Rhys Millen is a man on a mission. In 1993, his father, legendary off-road racer Rod Millen, had one of the rides of his life in winning the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Not only did he win, he also set a record that would stand for an incredible 14 years. And now his son wants that record back in the Millen family—with a little help from Hyundai.
Millen’s going to pilot the RMR Hyundai Genesis PM580 in this year’s event, slated to be held June 27 over one of the most unique courses in all of motorsports. From a starting line more than 10,000 feet up the side of Pikes Peak, drivers race the clock to the summit, covering 12.42 miles of pavement and gravel, climbing almost 5,000 feet in elevation and wrestling their vehicles through 156 turns.
Millen wants to do more than just get the record, though, he also wants to become the first driver to finish the race in under 10 minutes. The current best is 10:01.408.
Luckily, the Genesis coupe that will be taking on that tortuous “track” is well-designed to accomplish its goal. Millen is campaigning it in the Unlimited Class, a category in which the only rule is “there are no rules” and the current record was set by Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima in a purpose-built 1,000-hp racer.
Millen’s Hyundai hillclimber makes do with just 750 horses, developed from a powerful 4.1-liter Lambda V6—a stroked-out version of the same mill available in the production Genesis coupe. But with its lightweight construction, leveraging an aerodynamic carbon-fiber body designed by Rhys Millen Racing, the Pikes Peak Genesis weighs only 1,850 lbs. In other words, it boasts a better power-to-weight ratio than a NASCAR racer.
Another advantage for the Hyundai: The PM580 will feature an active center differential that can can split torque from a 10 percent front/90 percent rear bias to all front-wheel drive. This will allow it to perform as well on the paved sections of the hillclimb as on the gravel surfaces.
It’s a more modern approach, but, as Millen says, ”We are building a car for today’s road. The car will have a sleek aerodynamic body, the grip of Toyo Proxy tires and the power and durability of a Hyundai engine. This is the package I need to break the record.”
Rhys Millen Pike’s Peak Unlimited Hyundai – Click here for another funny movie.
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