Tajima’s EV Pikes Peak car caught fire, dashing hopes for a new course record. Photo: APEV
Reigning champion Nobuhiro Tajima (aka “Monster”) began this year’s Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with three days of successful practice runs in his all-electric 2012 E-Runner Pikes Peak Special. Tajima qualified first in the electric class by a large margin, and it seemed possible that he could take the overall win once again.
On race day, Tajima’s run was going swimmingly until he hit the “Horseshoe,” a fast section about one mile into the 12.42-mile course, where the engine began to overheat and caught on fire. He said, “I saw smoke coming out from the motor, and I had no choice but to stop the car so it wouldn’t get any worse.” The technical failures were a major disappointment for Tajima, his team, and spectators curious to see if an EV could beat all combustion-engined competitors. Tajima said, “I will be back next year. Watch out for me!”
Monster was lucky compared to other drivers. Jeremy Foley, in his Mitsubishi Evo 8, skidded through a corner and went off the mountain. He and his co-pilot went rolling down the hill as body panels flew off of the roll cage. Both sustained serious, but not life-threatening injuries. See the video below.
Rhys Millen, driving a racing-tuned Hyundai Genesis coupe, finished in 9:46.164, beating Tajima’s course record 9:51.278. The Genesis has a 62.5-mm turbocharger that takes the power from 348 hp to 700 hp and 700 pound-feet of torque. Millen now holds the course record. Fumio Nutahara’s Toyota TMG EVP002 won the electric vehicle category and took sixth place overall. Nutahara’s vehicle holds two motors that produce a combined 350 kilowatts of power and 664 pound-feet of torque.
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