Monster

Congrats to Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima who, at the age of 61 (!), just cracked the 10-minute mark for the Pikes Peak Hillclimb.



Here is the video:


Let's note a couple things. First off: this video is not sped up. He is whipping by spectators who are only a couple feet from the road. His car has over 1,000 hp, giving him plenty of acceleration on the steep slope. Second important point: watch the patience he exerts on corner entry. He epitomizes the "slow in, fast out" philosophy. His corner entries seem almost absurdly slow (compared to the straights, of course; he's probably still going 30-50mph), but it allows him to get on the gas early and hard on corner exit.

He has raced this course for decades, so he certainly knows the course well, but it changes every year as more of the road is paved. The course will allegedly be all-asphalt starting next year, so the drift action at the end of the video may be gone for good.