GT6 | 2011 Monster Sport SX4 Pikes Peak Special | Eiger Nordwand G Trail rally race | PS3

Nobuhiro Tajima, aka "Monster Tajima," has been participating in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in a Suzuki race car since 1988, representing Suzuki Sports and his own team called Team Monster Sports. In 1995, he achieved his first overall victory in a Suzuki Escudo with twin engines and followed that up with an incredible streak of six straight wins from 2006 to 2011.

The 2011 machine was a Suzuki SX4 that he entered in the unlimited class, which has no restrictions on modifications as in previous years. This aggressive race car covers its steel tube space frame with a carbon Kevlar composite cowling, and the exterior has been designed to provide lots of downforce from its truly massive wings. Although some traces of the SX4 can be seen, thanks to the headlights and front grille (really only decals), this machine is really a one-off race car.

Mounted amidships is a Suzuki H27A 3,071 cc V6-based twin-turbo engine that the team has continued to develop on its own, producing 897 HP and 654.5 ft-lb of torque. Vehicle weight is 1,090 kg, making its power-to-weight ratio just 1.21 kg/HP.

Pikes Peak is a time trial that starts at an elevation of 2,862 m and winds its way up for 19.9 km to an elevation of 4,301 m. The elevation difference is 1,439 m, and the average incline is 7 percent... oh, and there are 156 corners.

The SX4 driven by Tajima lost some time due to water pump and power steering trouble during the final run, but still somehow pulled off an overall victory. What's more, the car broke the 10-minute barrier for the first time in Pikes Peak history, establishing a world record time of 9 minutes 51.278 seconds. Like the man, the car was also a true Monster.

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