Under 10 minutes in 11th hour

Tensions were running high at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, USA, as two drivers strove to break the 10-minute mark on the famed 20-kilometre course before it becomes a fully sealed road next year.

Chief contenders for breaking the 10-minute barrier were existing record-holder Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima (pictured) driving his Monster Sport Suzuki SX4 hillclimb special, and Hyundai Genesis driver Rhys Millen, both entered in the Unlimited class. Millen is the son of Rod Millen, whose record-setting 10:04.06 ascent in 1994 stayed in the record books until it was bettered by Tajima in 2007.

And it was Tajima who wrestled his Suzuki special across the line to set the final record for an at least partly-unsealed track. Getting across the line wasn’t easy. Tajima’s car suffered overheating during the final half of the ascent to the 4267 metre-plus peak, but managed to hold on and finish in 09:51.278.

Millen’s brakes malfunctioned during his ascent, but he still finished in second place with a time of 10:09.24.

60-year-old Tajima’s breaking of the 10-minute barrier was a fitting finale for the part-gravel course, but Rod Millen’s previous record climb on a mostly unpaved surface in 1994 is still considered to be the most impressive-ever Pikes Peak performance.

Also impressive, for slightly different reasons, was Jim Hord’s 14:33.429 ascent in the electric car class.

The final 4.8km of track will be sealed by the City of Colorado Springs before the running of the 2012 event.

Results, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2011:

Watch Bobby Regester's lucky escape

Watch the Monster tame the track under ten minutes

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Images courtesy of © Pikes Peak International Hill Climb