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2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Race Report
June 26 - 2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Race Report June 26 Race Finals
Sunday, June 26 , 2016 marks the 100th anniversary of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race. TEAM APEV with MONSTERSPORT engages in setting up the final setups for the finals.
The final race started at 8:00AM in fine weather condition with blue skies and temperature on the high side. Snow on the top section was affected by the temperature causing it to melt onto the course making it in dangerously slippery condition and the race was red flag paused. The overall course was in slippy condition and many drivers were unable to break their practice times and worse, many drivers crashed. Red flag pauses were frequent and the race progress was heavily delayed.
In this condition, Tajima RImac E-RUNNER Concept_One which MONSTER Tajima drives, started 2 hours later than expected. Even under unfavorable conditions, MONSTER Tajima kept his concentration and headed to the starting line. However he was unable to drive the practice/qualifying sessions in ideal conditions in the past 3 days, so the race machine was not in the best tune. The race car started out with emotions of concerns lingering among all team members.
11:30AM MONSTER Tajima's running pace is not looking good. Right after his start, there was a mechanical vibration that never occurred before, which prevented him to go full throttle and with the persistent battery temperature issue, he was forced to tame his run. In this disadvantageous conditions, MONSTER Tajima carefully made it to the summit of the mountain to finish without further issue.
Too many critical problems overlapped to set a new record, however we could safely say we were able to mark a 9 minute run 4 years in a row. TEAM APEV with MONSTERSPORT placed 3rd in the Electric Modified division.
Even in overall scoring, 3 out of the top 5 cars including Tajima Rimac E-RUNNER Concept_One were electric vehicles, again globally proving the advantages of electric vehicles.
After finishing, the weather was initially fine at the summit however hail and snow fall attacked the racers standing by to descend the mountain for a prolonged time. We are reminded again the harsh and difficult conditions the Pikes Peak mountain can throw at all participating competitors.
Pikes Peak International Hill Climb celebrating its 100th anniversary this year shall continue on for many years to come. The team also shall challenge the Pikes Peak mountain to achieve overall 1st place win, new record and new technology applications for production vehicles.
Driver Comments: Monster Tajima
"Even at the final race the tenacious battery temperature problem caused to keep load off, so the run was restricted. Compared to running just part of the course, running the entire course taxed on the battery. On top of that there was mechanical vibration never felt before during practice/qualifying sessions which made conditions bad to worse. However I am content in the fat that I was able to complete my 29th challenge to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb with gracious support from the team and including those past achievements I was inducted into the Pikes Peak Hall of Fame. The issues presented this time shall be addressed firmly and I would like to challenge the race again next year. I sincerely thank everyone for all your unending support."d
Final Result
Overall Standings
| Pos. | Division - Class | No | Driver | Year, Make, Model | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric Modified | 67 | Rhys Millen |
2016 eO PP100 | 03:36.410 |
| 2 | Electric Modified | 260 | Tetsuya Yamano |
2016 4-Motor EV Concept | 03:43.229 |
| 3 | Electric Modified | 1 | Nobuhiro Tajima |
2016 Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One |
03:59.888 |
| 4 | Electric Modified | 82 | Rick Knoop |
2015 Entropy Racing EVSR | 04:44.007 |
| 5 | Electric Production | 3 | Blake Fuller |
2016 Tesla S P90D | 04:47.264 |
2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Race Week Report June 24 Fan Fest
After Practice 3 in the evening, downtown Colorado Springs was lively with the fan festival. Every year over 30 thousand people gather to the event and this year was just as festive as before.
The main streets were closed off for visitors and racing teams in the higher class in qualifying displayed their race machines and hand out autographs.
"Pikes Peak Legend" Monster Tajima had once again enjoyed the huge popularity and fans swarmed over the booth to get an autograph on a 2016 poster of him with this year's design car.
Many fans came by just to say "Good Luck!" and many came for taking pictures with 'Monster' Tajima and Tajima also enjoyed the time with fans.
At the Sunday finals, just for his fans he intends to show them a great run and achieve the WIN.
June 24 - Practice / Qualifying Day 3
Friday June 24, the final session of the 3 day practice is the middle section which snakes through the hill side half way up Pikes Peak.
Launching from Glencove, our car climbed over the tree line and snaked through the numerous corners and gaining altitude. Small tight corners combined with steep inclines means full braking right before the turn and full throttle to the next corner. The key here to achieve great time is to have greater speed through the corners and through the straights. As this is the final opportunity to run the actual race course, we utilize accumulated data in setting up the car to the this year's road surface is crucial.
The team brought many setup options for the vehicle to maximize the opportunity of Practice 3. Suspension setting was revised once again to better accommodate the road surface condition and optimize handling and traction. Brake cooling system was modified to increase effectiveness. On top of that, the vehicle control system "RAWTV" torque vectoring system was revised once again. The worrying battery management system was also reviewed and now it will perform how it should.
5:30AM Practice 3 begins. Monster Tajima launches from Glencove making sure all effects of setups climbing up the mountain.
