Tajima breaks Pikes Peak record

Tajima managed this in his twin turbocharged Suzuki V6 SX4 race car to a record time of 9 minutes, 51.278 seconds. This secured his sixth consecutive outright win at the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.

Despite the effort from US-based based Kiwi Rhys Millen in his Hyundai PM580 prototype racer, Tajima maintained an unbeaten run that now stretches back to 2003.

Millen could only manage a time of 10:09.242, 18-seconds slower than Tajima; although the family did score a winner's trophy with father Rod taking home the two-wheel-drive trophy in Rhys Genesis drift car.

Tajima has competed in this world famous event since 1988 and has now won the unlimited division a record 11 times.

The race consists of 156 turns over 19.9 competitive kilometres. The race begins at an altitude of 2860 metres and finishes at the 4300 metre summit of Pikes Peak.

This year also marked the final running of the traditional, dust-choked Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Locals are continuing with plans to seal the entire stretch of mountain roadway by 2012 in an effort to boost tourism. That means a move toward traditional sports cars or even an F1-based contender.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second only to the Indianapolis 500 as America's oldest annual auto race.