New World Record for kiwi racer and Hyundai at Pikes Peak hill
New Zealander Rhys Millen has won the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, setting a new world record in a race-prepared Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
US-based Millen set a blazing pace to the summit, taking only 9:46.16 to complete the course, which is renowned for its tough corners and steep climbs of over 4300 metres.
Millen says his team made their own performance enhancements to the world-record-setting Genesis Coupe, the same car that set the Time Attack 2WD record in 2011 with Rod Millen, Rhys’s father, at the wheel.
The videos we have of the event is stunning, keep reading to see for yourself, and you can appreciate the pace and skill to get to the top fastest. If you are a fan of the sprint rally class, then you have to see some of these videos, they are great, plus some monster crashes at the end to keep it all real - this is a dangerous sport, not for the faint hearted!
“With the insights gained from the last few years in our Hyundai Genesis Coupe, the team was able to make some high-impact improvements, leveraging additional down force and traction opportunities provided by the new all-tarmac surface,” says Millen.
“And behind the wheel, my experience at Pikes Peak over the years allowed me to shave a few tenths from virtually every corner.
Breaking the 10-minute barrier is something I've always wanted to do, and it feels great to accomplish this goal in 2012,” Millen says.
The team maximised the grip potential of the new all-tarmac course but fitting a new aero package, new ultra-wide, Hankook F200 tyres on custom HRE lightweight wheels. The car’s front splitter, rear wing and rear body kit were also redesigned for additional strength, stability and down force.
For extra power, a new Garrett GTX3582 turbocharger was fitted, which yields 522 kW of power and 949 Nm of torque from the Hyundai V6 engine.
To compensate for the extra power, the brake calipers were upgraded for extra thermal capacity, and additional cooling ductwork was installed to ensure optimal brake performance at the summit’s extreme altitudes.
The car was scrutinised for any weight reduction while suspension settings were optimised for Millen’s unique rally/drift driving techniques.
It was a close race with only two hundredths of a second between Millen and second place getter Frenchman Romain Dumas.
Watch Rhys Millen’s qualification and appreciate just what it takes to get to the top, and keep watching further down the page as we have found some great video of his previous record attempts, and of course some massive crashes!
This race has got some great kiwi connections with Rod Millen, Rhys' father, holding the record from 1994-2007.
In 2011 Rhys Millen attacked Pikes Peak with the goal of setting the record up the 12.4-mile course and breaking the elusive 10-minute mark in the final year of the road comprising pavement and gravel and to get the record back in the Millen family.
Unfortunately, the Hyundai Genesis RM580 brake issue forced Rhys into second place with a time of 10:09.24. This Red Bull made video is stunning, and shows the track, the car and the skills nicely.
Nice to see the Hyundai Veloster all set up in racing mode! ~ Rhy's Dad, Rod Millen showed that he still had it with an impressive win in the 2WD competition.
2011 was a great year for video, watch as Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima sets the Pikes Peak 2011 Hill Climb World Record at 9:51.278. Check it out as the "king of the mountain" beats his 2007 record of 10:01.408 - all captured by 10 onboard GoPro cameras!
On June 27, 2010, Rhys Millen attempted to beat the current "Unlimited Class" World Record of 10:01.408 at the 88th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, the "Race to the Clouds." For 10 years, it has been Rhys' dream to break the 10-minute barrier and this year he hoped to capture the elusive record and return it to the Millen name. This is a look at his run and the challenges he faced in his custom built Genesis PM580: a 1,850 pound, 750 horse power V6 designed specifically to conquer the 156 turns of this 12.52 mile course (of which this year, half is pavement) that begins at 9,390 feet and finishes at the 14,110 foot summit.
Pikes Peak is a dangerous place, one slip in concentration can lead to this.
This year was a monster crash, Jeremy Foley's evo 8 went off just before Devils Playground on the Pikes Peak course. This video is astounding but full of some terrible language, so be warned and don't watch it if you are going to be offended by a bunch of guys giving their own commentary.....
Here is the roof mounted camera angle from the above crash - imagine that moment!
You can hear as one of them reacts to the unfolding situation. Youch!!!!!
Both men survived the crash - which is a testament to proper racecar construction and exactly why this kind of rally action needs to happen only by those with the proper skills and the proper gear. Imagine the mess if this had been a non roll caged car! Not sure airbags would have counted for much in a crash like that.