The Pikes Peak race is a popular hill climb challenge open to all vehicles, from electric sedans to diesel SUVs, either standard production or specially prepped for this event.
The 2014 Range Rover Sport was one of the competing vehicles, and not only did it perform admirably, but it even set a record for production SUV.
To be fair, this is the first time a production SUV takes on Pikes Peak, so this record was kind of a given. But it was not just a publicity stunt. The Range Rover Sport really earned its laurels, as the records it set also beats any other records of standard production vehicles.
The Pikes Peak race is 19.98 km long and has 156 corners, while the hill climb part of it is an altitude increase from 2.860 meters to 4.300 meters. The challenge of this event is the fact that at that altitude there is less oxygen in the air, some 58 percent compared to sea level. Less oxygen also means a lower engine performance, and less downforce.
The Range Rover Sport did a great run of 12 minutes and 35.61 seconds, and this will do wonders to sales. Any record setting car enjoys an increase in popularity.
