Suzuki stamped down its foot of domination once again at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado this last weekend.
Pikes Peak is notorious for being one of the most challenging motorsport events in the world, and here Nobuhiro 'Monster' Tajima drove his highly modified Monster Sport Suzuki SX4 to his sixth victory on the trot.
Yet it was far more than just another win for Tajima - his victory also marked the first time that the 20km course, which is run on a mix of tar and gravel surfaces, has been completed in under 10 minutes.
His time amounted to 9 min 51.28 sec - which is almost 12 seconds quicker than the previous record, set by Ron Millen 13 years ago. Incidentally, Millen's son Rhys, driving a Hyundai, was second in this year's event, but was unable to break the 10 minute barrier.
Thought it was already pimped to the extreme, the 2011 Suzuki SX4 Pikes Peak Special underwent some extra tinkering beneath the bonnet, its 3.1-litre twin-turbo V6 tuned up to 679kW and 887Nm, allowing a power-to-weight ratio of 617 kW per tonne.
The vehicle also underwent extensive aerodynamic changes, compared to the 2010 race-winning car, with much of the focus on improving the handling on tar surfaces, while the kerb weight was further reduced.
LAST MIXED ROUTE:
The 89th running of the hill climb this year was the last to be conducted on mixed surfaces. Already, all but about 5 km of the course has been tarred, and the event will be on tar only from next year.
The hill climb is run at high altitude, with the start at 2862 metres, and the finish at a breathtaking 4300 m - conditions that rob vehicles of power, and tax the reflexes and capabilities of the driver to extreme levels.