If you were to ask 10 race car drivers if they wanted and/or needed more time to get their car ready and set-up before a big race, chances are that 10 out of 10 would say yes.
But at this weekend's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Rhys Millen's back is really up against the wall.
The 2X drifting champion has built a car certainly capable of breaking the current 10 minute record, but the 2010 RMR Hyundai Genesis PM580 is (race) untested and unproven.
Millen and his crew have been scrambling all week to find the right set up and balance between dirt and tarmac for their Hyundai.
Millen says the car is certainly ready for the tarmac, but he's not certain the car's dirt performance is dialed in completely.
Unlike many other more traditional forms of racing the Pikes Peak course alternates between sections of dirt and sections or tarmac. To make matters even more tricky the dirt sections of the course can go from hard-packed and sticky to gravely and loose.
"It's been a personal goal of myself to step up to the unlimited division," Millen recently said. "For a first time on the hill we're showing a lot of potentiality," he added.
You can watch our exclusive pre-race interview with Millan along with his rival (longtime Pikes Peak record holder "Monster" Tijima) HERE.
There's certainly no doubt that the Millen's Hyundai has the power to break into the nine minute mark and that Millen has the talent, and course knowledge, to break the overall record. But a serious question remains if he can put all of the car's prodigious power to the ground, and of course beat "Monster" Tijima.
Tijima recently told us that his car is ready and able to break the record. He's very happy with his new tires, and he says that all that remains in his way to breaking into the 9's is the race day weather.
We suspect that it will also benefit both men that unlike in years past, this year the upper 1.5 miles of the course is now newly paved. With the current record of 10:01.408 hanging by a thread it is not outside of the realm of real possibility that both men will smash into the 9's.
Now their dreams really depend on the mountain.
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