Rod Millen Sets Class Record in StopTech equipped Genesis at Pikes Peak
A big congratulations to Rod Millen, who set a new record as he took the Time Attack class win at the 2011 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb on Sunday in his son’s StopTech equipped Hyundai Genesis Coupe. Rhys normally uses the Genesis to compete in Formula Drift but when he switched over to his unlimited class Red Bull racing machine to challenge the overall record at Pikes Peak, he tossed the keys to his father Rod.
The Red Bull Genesis is fitted with a StopTech Trophy kit and managed to outperform the second place Porsche 911 GT2 RS driven by Jeff Zwart, finishing six seconds ahead of the Porsche and 20 seconds ahead of the closest 2WD competitor. In the process Rod set a new world record for the two-wheel drive Time Attack class of 11:04.91.
Meanwhile, son Rhys couldn’t quite match the pace of overall record holder, Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima, who finally managed to break the elusive 10-minute mark up the 12.42-mile course, running a 9:51.278. Tajima’s Suzuki SX4 race car packs a twin-turbocharged 3.1-liter V-6 engine producing 910 hp. The all-wheel-drive racer makes extensive use of carbon fiber for its body panels, helping keep weight to just 2596 pounds.
Rhys, meanwhile was driving a Red Bull-sponsored Hyundai PM580 prototype producing 1,000-hp. His time lagged Tajima's by nearly 20 seconds, at 10:09.242. We will be working on a StopTech brake system for the unlimited class for next year’s race, when the times promise to drop significantly. The course is going to be paved completely for 2012, the last sections of dirt and gravel finally getting covered over.
More than 35,000 spectators visited Colorado Springs this year to see the best-of-the-best try to make their mark on the mountain. This year’s race featured 10 classes of motorcycles and quads and 16 car and truck divisions consisting of a broad array of vehicles. The race, which starts at 9,390 feet above sea level and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit of Pikes Peak is a true test of driver skill, vehicle design and tire engineering.
(All photos ©2011 Drew Phillips Photography)
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