Monster Tajima Wins Another Pikes Peak Hill Climb

Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima won yet another Pikes Peak Hill Climb in his insane, Suzuki-style hill-climber and its 873 HP 2.7-liter V6.

Though he didn't reach his Pikes Peak best of 10:01, the 10:15 time Tajima posted was more than enough to fend off Marcus Gronholm in his 800 HP Fiesta and the 1150 HP Ford RS200. Photos of his conquest of the hill, and a chocolate shop, are just a "next" click away.

NOBUHIRO 'MONSTER' TAJIMA TAKES OVERALL WIN

PIKES PEAK, CO (July 19, 2009) – Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima and his supporting Monster Sport cast returned to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb this weekend with the same goal as in 2008: beat the competition up the mountain, and beat the mountain with a time of under ten minutes.

As the Peak's undisputed King of the Hill, Mr. Tajima has been without peer in his most recent, record-breaking performances. With his record time of 10 minutes, 1.408 seconds posted in 2007, Tajima and his team broke a Pikes Peak mark in the books since 1994. A Pikes Peak competitor since 1988, Monster recorded his first class win in 1993, and took his first overall title in 1995 aboard a twin-engined Escudo (Vitara in the States).

Despite missing his goal – the ten-minute barrier – as well as his record time of 2007, Monster was clearly dominant in the Unlimited division, besting the second place team – with his time of 10 minutes, 15.368 seconds – by 1:13. The Open Wheel class victory went to Paul Dallenbach, finishing with the day's second best time of 10:52.097. This year marks the 4th consecutive overall win for Tajima and his team.

Monster's Hillclimb Special – featuring a steel space frame, along with carbon and Kevlar composite bodywork – is modeled after Suzuki's own dual-sport, the SX4 Crossover. Monster's Special proves far more capable on the mountain, while the civilian variant continues to boast an innovative all-wheel drive platform and America's #1 warranty.

Monster's win capped a weekend of success for Suzuki-mounted competitors. Suzuki's Rockstar Makita teams took overall wins in both the 450 and 250 classes in Millville, Minnesota, while the Suzuki ATV team took the top podium spot in Armagh, Pennsylvania.