Racing with royalty—Behind the scenes with Pikes Peak’s “King of the Mountain”

Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima's team checks over his 2016 Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One at the start line before heading out for a practice run. (credit: Elle Cayabyab Gitlin)

Even as a young man in Japan, Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima knew he wanted to compete in the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. The race is the second oldest in the United States—2016 marks its 100th anniversary—and this track provides a rare challenge to driver and car in motorsport. Its 12.4 miles (19.9km) have more corners than the Nürburgring. The course rises 4,750 feet (1,440m) from the start line to the summit, finishing at 14,100 feet (4,300m). And forget mental images of mountain roads as nothing but switchbacks; there are plenty of straights and fast corners with nothing but a sharp drop off to one side.

And it's truly a hill climb. Racers set off one after another, and they only get one run. In fact, the first time they're able to drive the full 12.4 miles flat-out is during Sunday's race—practice and qualifying take place on shorter stretches of the route. For most of the race's history, the road to the top of the mountain was dirt. Paving started in 1998 following concerns about erosion, and the race has run on tarmac exclusively since 2012.

The unique setup means both car and driver must call upon different skills to set the fastest time of the day. Perfectly balanced drifts have given way to maximizing corner speed, and the tires are racing slicks with no tread blocks. But there's still that huge climb in altitude, almost 3 miles (4.3km) up to where there's much less air to push down on wings or feed engines and radiators. On top of all that, the weather can give you four different seasons between the starting line and the summit, bringing with it all the associated consequences for track temperature and grip.

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