WATCH: Upcoming new Lamborghini Urus sets Pikes Peak record

MANILA: Ahead of its debut in the middle of August, the yet-to-be-unveiled new Lamborghini Urus model broke a production SUV record on the track used for the renowned uphill race known as the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, which just celebrated its 100th staging.

The new Lamborghini Urus was given to hillclimb champion and Pirelli test driver Simone Faggioli, who holds the rear-wheel drive record established in the 2018 "Race to the Clouds" on Pikes Peak.

On the same course as the race, a timed attack was conducted, and the road was temporarily blocked to traffic. Starting at 2,862 meters, Faggioli took on the 156 twists that wind over 20 kilometers, climbing 1,439 meters more and averaging a seven-percent grade until reaching the finish line at 4,302 meters in 10:32.064.

The new Urus was not entered in the official race as it had not yet made its formal debut, but the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC)'s official timekeepers did record the time (PPIHC).

Both the current race-day record of 10:49.902 held by Rhys Millen, set in a Bentley Bentayga in 2018, and the previous PPIHC-sanctioned non-race day manufacturer record of 12:35.610 set by Paul Dallenbach in 2014, were surpassed by the Urus.

“The decision to test ourselves at Pikes Peak reflects the Lamborghini spirit of ‘expect the unexpected’, and demonstrates the outstanding performance of the new Urus model to be presented shortly,” Automobili Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer Rouven Mohr explained.

“Pikes Peak is the most famous hillclimb event in the world, as well as being extremely challenging for the car: the uneven track layout tests the chassis’ balance; the significant altitude differences stress the powertrain; and the weather conditions can change very rapidly between start to finish.”

Equipped with its baseline twin-turbo V8 engine, the Lamborghini Urus was changed to conform to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb's safety requirements. The passenger compartment has a roll cage, race seats with six-point harnesses were put in place of the conventional seats, and a fire extinguishing system was added.

The super SUV’s 22-inch tires are an evolution of the Urus’ Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R. For the first time, the Pirelli semi-slick tire has been developed to meet the characteristics of an SUV, with this particular variant developed in cooperation with Lamborghini. The result of the collaboration is a tire with increased versatility, returning high performance both on dry asphalt with high ambient temperatures and on wet surfaces with colder temperatures.

Watch how the Urus set the record Pikes Peak lap time here.

Photos from Lamborghini

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