View source for Nobuhiro Tajima

{{Infobox WRC driver
| name = Nobuhiro Tajima
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1950|06|28}}
| nationality = {{flagicon|JPN}} [[Japan]]ese
| Years = 1981, 1986–1999
| Co-driver = {{flagicon|Japan}} Kiyoshi Kawamura<br />{{flagicon|USA}} Jean Lindamood<br />{{flagicon|Japan}} Kenzo Sudo<br />{{flagicon|Australia}} Steve Owers<br />{{flagicon|Australia}} Mark Nelson<br />{{flagicon|Australia}} Ross Runnalls<br />{{flagicon|Thailand}} Visut Sikosi<br />{{flagicon|Australia}} Glenn MacNeall<br />{{flagicon|Australia}} Claire Parker
| Teams = [[Suzuki|Suzuki Sport]]
| Races = 21
| Championships = 0
| Wins = 0
| Podiums = 0
| Stagewins = 0
| Points = 4
| First race = 1981 [[Lombard RAC Rally]] 
| First win =  Not applicable
| Last win = Not applicable
| Last race = 1999 [[China Rally]] 
}}

{{nihongo|'''Nobuhiro Tajima''' |[[Shinjitai]]: 田嶋 伸博|Tajima Nobuhiro|extra=born [[Suginami, Tokyo]], June 28, 1950; Japanese nickname モンスター田嶋 ''Monsuta Tajima''}}, nicknamed "Monster", is a [[Hillclimbing|hillclimb]] racer, tuning shop owner, rally team manager and former rally driver who is best known for his participation in [[Suzuki|Suzuki's]] [[rallying]] program as well as his triumphs at the [[Pikes Peak International Hillclimb]] in USA and [[Silverstone Race to the Sky]] in NZ (which he won eight times out of eleven events).

==Racing career==
Tajima made his race debut in 1968 in the [[All Japan Dirt Trial Championship]] where he won his first race. His first involvement in the [[World Rally Championship]] was in the 1981 [[Lombard RAC Rally]], where he entered a Datsun.

In 1983 he established [[Monster Sport International]], a motorsport preparation shop. In 1986, he sealed his association with Suzuki when he established [[Suzuki Sport]], its in-house motorsport division and returned to the [[World Rally Championship]] where he competed driving a [[Suzuki Cultus]] in the [[Olympus Rally]].

In 1987, he competed in the [[Olympus Rally]], taking his first class win and finishing 15th overall. He returned again the following year where he won his class again, finishing 7th overall.

From 1991 to 1992, he competed in the [[Asia-Pacific Rally Championship]], including dual APRC/WRC rounds such as [[Rally Australia]] and [[Rally New Zealand]]. Initially he drove a Suzuki Swift, then switched to a [[Suzuki Cultus Crescent|Suzuki Baleno]] Wagon Kit Car in 1997, and a [[Suzuki Ignis S1600]] in 2001.

As the [[Junior World Rally Championship]] project took off in 2002, he decided to retire from rally driving while he was competing in the Asia Pacific Rally to become team manager of Suzuki Sport.

[[File:Suzuki Escudo.jpg|thumb|left|Tajima driving the Escudo V6]]
Tajima has continued to compete in [[hillclimbing]], which he is best known for. Suzuki and Tajima started the Pikes Peak challenge in 1989. In 1993, with a twin-engined [[Suzuki Cultus|Cultus]], Tajima won the Unlimited Division, finishing second overall.<ref name=":0" /> In 1995, he achieved an outright victory at Pikes Peak with a twin-engined [[Suzuki Vitara|Escudo]], becoming the first Japanese driver to win the event. In 1996, he started driving a car which he became famous for, the V6 [[Suzuki Vitara#Motorsports|Suzuki Escudo]]. He used this vehicle to win the [[Silverstone Race to the Sky]] in the [[Cardrona Valley]] in [[New Zealand]] for three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000, and to finish runner-up at Pikes Peak three times in 1996, 1998 and 1999.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tajima-motor.com/e/ceo.html|title=株式会社 タジマ モーターコーポレーション|website=www.tajima-motor.com|access-date=2019-09-10}}</ref>

In 2006, at the [[Geneva Motor Show]], he announced his plan for Suzuki Sport to form the [[Suzuki World Rally Team]], which would field a [[Suzuki SX4]] in 2007. However, [[World Rally Championship]] calendar changes meant Suzuki's team debuted in 2008. Tajima took Pikes Peak that year with a newer version of the Escudo. Despite crashing during practice, he achieved another overall victory in a race that was shortened by rain.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.monster-sport.com/ppihc/j/backnumber/hillclimb/06/pikespeak/index-e.html|title=PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB 2006 Special Site}}</ref>

On July 21, 2007, Tajima bested [[Rod Millen]]'s thirteen-year-old course record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in his [[Suzuki XL-7#Second generation (XL7; 2006)|Suzuki Sport XL7]] with a time of 10:01.408.<ref>[http://www.autoblog.com/2007/07/21/monster-tajima-is-pikes-peaks-new-king-of-the-mountain/ Autoblog: Monster Tajima is Pikes Peak's new "King of the Mountain]</ref> He was the overall winner again in 2008 with the Suzuki XL7 with a time of 10:18.250.

