Rhys Millen's record-breaking Pikes Peak Hill Climb run

There are those who thought that paving the upper slopes of Pikes Peak would render the event boring. That didn't happen this year: between the crashes, the electric racers and the broken records it was a year that won't soon depart from memory.

The biggest record of them all was taken by Rhys Millen, who took his 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe race car from bottom to top in 9:46.164, relegating Pikes Peak rookie Romain Dumas to second place by the whisper thin margin of 17/1000s of a second.

The video below is in-car footage of the entire run. Scroll down to watch.
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Watch Monster Tajima's new electric race car whir up Pikes Peak

The car we were most excited to see at this year's Pikes Peak Hill Climb was undoubtedly Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima's new one-off electric racer. The radically styled car, called the 2012 Monster Sport E-Runner Pikes Peak Special, represents a new challenge for the Japanese racer, who has won the event every since since 2007 and has set the overall course record twice including last year.

Of course, with a new race car comes unexpected problems. While Tajima managed to run each of the practice days trouble-free and fast he sadly wasn't able to complete the race this past weekend due to electrical problems. His quest to remain king of the mountain and hold the best time not only the Electric division but overall will have to wait until next year.

Monster's time on the mountain wasn't completely fruitless, though, as he came away with some great footage of his practice runs from various angles on the car courtesy of GoPro. Scroll down to watch the videos for yourself.
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Watch Jeremy Foley's incredible crash at Pikes Peak [UPDATE]

It's easy to forget just how dangerous the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb can be. Those who take to the mountain do so with the knowledge that any wrong turn could send them, their car and their co-driver down a rocky embankment at speed.

Jeremy Foley recently found that out first hand at around Mile 16 when his Mitsubishi Evolution 8 stepped off course. The car proceeded to somersault end over end down the side of the mountain, sheering off body panels and spitting parts along the way. From the look of things in the video below, the machine rolled at least seven times before coming to a stop right side up.

Both Foley and his co-driver were air-lifted to a local hospital, but have since been released. Early reports suggest Foley escaped the calamity with a broken leg. This was his first time at Pikes Peak. If ever there were an advertisement for building a proper cage, this is it. Check out the video of the crash below.

*Update: According to a post on Evolutionm.net, neither Foley nor his co-driver, Yuri, broke any bones in the dust up. Foley exited the crashed vehicle under his own power and Yuri injured his shoulder in what may be a dislocation.
Via: Watch Jeremy Foley's incredible crash at Pikes Peak [UPDATE]

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Records, snow fall at the 2012 Pikes Peak Hill Climb

When it comes to Pikes Peak, expect the unexpected. The legendary mountain is known for its ever-changing conditions, and one driving up to the top might experience warm sunshine and a snow storm all in a matter of minutes. That was the case this past weekend at the 90th annual Pikes Peak Hill Climb when race officials were forced to shorten the course due to snow, rain and near-freezing temperatures at the finish line on the summit. It is only one of three times since 1916 that the length of the race has been shortened.

Thankfully many of the drivers and riders did get to fully complete their runs up the 12.42-mile, 156-turn course, and due to the new fully paved course the times were faster than ever. Last year, Monster Tajima was the first to break the ten-minute barrier on the mountain, but it was clear early on that his record would fall. Romain Dumas, a winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but a rookie at Pikes Peak, blasted past the finish line in 9:46.181 in a Porsche 911 GT3R, setting a new record for the course.

The record didn't stand long, however, as Rhys Millen, driving his 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe race car, completed the course in 9:46.164 just 17/1000s of a second ahead of Dumas.
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Watch Jeremy Foley's incredible crash at Pikes Peak *UPDATE*

It's easy to forget just how dangerous the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb can be. Those who take to the mountain do so with the knowledge that any wrong turn could send them, their car and their co-driver down a rocky embankment at speed.

Jeremy Foley recently found that out first hand at around Mile 16 when his Mitsubishi Evolution 8 stepped off course. The car proceeded to somersault end over end down the side of the mountain, sheering off body panels and spitting parts along the way. From the look of things in the video below, the machine rolled at least seven times before coming to a stop right side up.

Both Foley and his co-driver were air-lifted to a local hospital, but have since been released. Early reports suggest Foley escaped the calamity with a broken leg. This was his first time at Pikes Peak. If ever there were an advertisement for building a proper cage, this is it. Check out the video of the crash below.

*Update: According to a post on Evolutionm.net, neither Foley nor his co-driver, Yuri, broke any bones in the dust up. Foley exited the crashed vehicle under his own power and Yuri injured his shoulder in what may be a dislocation.
Via: Watch Jeremy Foley's incredible crash at Pikes Peak *UPDATE*

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LoveFab debuts 850-HP NSX Pikes Peak hill-climber [w/video]

Cody Loveland, owner of LoveFab in Traverse City, Michigan, is joining the ranks of drivers for the 90th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on August 12. Known especially for his work packing monstrous power into the Acura NSX, it's no surprise that he's whipped up his own unlimited-class chassis based on the legendary Japanese car that we'll dub the FrankeNSX and that rides on HRE wheels the same rim-maker who will be supporting Rhys Millen and Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima.

The 850-horsepower, twin-turbo C96S LoveFab NSX is said to throw down 600 hp at the wheels. To see what it should look like running up the mountain, below are some short clips of it testing in the Michigan backwoods with just 500 hp at the wheels. And below that is a press release with more info.
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Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution crashes on first practice day of Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Mitsubishi had high hopes for this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, entering a production i-MiEV and a radical racing version called the i-MiEV Evolution into the ever-growing Electric Division. We had our eye on the Evolution model in particular, as the car was specially developed for the hill climb with a tube-frame chassis, sleek carbon fiber body and an all-wheel-drive system.

Things haven't started quite as Mitsubishi planned, though, with the i-MiEV Evolution crashing during today's second practice session on the lower third of Pikes Peak. The car overshot one of the many hairpins on the course, ending up in a ditch several feet off the road. There's no word on whether the incident was due to a mechanical problem or driver error, but the car looks to be pretty heavily damaged. Fortunately, driver Hiroshi Masuoka, one of Mitsubishi's test drivers and two-time Dakar Rally winner, was unhurt in the accident.

We don't know whether the crew at Mitsubishi will be able to repair the car in time for this weekend's race, but we hope to see it on the mountain come Sunday.
Via: Mitsubishi i-MiEV Evolution crashes on first practice day of Pikes Peak Hill Climb

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