Name: Dai At The Peak: Taking On 2020 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Uploaded: 2020-09-12T15:55:26.431907+00:00
Duration: 966 s
Channel: GTChannel
Description: This year was considered redemption for Dai Yoshihara and the Evasive Motorsports team. From not finishing on their first attempt in 2019 and facing multiple obstacles along the way this year, Dai and crew were able to put it all behind and finally reached the top of Pikes Peak.

GTChannel

Daijiro Yoshihara

This year was considered redemption for Dai Yoshihara and the Evasive Motorsports team. From not finishing on their first attempt in 2019 and facing multiple obstacles along the way this year, Dai and crew were able to put it all behind and finally reached the top of Pikes Peak.

<p>This year was considered redemption for Dai Yoshihara and the Evasive Motorsports team. From not finishing on their first attempt in 2019 and facing multiple obstacles along the way this year, Dai and crew were able to put it all behind and finally reached the top of Pikes Peak.</p>

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A transmission problem halfway up the mountain scuttles Dai's chance for a qualifying lap, leaving Sunday - race day - as his final opportunity for a clean run. A closer inspection reveals a badly-mangled differential, but that may not be the worst of it. The crew will have two days to assess and resolve the issue.

Dai At The Peak: Breakdown Scrambles Chance for Qualifying Lap

After replacing a mangled rear differential, Dai and the crew head out for a quick shakedown in a parking lot at Pikes Peak International Raceway. Testing goes "not great," according to Dai, and while the rear diff appears to be fixed, the larger problem likely lies in the transmission. 

The crew gets an opportunity to use a lift and work area at a nearby Honda dealer to pull and inspect the transmission. The problem is quickly diagnosed, but getting the replacement parts is another story. To take his mind off things, Dai does a light pre-run of the course on a rainy afternoon in the rental car.

Dai At The Peak: Tracking Down Transmission Troubles

A lot of sweat and a little luck with quick-shipped parts brought the transmission back to working order after a bearing failure. An issue with the auto-blipshift feature required some re-tuning, but Dai and the car were back at the hill early Sunday morning for the planned run. 

A late start caused some worry — the later you start, the more chance of rain — but Dai was eventually cleared to make the last run of the day.

Dai At The Peak: Last-Minute Fixes For Last-Minute Run

Dai leaves as the last car of the day, powered by an 800-hp (measured at the wheels) 2JZ engine from the last-generation Toyota Supra. During the run his pace is good enough for a Top 10 finish overall and a first-place finish in the Unlimited class. 

But a misstep that leaves the car facing the wrong direction could dash all those plans. Quick-thinking and sharp reflexes get the car back on course, but can Dai still pull out the win?

Dai At The Peak: Trouble On The Run

Dai takes the win in the Unlimited class, and finishes ninth overall on the day. A post-race inspection reveals that Dai unknowingly tagged a guardrail during the run, scrubbing even more time off an impressive attempt. Without banging the guardrail or briefly spinning out, it's likely he would've finished in under 10 minutes. 

Still, it's a successful result and sweet reward for a team that faced some tough challenges before climbing the hill.

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