THE DUST
Tajima Lost Power Steering and Still Broke Ten Minutes
A Japanese hill-climb racer lost steering and cooling near the summit, then became the first to break ten minutes on Pikes Peak.
Updated October 23, 2026
Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima first went after Pikes Peak in the late 1980s. By 2011 he already owned the mountain's modern era: first Japanese overall winner in 1995, then a streak of overalls that had him chasing one last number.
Ten minutes. Nobody had done it. The course runs 12.42 miles and 156 turns from the start line up to 14,115 feet. In 2011 the upper road was still a mix of pavement and gravel. It would be the last year before the Peak went fully paved.
June 26, 2011. Tajima attacks in his Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special, built with his Monster Sport crew. The car is fast from the lower section on.
About a kilometer from the summit a drive belt comes loose. Power steering dies. Cooling dies. He has to muscle the last corners by hand while the engine cooks. Water temperature at the line hits about 150 degrees Celsius.
The clock stops at 9:51.278. Steam. Sore arms. First under ten minutes. Rhys Millen is second in 10:09.242. It is Tajima's sixth straight overall win on the Peak.
What's the farthest you ever finished after steering or cooling failed on you?
True races. Still kicking.