A pair of Mitsubishi Motors advanced MiEV Evolution III all-electric prototype racecars placed first and second within the Electric Vehicle division in the 92st running of the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) on Sunday, June 29th in the skillful hands of six-time PPIHC motorcycle champion Greg Tracy and two-time Dakar Rally winner Hiroshi Masuoka, respectively.
Finishing a mere 2.4 seconds behind overall 2014 Pikes Peak race winner Romain Dumas and his gasoline-powered Le Mans sports car prototype, the stage has been set for highly energy-efficient and sustainable electric-powered vehicles like the Mitsubishi MiEV Evolution III to soon become the dominant force in this challenging one-of-a-kind motorsport competition.
American Greg Tracy and his Mitsubishi MiEV Evolution III powered their way to overall victory in the Electric Vehicle division with a remarkably quick time of 9 minutes 8.188 seconds – a new record for the category.
With his triumphant pace in the 2014 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, Tracy is the first participant in the event’s long-running history to record a sub-10 minute lap time in both two-wheel as well as four-wheel racing categories.
“The Mitsubishi Motors team prepared a fantastic car for me. This victory was truly a team effort,” said Tracy. “I want to thank the team and also Masuoka-san for developing such a phenomenal racing machine in the MiEV Evolution III.”
Japanese rally racing legend Hiroshi Masuoka recorded an excellent runner-up finish just behind teammate Tracy in the Electric Vehicle division with a time of 9 minutes 12.204 seconds.
“First of all, I would like to congratulate Greg on winning the Electric Vehicle division – he drove the MiEV Evolution III spectacularly and definitely deserves this win,” said a gracious Masuoka. “I could not deliver an outright win, but I am proud to be a part of our excellent 1-2 finish. What’s more, as a team principal in addition to being a driver, it’s great to see our young and upcoming engineers excel in this racing program as they will play a key role in Mitsubishi Motors’ development of electric vehicle (EV) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) technology in future vehicles.”[wzslider height=”400″ lightbox=”true”]
