August 2010- Flatness helps maximize ease in races. Whether running, biking or driving, inclines tend to slow you down and make you work harder to cross the finish line.

Now imagine speeding up a mountain, specifically, Pikes Peak, Colorado Springs, Colo., which has an altitude of 14,110 ft. above sea level.

That is exactly what people have been doing for 88 years at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, or Race to the Clouds.

This year, an electric vehicle from The Yokohama Rubber Co. Ltd., Tokyo, broke the race's record for electric vehicles.

"With Japanese driver Ikuo Hanawa behind the wheel, the Yokohama-equipped EV won the exhibition class with a time of 13:17.575, a 93-second improvement over its time from a year ago," according to a press release from Yokohama. "That mark shattered the previous Pikes Peak EV record, set by Jeri Unser in 2003, by 65 seconds."

Teamwork
This year's race, which took place June 27, was only the second in which Yokohama had participated. Last year, its performance was the race's second-best for an electric vehicle.

In both 2009 and 2010, Team Yokohama referred to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb as the "Team Yokohama EV Challenge."

"The 'Challenge' is part of Yokohama Rubber's efforts to meet is environmental responsibilities," according to a press release from the company. "A principal aim is to spread recognition of the current state of EV technology and its potential, as well as to develop EV tires for use in severe off-road conditions."

Team Yokohama's 2010 car, the EV Sports Concept HER-02 buggy, had an AC induction motor from AC Propulsion, San Dimas, Calif.

Additionally, the electric vehicle drew power from lithium-ion batteries from Sanyo, Osaka, Japan. Specifically, Yokohama's car used 6,656 cylindrical lithium-ion batteries, which provided about 37 kWh.

The EV Sports Concept HER-02 buggy is 3,800 mm long, 1,900 mm wide and 1,100 mm tall. It weighs 1,150 kg, and its wheelbase is 2,500 mm.

Heading up
The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second-oldest motor sports race in the United States, and this year, it featured 11 classes of vehicles, from automotive to semitruck to motorcycle.

"The race is run on a 12.42-mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 ft. and finishes at the 14,110-ft. summit' of the mountain, according to the website for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. "As the drivers climb toward the summit, the thin air slows reflexes and saps muscle strength. The thin air also robs engines of 30 percent of their power at the summit."

The pavement-and-gravel racecourse is 12.42 miles long, six of which are pavement. The overall speed record, 10:01.41, was set in 2007. FFJ