Yahoo Autos Watch Rod Millen's 1999 Tacoma Conquer Pikes Peak All Over Again
In a very different time at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Rod Millen was the king of the mountain. Millen won five of six events between 1994 and 1999, all in beastly all-wheel drive racers badged as Toyotas, and came just four seconds away from being the only driver to ever break the ten minute barrier on an all-dirt course. Event organizers spent the next decade slowly paving the course and rendering hill climb specials like Millen's Celicas and Tacomas relatively obsolete, but the 100th event is a special thing and Millen chose to celebrate by bringing a special car: The Tacoma that won the event in both 1998 and 1999.
Terrible visibility and a damp course greatly slowed this year's event, so Millen still came in a full minute short of the truck's best time on dirt. However, the conditions made for an unbelievably difficult run filled with highlights and awe-inspiring speed. Photographer Larry Chen captured the run with on-board cameras, and, while he did not roll over and continue like one competitor, the paved course was far from an easy match for Millen's Tacoma.
Millen held on through all the snap oversteer under braking to set a time of 11:06, good enough for eighth overall in a year where the winning time was nearly a minute off that car's best on the same course. His son, two-time event winner Rhys Millen, finished sixth overall.
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