A 1.1 megawatt electric racing car outfitted with special GitiCompete tires, sponsored by Giti Tire (USA) Ltd., participated in the June 28, 2015, Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Giti Tire sponsored and provided tires for the Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles (APEV)/MONSTER SPORT team electric vehicle for the third consecutive year at Pikes Peak. Nobuhiro “Monster” Tajima won the electric division on Giti slicks in 2013. The tires for the 2015 race were designed to translate the car's power into dependable traction on the twists and turns of the internationally-famous mountain race course.
The challenge for Giti engineers was developing a tire that to provide sure-footed traction for Tajima as he navigated his 1,475 horsepower vehicle through 156 turns on the 12.42-mile course and an elevation climb of almost 5,000 feet. Giti says it was a total team effort by the research and development team, including untold hours testing different compounds and designs in the company’s technical centers, culminating in real world testing with the high-powered electric vehicle in the mountains of Croatia.
Armand Allaire, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Giti Tire (USA) Ltd., was excited to display Giti technology at one of America's oldest and iconic motorsports events. “Motorsports often pushes tires to limits that normal tires would never be subjected to in daily driving. The final resuIt of developing tires for events like the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is better tires for all of our customers in North America and across the globe.”
There are no gearboxes or differentials on the Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept One. The power of four independent electric motors is transferred to each wheel by an innovative chain drive system developed specifically for this project, which saves weight and space. The car has a total power of more than 1.1 megawatts, which translates into 1,475 horsepower. That is more than twice the power Tajima had in his 2014 car when he broke his own Pikes Peak record at 9:43.90.
The Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept One ride on GITI Tire GTR1 slicks sized 340/710-18.
For more information, please visit www.giti.com.
