Lambo Urus blitzes Pikes Peak record

LAMBORGHINI’S updated Urus, set for its world premiere mid-August, has taken its brawn to the infamous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), setting a new record in the production SUV category.

The hyper-SUV took the fight to the hill in camouflaged attire, outside of the official race event, but official Pikes Peak time keepers were on hand to verify Lamborghini’s efforts.

Hill climb champion and Pirelli test driver, Simone Faggioli, was wheelman of choice for Lamborghini’s record attempt and he did not disappoint.

Once the roads were closed, Faggioli wrangled the Italian bull through 156 turns, across 20 gruelling kilometres of winding road, ascending to the finish line at an engine-asphyxiating 4302 meters.

Faggioli did it in just 10:32.064 minutes, giving the automotive world a true taste of the upcoming Urus’ performance potential.

The run eclipsed both the previous Pikes Peak sanctioned non-race day manufacturer record of 12:35.610 set by Paul Dallenbach in 2014, driving a Range Rover Sport, and the current race day record of 10:49.902 set in 2018 by Rhys Millen, in Bentley’s manic Bentayga.

“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,” said Automobili Lamborghini chief technical officer, Rouven Mohr.

“Pikes Peak is the most famous hill climb 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.”

The Urus used wasn’t a completely road-going example – equipped  ith a roll cage, race seat six-point harness and fire extinguisher – but pulling power was supplied by the standard twin-turbo V8 donk we can expect to see in the new model.

Massive Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R semi-slick rubber at all four corners, in the form of 285/40 R22 front and 325/35 R22 rear sizes, kept the Urus firmly planted on the pavement.

This particular semi-slick tyre model was developed by Pirelli, alongside Lamborghini, to meet the demands of a burly performance SUV – a goal the two appear to have achieved.

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb celebrated its 100th running recently, a race originally conceived to raise publicity for a road built up the snaking Peak in 1915.

Brave racers manhandled their primitive machines up the 12.42-mile (20km) course for the first time on August 10, 1916, with Rea Lentz crowned winner with a time of 20:55.600 – respectable given automobile development was in its infancy.

While the course is now completely paved, leading to significantly faster times, footage of racers flirting with the limit on the old dirt section will forever send tingles down the spine of motorsport tragics.

You can watch the Lamborghini Urus record run here, and we recommend wearing headphones for it.