It was a victory three years in the making; a long journey but no less electrifying. And now Mitsubishi dominates Pikes Peak, in the Electric Modified Division at least. By Chris Ng
Let me tell you that crouching in a ditch about a metre deep, close to the Start line at 2,862m above sea level, with an increasingly heavy camera in hand, waiting for the race car to pass by so that I can get my shot, by which I run back to the pits 200 metres below me, through the wooded forest, breathing heavily because the air up here is mightily thin, pausing just enough to catch my breath so I can steady my hands, take a photograph of the flurry of the pit crew prepping the next car, then dash back uphill and scamper back in the ditch was one of the most amusing things I have ever done in my entire career as a motoring journalist. Phew, I hope you are just as tired from reading it.
Well, except for the parts where I needed to suck air into my burning lungs, which was not as fun. My former colleague may not have shared the same sentiment; he was holed up at the Finish line about 1,440 meters above me and being deprived of oxygen. Altitude can be a pain in the brain.
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We were at Pikes Peak in Colorado, USA, where the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes place with every turn of the calendar. This is the only place where you can find the highest Finish line for motor-racing in the world; the chequered flag is waved at 4,302m above sea level, or 14,115ft. It is also on this very mountain Nobuhiro Tajima became the proverbial ‘king of the hill’ winning six times in a row from 2006 to 2011, earning him the nickname Monster Tajima.
I did not realise it before but 2012 was a special year for the race, the year that PPIHC was delayed due to the Waldo Canyon fire. It was also the year that recorded the highest number of participants, which dragged the event longer than planned. With the failing light and the change in the weather, the Finish line was relocated a few feet below the peak.
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It was also the year that a new class of cars was introduced to the race that puts a new dimension to the event in every way you look at it. In a sea of cars with bazillion horsepowers that destroys all sense of hearing every time the engines are revved, the quietness of the Electric Car class made its deafening debut. Aside from the fact that these cars don’t run on gas, the EVs won’t be affected by the high altitudes.
You see, the higher the fuel-guzzling car went, the thinner the oxygen became. And the thin air throws its set of wrenches to the race machine. For the drivers, and every living thing at the peak, general breathlessness causes dizziness and loss of concentration. In extreme cases, altitude sickness fell on the afflicted. For the cars and motorbikes taking part, the powerplants will be starved of the very thing that helps ignite the fuel, dropping plenty of horses along the way up. Get it wrong and the team will have DNF at their hands; a few cars have succumbed to the phenomenon. With that said, most of the racers made it all the way to the top.
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Back in the ditch, my eardrums were getting hammered by the loud exhausts of mini suns exploding inside high pressure chambers. The cars were already at speed when they crossed the Start line; it was a kind of a rolling start. The super grippy tyres kicked up mini dust storms as soon as they passed my lens, transferring a thin layer of Pikes Peak onto my person and equipment. I didn’t mind. And if I’m not careful, my tongue would also be covered in the same substance. Pikes Peak tasted earthy.
Silence came just as soon as the loudness passed through. The ringing in my ear was the only thing that's making any sort of noise. People started to shuffle from their ground. Some made their way down, possibly heading towards beer and barbeque. Some climbed higher up the road. I waited.
A tiny siren broke the monotony; I had been in that ditch doing not much for a good ten minutes. Monster Tajima and his equally monstrous EV was the first to break the start line for the class. Silent and deadly; with the exception of the cute tiny siren that the EVs were required to turn on as to alert spectators of its approach. Pity that his race ended a few corners after. I later learned that his car caught fire, forcing him to quit the race. A few more EVs silently zipped past followed by the two Mitsubishi i-MiEVs of different configuration. One was the standard i-MiEV that you can buy, the other was a heavily modified MiEV Evolution – both had plenty to prove.
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I had tracked with the team, following them from the fan fest, to the shakedown right up to the point where Hiroshi Masuoka and Beccy Gordon got into their respective cars. This may sound a little biased but this team and this race sits closer to my heart than the rest. Getting close to the team will do that to any person. So it’s a bummer that finishing second place was the best the team could achieve.
And they came in second once more, in 2013, with the MiEV Evolution II.
This year is different. It proved the adage that the third time’s the charm. The MiEV Evolution III evolved from the 2013’s car and then some. And that was enough to dominate the new Electric Modified Division class, the team of two cars finished first and second with a time of 9:08.188 and 9:12.204 respectively. Perhaps the bigger result came from the team’s second and third overall finish.
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“We were just shy of 2.5 seconds from the overall winner who had an internal combustion engine, but this shows the vast possibilities of electric vehicles in the future moving forward,” said Chief Engineer, Yasuo Tanaka.
What the comment didn’t reveal was that the Evolution III was quicker by about a minute 45 seconds compared to the first MiEV Evolution that went up Pikes Peak. Tanaka pinpoints the S-AWC (Super All Wheel Control) as one of the linchpins that finally tipped the balance of power. It gave the driver a whole world of advantage in the handling department.
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Greg Tracy, this year’s winner, agreed with Tanaka, “The road surface condition today was rather slippery but the S-AWC had eliminated any unnecessary drift of the car, and I was able to attack turns all the way to the top with full confidence. One thing that I am disappointed about from my run is that I was a little too aggressive under the braking in some turns. Therefore, the brakes started to fade a little bit towards the end, and due to pounding from hard braking, I think I lost some time at the top. I am a bit gutted since if it wasn't for this, I think we really had a good shot at winning the overall as well.”
As for coming in second, three years in a row, Masuoka said, “As a teammate and as a team partner, I could not have been happier for this result. The weather was picture clear today and without any concern with the rain coming in, so I was able to drive aggressively all the way to the summit. If I was to rate to my driving today, I would say it was about 95 points out of 100. I could not deliver a win but I am proud to be able to assist on a one-two finish for the team.”
Yes, there is a point to all of this. Among the Japanese makes, it would seem that Mitsubishi is grasping at the last straws of in search of a new hero car. Their new cars, the Mirage and Attrage, are a far cry from the Mirage and Lancers of yesteryear. In a sense, Mitsubishi has lost its standard bearer that would rally the troops – and fans – back to its side.
But flip that coin and you’ll see that Mitsubishi is the only Japanese carmaker to actively pursue electric-powered vehicles, hinting on a possibility of what their new generation will be like. And if I can stretch your imagination for a bit: this electric-powered four-wheel drive racer may well be the platform for the next Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. So the real question is this – are we looking at the beginnings of number 11?
Mitsubishi MiEV Evolution III
Motor: 4 (2 front, 2 rear), 450kW max. output
Battery: 50kWh max. capacity
Drivetrain: 4WD using 4 motors
Control system: Production i-MiEV with MicroAutoBox (programmable general-purpose ECU)
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