In 2009, it was Marcus Grönholm and his 800 cv Ford Fiesta. In 2010, it was Rhys Millen and his RMR Hyundai Genesis PM580. In recent years, the king of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Nobuhiro Tajima, has faced formidable rivals who showed more promise than their final times would suggest. In 2011, it will be the same again.

As he does every year, Monster Tajima will be on the starting line with his Suzuki SX-4 Hill Climb Special and will face a new European rival: Jean-Philippe Dayraut. The French driver, a regular on the Andros Trophy circuit, will compete at Pikes Peak in a Dacia Duster monster car powered by a Nissan GT-R V6 biturbo engine that delivers no less than 850 cv, with a weight of just 900 kilograms.

The Dacia Duster and, once again, Rhys Millen’s prototype will be the rivals for Monster Tajima’s Suzuki SX-4 Hill Climb Special on the 19.93-kilometer climb to Pikes Peak. Tajima will try to break the 10-minute barrier, a mark that has eluded him. There will be more rivals. While in 2009 there was also a 1,150 cv Ford RS200, this year the surprise will come from an Evolution 959 driven by Dave Carapetyan. In this…