The runs today proved that the improvements made during the entire race week were effective as run after run the times improved.
The final race on Sunday June 26 starts at 8AM and the team now conducts final adjustments for the final race.
Driver Comments: Monster Tajima
"Today was Practice 3 on the middle section. Since this was the last practice session, we tested the suspension, torque vectoring and other settings. We were able to get good data and the team is preparing to have all aspects covered and finalized. Thank you for your support and cheering!"
The 93rd Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Finals will be held after ‘Set-Up Day’ on Saturday and the first competitor starts out at 8AM on Sunday 28th. 2-Wheeled Divisions start first then onto the 4-Wheeled Divisions.
Practice / Qualifying Day 3 top Section Results
Electric Modified Division / Electric Production Division| Pos. | Division | No | Driver | Year, Make, Model | Run1 | Run2 | Run3 | Run4 | Run5 | Run6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric Modified |
67 | Rhys Millen |
2016 eO PP100 |
DNS | 02:20.46 | 02:15.00 | DNS | 02:14.07 | DNS |
| 2 | Electric Modified |
260 | Tetsuya Yamano |
2016 4-Motor EV Concept |
DNS | 02:28:30 | 02:32.84 | 02:22.63 | DNS | 02:21.00 |
| 3 | Electric Modified |
1 | Nobuhiro Tajima |
2016 Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One |
DNS | 2:41.98 | DNS | 02:38.43 | DNS | 02:35.66 |
| 4 | Electric Production |
3 | Blake Fuller |
2016 Tesla S P90D | DNS | 03:12.90 | DNS | 02:59.73 | 02:57.65 | 03:06.12 |
| 5 | Electric Modified |
82 | Rick Knoop |
2015 Entropy Racing EVSR |
− | 03:11.27 | 03:10.82 | DNS | 03:09.11 | DNS |
June 23 - Hall of Fame
Team driver Monster Tajima has been inducted to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Hall of Fame and ceremony ensued.
Monster Tajima made several unprecedented achievements such as being first to break the elusive "10 minute barrier" and set a world record of "9:51:278" on a dirt/tarmac mixed course, earning a total of 10 championships which is a first and greatest achievement for a non-American competitor.
5:30AM Practice 3 begins. Monster Tajima launches from Glencove making sure all effects of setups climbing up the mountain.
The runs today proved that the improvements made during the entire race week were effective as run after run the times improved.
Following the induction Monster Tajima donated his "Suzuki Sport Twin-engine Cultus" to Penrose Heritage Museum which Monster Tajima himself had driven and the first successful twin-engine car to win 1993 Pikes Peak Unlimited Class.
Driver Comments: Monster Tajima
"Today is the best day of my life. I have been challenging Pikes Peak International Hill Climb since 1987. Up till now, I have drove many types of cars, such as twin-engine, V6 twin-turbo, and now an electric vehicle. Within that time, I have achieved new world record and also the first to break the 10 minute barrier. These great achievements have been acknowledged and now I am honored to be inducted to Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Hall of Fame. As a non-American, I would be the first to be inducted. Since it is the 100th anniversary, I am honored to be selected through contest which was held for the first time. After this, I only wish for people of Japan to follow in my footsteps to one day enter Hall of Fame. Thank you for today."
2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 23 - Practice / Qualifying Day 2
Today we participated in Practice 2 / Qualifying; conducted on the bottom section, just as on June 21. The team accumulated much data through trial of various tuning of the car and will solidify the direction of settings by running the same course once again.
The practice runs will count as qualifying times however as the team is already in the top 3, any slight changes in starting order at race day is of negligible importance. Rather, the team focus attention to working on preparing for race day.
Practice 2 / Qualifying started at 5:30AM. The morning temperature was chilly but with clear skies. Driver Monster Tajima pilotes the 'Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One' while getting a feel of the racing machine and road surface.
The primary aim here is to fine tune the suspension settings to make sure the tires hook onto to the road. By intentionally setting drastic settings,we continued to experiment what we could only do at the actual race course. Resulting times are not impressive as we give consideration for battery management and we have yet to use full power however the vehicle is surely getting better.
Driver Comments: Monster Tajima
"It is regrettable that we could only run once today due to battery management however I myself have 29 years of running the mountain. I will continue to setup the race car so I may show you the best performance and hope for your kindest support moving forward. "
Practice 3 tomorrow will be conducted on the middle section. This is part of the race where the most altitudes are gained, and as there is large load on the batteries this would become a good test.
Practice / Qualifying Day 2 middle Section Results
Electric Modified Division / Electric Production Division| Pos. | Division - Class | No | Driver | Year, Make, Model | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric Modified | 67 | Rhys Millen |
2016 eO PP100 | 03:36.410 |
| 2 | Electric Modified | 260 | Tetsuya Yamano |
2016 4-Motor EV Concept | 03:43.229 |
| 3 | Electric Modified | 1 | Nobuhiro Tajima |
2016 Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One |
03:59.888 |
| 4 | Electric Modified | 82 | Rick Knoop |
2015 Entropy Racing EVSR | 04:44.007 |
| 5 | Electric Production | 3 | Blake Fuller |
2016 Tesla S P90D | 04:47.264 |
2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 22 - Practice / Qualifying Day 1
On June 22 Practice Day 1 we run the upper section of Pikes Peak mountain. Starting from Devil's Playground at 3,890 of altitude, drivers hustle up the mountain side at high speeds to the finish line at the peak of the mountain which is at 4,330m altitude.
