The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second-oldest motorsports event in the United States, having been contested since 1916. It's an outlier in the sanitized, corporate-sponsored world of professional racing, remaining true to its unique and local roots. The race has a long history of encouraging ingenuity and experimentation, so its not surprising that proponents of alternative fuels have long mixed it up amidst the more conventionally deployed big blocks and turbos.
But this year something special happened when course record holder and defending champion Nobuhiro "Monster" Tajima showed up with an EV. Now Tajima was certainly not the first to attempt a run up the mountain under electric power, but his embrace of the technology after years of racing machines powered by internal combustion engines has to be regarded as significant. The EV movement couldn't have asked for a better public relations opportunity, which is why our sister site Translogic was there with cameras to document the occasion.
Unfortunately, Tajima's day was prematurely ended when his car caught fire. His course record was broken as well, but the former champ has promised to be back next year to give it another go with his Monster Sport E-Runner Pikes Peak Special.
Scroll down to watch the full episode of Translogic.