Driver Dynamics Blog

Motorsport legend Nobuhiro ‘Monster’ Tajima has driven his Suzuki XL7 into the record books at the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the United States.

On July 21 the Japanese racing legend posted the fastest run ever recorded in the unlimited division at the annual ‘Race to the Clouds’.

Monster’s run of 10:01.04 seconds eclipsed the previous best time by more than three seconds.

“The car was fantastic,” said Monster. “I had a feeling throughout the race I would set the fastest time.”

He was mobbed by the large crowd after exiting the car, and celebrated when his record-breaking time was announced over the public address system.

“It’s fantastic and I’m very happy. But now I want to try again and beat the 10-minute barrier.”

The magical 10 minute mark is clearly within his reach. Each time he has raced at the event he has improved his time, and his specially prepared XL7 helped him secure his eighth ‘Race to the Sky’ championship in New Zealand in April.

The Pikes Peak hill climb is one of the most famous in the motorsport world, and this year’s event was the 85th running, making it the second oldest auto race in the United States behind the Indianapolis 500.

The 20 kilometre track boasts 156 turns and an average uphill grade of seven per cent, with a maximum of 10.5 per cent.

The high elevation places unique strain and stress on driver and machine alike, starting 2900 metres above sea level and continues uphill the length of the track to the finish line, located 4300 metres above sea level or more than double the height of Mt Kosciuszko.

Drivers resort to oxygen bottles to maintain adequate levels of breathing, while the high altitudes strip around 30 per cent of the engine’s horsepower during the final few kilometers.

Monster’s Suzuki XL7 features a twin-turbocharged 3.6-litre V6 that produces a stunning 750 kW (1007 horsepower) at 8500 rpm and 1000 Nm of torque at 6250 rpm.

New 911 GT2 with 530 Horsepower

High-Performance Sports Car with Low Fuel Consumption

Stuttgart. Presenting the new 911 GT2 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart, is proudly launching the most powerful 911 so far homologated for road use. Through its striking design with large air intakes at the front and the rear wing so characteristic of this very special model, the new 911 GT2 expresses the power and performance potential of the fastest-ever 911 right from the start even at a standstill. Available exclusively with rear-wheel drive and a manual six-speed gearbox, this high-performance athlete accelerates to 100 km/h in just 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 329 km/h (204 mph) on average fuel consumption of just 12.5 litres/100 km (equal to 22.6 mpg imp) in the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), thus offering a level of fuel economy regarded as quite impossible in this performance class just a few years ago.

The power unit of the new 911 GT2 is based on the six-cylinder boxer engine of the 911 Turbo, with air supply by two exhaust gas turbochargers featuring variable turbine geometry (VTG). The 3.6-litre boxer engine achieves its maximum output of 530 bhp (390 kW) at 6500 rpm, with maximum torque of 680 Newton-metres maintained consistently between 2,200 and 4,500 rpm. With its unladen weight of 1,440 kg or 3,175 lb, finally, the 911 GT2 offers a power-to-weight ratio of just 2.72 kg/6.00 lb per horsepower.

The increase in engine power by 50 bhp over the ”regular“ power unit is provided in the new 911 GT2 by two turbochargers with a larger compressor wheel and a flow-optimised turbine housing raising turbocharger pressure to an even higher level. And for the first time Porsche’s engineers have combined the turbocharged engine with an expansion-type intake manifold – a genuine revolution on turbocharged power units.

The expansion intake manifold uses the principle of oscillating air in the intake manifold during the cooler expansion phase, keeping the temperature of the fuel/air mixture lower than in the 911 Turbo. This, in turn, means a significant increase in all-round efficiency, with fuel consumption down by up to 15 per cent under full load despite the increase in engine output.

The 911 GT2 offers new achievements also in terms of emission management and control: This is the first Porsche homologated for the road to feature a rear silencer and tailpipes made of titanium as standard equipment. This expensive material reduces weight by approximately 50 per cent versus a comparable component made of stainless steel to just 9 kg.

The new 911 GT2 comes as standard with PCCB brakes featuring brake discs made of a composite carbon fibre/ceramic compound ensuring maximum stopping power maintained with an extremely high level of consistency. A further advantage is that PCCB brakes reduce the weight of the unsprung masses versus comparable grey cast-iron discs by approximately 20 kg or 44 lb.

Yet another feature fitted as standard is the electronically controlled PASM Porsche Active Suspension Management. (PASM). The GT2 comes on 19-inch light-alloy wheels running at the front on 235/35 ZR 19, at the rear on 325/30 ZR 19 sports tyres.