Japanese champion Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima will be back at Pike's Peak but this time driving this Batmobile-like custom battery car.
It’s one of the world’s most challenging motorsports event, a climb to the 14,000-foot summit of Pike’s Peak. And this year, a number of automaker’s will make the run in a way reflecting the otherwise pristine environment in the Colorado Rockies.
Toyota will be one of a number of manufacturers taking on the annual Pike’s Peak Hill Climb, on July 8th, using electric propulsion. Also on tap will be at least two versions of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, one stock and one heavily modified.
But perhaps one of the most threatening products to challenge the Peak next month will be custom-made electric vehicle under development by Japan’s Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima that looks like it had drifted off the set of the next Batman movie.
Toyota's battery race car shown during testing.
Tajima set an all-time record on the course in 2011 – the first driver ever to finish in less than 10 minutes. And he apparently isn’t looking to get any special dispensation for this year’s entry, despite switching from petrol-power to electric. His Monster Sport E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special apparently will be competing against gasoline cars making as much as 900 horsepower in the Unlimited class.
Toyota will be sponsoring several hill climb runs, one using its Lexus IS F CCS-R race car, its 5.0-liter V-8 churning out 416 horsepower and 371 lb-ft of torque. That’s likely to echo loudly off the 14,114-foot summit. But the Japanese maker also hopes to make some noise with the battery-powered TMG EV P002 car.
A sketch of the customized Mitsubishi i-MiEV racer, one of two vehicles it will run at Pike's Peak.
It will compete as part of a project sponsored by Japan’s RK1 Inc., with strong support from Yokohama tires, and will be driven by champion Japanese rally driver Fumio Nutahara.
The EV P0002’s twin axial flux motors will make a solid 350 kilowatts of power and 900Nm of torque – equivalent to 469 horsepower and 664 lb-ft, respectively. What’s also worth noting is that the drivetrain won’t start starve for air near the peak like an internal combustion engine would.
As for the Mitsubishi entries, another Japanese rally champ, Hiroshi Matsuoka – who won the Paris-Dakar race twice – will handle driving duties in the race-tuned i-MiEV. The stock battery-electric vehicle will be turned over to Beccy Gordon, sister of Indy series winner Robby Gordon.
The expansion of the electric car field is a significant improvement from the 2011 Pike’s Peak Hill Climb. It was won by Nissan which sponsored a Leaf. It also happened to be the only battery car making the run.
Nissan says it learned a lot last year, including the need to include a beeper to alert pedestrians. But the Japanese maker doesn’t plan to return for the 2012 climb.