[[File:TajimaSuzukiSX4PikesPeak2011.jpg|thumb|Tajima on his way to breaking the 10 minute barrier of Pikes Peak in 2011]]
With a new [[Suzuki SX4]], he again won outright in 2009 and 2010, driving up the hill in 10:15.368 and 10:11.490 respectively. On June 26, 2011, Tajima won again, bested his own record and broke the "10 minute barrier" of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb with a time of 9:51.278, driving the Suzuki SX4 Hill Climb Special, developed by Monster Sport.<ref>[http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/monday-motorsports-tajima-breaks-10-minute-barrier-at-pikes-peak/ Tajima Breaks 10-Minute Barrier at Pikes Peak]</ref> This was his seventh overall win at Pikes Peak.

For the 2012 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb event, Tajima switched to the electric class, citing concerns about climate change.<ref>{{Citation|title=Monster Sport E-Runner Pikes Peak Special {{!}} TRANSLOGIC|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb9HTt65WoU|language=en|access-date=2019-09-12}}</ref> That year his car was an electric Monster Sport E-RUNNER Pikes Peak Special. Although the clear leader of the class in qualifying, Tajima didn't complete the actual race due to a power transfer problem during his run. In 2013, he won the Electric class and placed 5th overall with a time of 9:46.530 in the Monster Sport E-RUNNER.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211206/8K6oOVET6fQ Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130730021417/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K6oOVET6fQ&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K6oOVET6fQ| title = GoPro: The Electric 'Monster' Tajima - Pikes Peak 2013 Electric Class Winner | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In 2014, he again improved his time, creating a new record in the electric class with a time of 9:43.90 in the E-RUNNER.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211206/c6wI_lBj3mc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140820023429/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6wI_lBj3mc&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6wI_lBj3mc| title = GoPro: Pikes Peak 2014 - Monster Tajima's Run For The Record | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In 2015, Tajima was driving an electric Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One, which was made in collaboration with [[Rimac Automobili]]. Tajima finished second overall with a time of a 9:32:401, behind [[Rhys Millen]]'s 9:07.222 in a [[Drive eO]] PP03. In 2016, he came in fifth fastest overall and third of the EV's in his Tajima Rimac E-Runner Concept_One, behind Rhys Millen and Tetsuya Yamano. With a time of 9:51.978, the car was unable to beat last year's time (9:32.401), which itself was handicapped by a brake and overheating issues.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/cars/2016/06/racing-with-royalty-behind-the-scenes-with-pikes-peaks-king-of-the-mountain/|title = Racing with royalty—Behind the scenes with Pikes Peak's "King of the Mountain"|date = 30 June 2016}}</ref>

In all, he has taken nine All Japan Dirt Trial Championship titles, four WRC class wins, two class wins in the Asia-Pacific Rally championship, seven overall [[Pikes Peak International Hill Climb|Pikes Peak]] wins between 1995 and 2011, and eight overall [[Silverstone Race to the Sky|Race to the Sky]] victories from 1998 to 2007. He also scored four points in the [[1988 World Rally Championship season]] and finished 4th in the 2001 Asia-Pacific Rally championship for drivers.

==Awards and honors==
*[[Pikes Peak Hill Climb Museum]] Hall of Fame (2016)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hall of Fame |url=https://ppihc.org/hall-of-fame/ |access-date=2023-09-23 |website=Pikes Peak International Hill Climb |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.monster-sport.com Official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070304114215/http://www.suzukisport.com/motorsport/hillclimb/06/pikespeak/index-e.html Suzuki PPIHC blog]
*[http://www.suzuki-wrc.com/interview/tajima/e/index.html Suzuki WRC official site interview]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110722095559/http://www.suzukisport.com/motorsport/hillclimb/06/pikespeak/driver-e.html Driver's profile]
*[http://www.rallybase.nl/index.php?type=profile&driverid=2526 Profile and results of Tajima], Rallybase.nl
*[http://www.ppihc.com/gallery.aspx?categoryid=949&mediatype=1&photomode=3 Pikes Peak gallery], ppihc.com

{{Pikes Peak International Hill Climb winners}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tajima, Nobuhiro}}
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Japanese rally drivers]]
[[Category:World Rally Championship people]]
[[Category:World Rally Championship drivers]]
[[Category:Suzuki people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Racing drivers from Tokyo]]
[[Category:People from Suginami]]