- The Lamborghini Urus has set the production-SUV record at Pikes Peak with a 10:32.064 time.
- That beats the previous record of 10:49.902 set by a 2018 Bentley Bentayga.
- The record-breaking Urus, disguised in camouflage, is a new model that Lamborghini will reveal on August 19.
When it comes to production SUVs racing up Pikes Peak, there’s a new king of the mountain. It’s the supercar-bred Lamborghini Urus that recently posted a 10:32.064 time. That’s almost 18 seconds quicker than the 2018 Bentley Bentayga that previously held the production-SUV record with a time of 10:49.902. While the Lambo didn’t compete in the official event that was held at the end of June, its time was recorded by Pikes Peak’s official timekeepers.
Eric StaffordCar and Driver
Lamborghini conducted the timed runs over the course of three days in late July, and we were invited to observe the second day of those attempts. Since the runs had to be done before 7:30 a.m. when the gates to Pikes Peak open up to the public, it required the R&D team to start prepping the Urus before dawn. And it was just before 6 a.m. when driver Simone Faggioli positioned the camoed Lambo (more on that below) at the starting line for the first run of the day.
Shortly after take-off, it must’ve been obvious that the Urus wasn’t running properly because Faggioli promptly returned to the prep area to address what was apparently a faulty sensor. Whatever the team fixed worked because the super ute went on to beat the Bentley’s record before their allotted time that day was done. However, it actually wasn’t until the following day after we left that the Urus set its best time. Still, we got to see Faggioli and the entire team celebrate breaking the previous record.
Rouven Mohr, Lamborghini’s chief technical officer, was among those who first proposed the Pikes Peak attempt. He’s also someone who has been a huge fan of the historic hill climb since he was young, back before the road was paved and when Group B rally cars were still racing. “For me, Pikes Peak is magic,” Mohr said. “There are only a few places [around] the world that give so much input, from my point of view, on the car culture. For sure Nürburgring is one and Pikes Peak is the second one.”
As seen in the photos, the record-breaking Urus was wrapped in orange camouflage with the phrase “Keep Raising the Bar” on its flanks. It’s Lamborghini’s thinly veiled attempt to disguise the fact that it wasn’t just any old 641-hp Urus that broke the record. Rather, it’s a new model that will be revealed on August 19. Although major details about the upcoming Urus remain under wraps until then, Lamborghini does reveal a few things about the machine that conquered the storied hill-climb course.
Apart from the required safety equipment, which primarily includes a roll cage and a racing seat with a six-point harness, the Urus is essentially what folks will get with the production version. That includes the standard twin-turbo 4.0-liter V-8 as well as Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R tires, size 285/40R-22 front and 325/235R-22 rear. Lamborghini says it was involved in the development of that specific rubber, which is said to be the first time Pirelli has offered semi-slick tires designed for an SUV.
Another thing worth noting about the Urus’s new rubber is that it’s a step up from the Pirelli P Zero Corsa PZC4s found on the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT coupe. Why is that relevant? Well, ardent readers might recall that the Porsche recently stole the Lambo’s crown as the quickest SUV we’ve ever run at Lightning Lap, posting a sizzlin’ 2:52.6 time at last year’s event. With even stickier shoes that are also 10mm wider in the back (same size up front), the new Urus variant could very well reclaim the LL title it originally set back in 2019.
As mentioned earlier, the man responsible for setting the Pikes Peak record in the Lambo is driver Simone Faggioli. Along with being a Pirelli test driver, he’s also a hill-climb champion who still holds the rear-wheel-drive record that he set during the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
After breaking the record on the second day, we asked Faggioli about how he deals with the pressure that comes with not only attempting such a feat but doing it for such a famous brand. Speaking through a translator he said, “The pressure, of course, is there, and you feel it. This is clear. Because in the end all the preparation has been done. But it comes down to the moment when it’s the machine and you and you have to deliver.” And deliver is exactly what he did.
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Source: www.caranddriver.com