5:40AM, Practice Day 1 begins. At first the day started out fine with no sign otherwise, at the middle of the session there was snow and hail falling. The road surface became treacherous and many accidents followed. The practice session was interrupted a few times however continued on. Our 'Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One' met some snow and rain, however still our driver Monster Tajima kept calm all the way and completed the runs.
Driver Comments: Monster Tajima
"It such bad luck with today's weather, I was unable to make a great run. However the changing weather condition is also an aspect that makes up Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Now that we have gathered data from the top section, tomorrow we will do practice day 2 and qualifying and shall continue to setup the car for the final race day."
Tomorrow will be the bottom section Practice Day2 / Qualifying. As the bottom section resulting time becomes the qualifying time, it will be an important day.
Practice / Qualifying Day 1 Bottom Section Results
Electric Modified Division / Electric Production Division
| Pos. | Division - Class | No | Driver | Year, Make, Model | Best Time | Run2 | Run3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electric Modified | 67 | Rhys Millen |
2016 eO PP100 | 03:36.410 | 02:23.91 | 02:17.51 |
| 2 | Electric Modified | 260 | Tetsuya Yamano |
2016 4-Motor EV Concept | 03:43.229 | 02:36.38 | 02:30.27 |
| 3 | Electric Modified | 1 | Nobuhiro Tajima |
2016 Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One |
03:59.888 | DNS | 02:36.19 |
| 4 | Electric Modified | 82 | Rick Knoop |
2015 Entropy Racing EVSR | 04:44.007 | 03:43.21 | 03:04.38 |
| 5 | Electric Production | 3 | Blake Fuller |
2016 Tesla S P90D | 04:47.264 | 03:17.10 | - |
*Unofficial
2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 21 - Sanctioned Practice Day
Competitors at the 94th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb start their run of the course from today. Sanctioned practice is a free participation opportunity to practice on the actual course and the team takes advantage of it.
For this day, electric division was allocated the 'bottom section' which spans from the starting line at altitudes of 2,800m up to 'Glencove' at 3,480m of altitude. As the section is actually half of the entire course up the mountain, the team looks forward to collecting data close to what would be expected at the race finals.
Morning start up at Pikes Peak is early as the race course runs begin at daybreak when the sun peeks over the sky. So the team works through the darkness before sunlight to prepare the race car for a dash through the mountain. "Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One" has delivered promising time results at the pre-race testings at race tracks and the team's excitement peaked at the car's entrance into the race course. Driver 'Monster Tajima' gets a feel for the vehicle setup and track conditions while clearing corners in spirited manner. However the battery pack's temperature has unexpectedly risen over the set limit and the vehicle had to be slowed down.
At today's sanctioned practice, although we were unable to unleash the full potential of the car, we have positively confirmed the setup of the vehicle and gained good data from the long distance runs.
Driver Monster Tajima Comments
"Today we ran vehicle tests using the sanctioned practice opportunity. Unexpectedly, the battery heated up so I was unable to exert its full potential. However the run this time is only for practice. The runs including practice 1 and 2, qualifying 3 days will be used to setup the car ready for the finals."
For tomorrow's practice we conduct runs at the top section near the peak of the mountain. The air is thin at the highlands which tax harshly on the driver and vehicle. As opportunity to run the race course is limited, the team aims to gather as much data as possible.
2016 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb June 21 - Technical Inspection
On Monday, June 20 the official Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb starts off the race week with tech inspection. The first day consists of race event entry and technical inspection of the participating vehicle. The inspection was carried out at the sunny Broadmoor World Arena.
Rivals of TEAM APEV with Monster Sport were also present at the vehicle inspection lot. Continuing from last year, the greatest rival of all would be Rhys Millen. His vehicle seems evermore competitive From Japan, Tetsuya Yamano driving the Honda (Acura) has also made its entry just like last year. This year they brought in a totally new electric vehicle. On top of that, from France is Romain Dumas who was champion in 2014. He is using a Honda powerplant and competing in the unlimited division.
| Rhys Millen | Tetsuya Yamano | Romain Dumas |
The technical inspection focuses on the safety side of the racing cars, from the driver's helmet and racing suit to the roll cages and seat belts. On top of this for electric cars, the alarm/siren systems (needed to warn people close by for safety) are carefully checked for the sound volume and electrical safety systems. Our TAJIMA Rimac E-RUNNER Concept_one passed with flying colors.
Tomorrow June 21, the official practices will begin and the electric division will run the bottom section of the mountain. As this would be the first course run this year, the team will make the run in careful analysis of the course's condition in order to strategically plan throughout practice/qualifying and up to the final race.
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