This Sunday, Rhys Millen will compete in the 88th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in Colorado. His goal is to break the elusive 10-minute mark and set a new overall course record at PPIHC, the most prestigious hill climb event in the world. His tires of choice are Toyo Tires.
Millen will race his specially constructed Red Bull RMR Hyundai Genesis PM580 Unlimited Class car up the mountain on a set of street legal Toyo-brand tires. Millen’s machine has a tubular chassis construction wrapped by a one-off carbon fiber body. The all-wheel-drive car features a stroked and turbocharged 4.1-liter Hyundai Lambda V6 engine to power it from the 9,390-foot elevation start, over a grueling 156-turn course, to the 14,110-foot summit.
Last year, Millen used Toyo Proxes R1R extreme performance tires when he piloted his 550-horsepower two-wheel-drive Red Bull RMR Hyundai Genesis Coupe to a record-setting win in the Time Attack 2WD division. Using these off-the-shelf tires, Millen also set a new world record for his class with a time of 12:09:397.
“The Pikes Peak race course surface is not like your traditional race track surface. It is a 60% tarmac and 40% gravel mix with extreme weather conditions, and has below average surface temperatures,” said Millen. “Based on this, a true race tire is out of its element, but the Toyo tires are right at home with tons of grip, superior handling and the confidence to set a new world record.”
Depending on the weather and surface conditions the day of the race, Millen will choose either the Proxes R1R again or the Toyo Proxes RA1, a street legal competition tire.
“We are excited to be a part of Rhys Millen’s record attempt to break the 10-minute mark at Pikes Peak,” said Stan Chen, manager of events and motorsports, Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. “Millen has tremendous experience on that mountain and knows what it takes to win. Toyo tires will be the perfect complement to his skills and knowledge, giving him the control and performance he needs to finish under 10 minutes.”
To learn more about Team Toyo’s Rhys Millen, and the full line of products from Toyo Tires, log on to toyotires.com.
