers beyond the tree line to the finish at 4,301 metres above sea level.