2014 Range Rover Sport Sets Pikes Peak Hill Climb Record

Yesterday the all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport set the record for a production-standard SUV and broke the long standing record for any kind of production-standard vehicle on the Pikes Pike International Hill Climb course.

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The Range Rover Sport may have a “Sport” badge on its rear end, but it’s just as tough as the rest of the Range Rover lineup. Yesterday the all-new 2014 Range Rover Sport set the record for a production-standard SUV and broke the long standing record for any kind of production-standard vehicle on the Pikes Pike International Hill Climb course, venue of the spectacular annual competition known as “The Race To the Clouds.”
The Range Rover Sport tackled the 12.42-mile asphalt course in just 12 minutes 35.61 seconds with an average speed of 59.17 mph on a snaking road that clings to the edge of the mountain with precipitous drops on one side and unyielding rock faces on the other. The Pikes Peak course goes through 156 corners as it ascends beyond the treeline from 9,390 feet above sea level to 14,110 feet. At that altitude the air contains only 58% of the oxygen it does at sea level, diminishing engine performance and blunting human physical and mental performance.

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The new record was set by a Range Rover Sport with a 503-hp 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine and driven on the record run, by American competition and stunt driver Paul Dallenbach.

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“There’s no margin for error at Pikes Pike – you only need to misjudge one of those 156 turns and you’re into the trees or over the edge of the mountain. To take on this place the way I did today, you need complete confidence in your vehicle, and the Range Rover Sport sure gave me that – it’s fast, responsive and agile. I was able to place the car exactly where I wanted it on the road to keep to the optimum high-speed lines through corners. This is a hugely capable vehicle and I’m proud to have been part of demonstrating that by setting a new Pikes Peak record,” stated Dallenbach.

Source: Land Rover