Less than a month after celebrating his 57th birthday, Nobuhiro Tajima, the President of Suzuki Sport, has broken the 13-year old record for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a time of 10 minutes and 1 second.
What's the big deal you ask? Well, the annual meeting is also known as 'The Race to the Clouds', for a very good reason. The race against the clock starts at an elevation of 2,862m above sea level and rises another 1,439m. In between are nearly 160 corners, most of them on gravel with lethal drops either side. It is not for the faint hearted.
Given his day job, it's not surprising that Tajima (his nickname is 'Monster' incidentally) steered a Suzuki up the 'hill'. Indeed, if you've played or seen any of the Gran Turismo games you may have noticed the inclusion of the mad-looking Suzuki Pikes Peak racers, with wings the size of a bicycle shed helping to keep the car on the mountain.
The 2007 record was carried out in what Suzuki claims to be a modified XL7, an SUV sold on the North America market. You'll not be surprised to hear that there are not many similarities between the showroom model and the 993bhp twin-turbocharged race car...
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