Last year, it was Jeremy Foley's massive off at the Devil's Playground that overshadowed Rhys Millen's run up Pikes Peak, even though he set a new sub-10-minute record in what was nothing more than a lightly modified drift car. This year, it was Sébastien Loeb's stunning 8:13.878 run that did the same job.

Millen's light was no less bright this year, however, despite the supernova of Loeb's drive (and car). In fact, Millen, again teamed with Hyundai Motorsports through his own Rhys Millen Racing team, shaved a massive chunk of time to get down to a 9:02.192 in the Hyundai PM580-T Daytona Prototype-based racer.

While that wasn't enough to win the Unlimited class this year, in any other, it would have been a ground-shaking achievement. So it is still.

"Years of experience spent on Pikes’ challenging 156 turns paid off in a big way for the RMR team this year," said Millen. "By building an all-new Hyundai Genesis PM580-T tarmac-focused racecar, the team made precise adjustments, building upon last years’ world record. We focused on leveraging monster downforce, creating incredible traction for our rear-drive strategy on the all-tarmac road surface. Behind the wheel, considerable experience at Pikes Peak over the years allowed me to shave a few tenths from every challenging apex."