A new Urus SUV will make its debut in the near future but even before its world premiere, it has already collected a new record in the production SUV category on the track used for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) in America.
Yet to make its formal debut, the new Urus was not entered in the official race but the time was recorded by the official timekeepers of the event. When it reached the peak, its record time was quicker than both the previous PPIHC-sanctioned non-race day manufacturer record of 12:35.610 set by Paul Dallenbach in 2014, and the current race day record of 10:49.902 held by Rhys Millen, set in 2018, in a Bentley Bentayga.
The Urus was piloted by hillclimb champion and Pirelli test driver, Simone Faggioli, holder of the rear-wheel drive record set in the 2018 ‘Race to the Clouds’, the name given to the PPIHC. Because it has not made its official debut, the SUV was covered with a camouflage wrap to conceal some of its styling features.
The timed drive took place on the same route as the race, with the road closed to traffic for the occasion. Starting from an altitude of 2862 metres, Faggioli tackled the 156 turns that wind for 20 kms, rising a further 1,439 metres to reach the finish-line at the top which is at an altitude of 4,302 metres. It took him 10:32.064.
“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 Rouven Mohr, Automobili Lamborghini Chief Technical Officer. “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.”
The Urus, equipped with the standard twin-turbo V8 engine, was modified to comply with the safety regulations of the event. Some of the changes and additions were the roll-cage installed around the cabin; the standard seats replaced by a racing seat with 6-point harness; and a fire extinguishing system.
The tyres fitted (285/40 R22 and 325/35 R22) were an evolution of the Urus’ Pirelli P Zero Trofeo R. For the first time, the Pirelli semi-slick tyre 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 tyre with increased versatility, returning high performance both on dry asphalt with high ambient temperatures and on wet surfaces with colder temperatures.
Up till the 1980s, the Pikes Peak Hill Climb in the US state of Colorado was pretty much an American event, largely unknown to the rest of the world. The first run for the ‘Race to the Clouds’ was held in 1916 and thereafter, it became an annual event that saw new records being set every so often. Then in 1984, Audi showed up; as the era of the Group B super rallycars ended, Audi looked for other events where it could still enter its cars and the Pikes Peak Hillclimb was one of them.
French rally driver Michele Mouton came with the Audi Quattro and, within two years, was able to win overall as well as set a new course record. Other European teams also brought their powerful rallycars to Pikes Peak and the power game escalated. Even electric vehicles started to race up the hill, one of them from Mitsubishi Motors.
Two previous records
Bentley also saw the event as a good place to demonstrate the superior performance of its cars, especially to the US market which takes a lot of them each year. In 2018, it sent Rhys Millen in a Bentayga W12 up the 20-km route with 156 turns and the New Zealander set a new Production SUV record. The following year, Millen used a Continental GT and set the outright Production Car record.
This year, on June 27, Millen will again be racing up the hill and for this run, he has a Continental GT3. The car is now in final preparations which have included three dynamic test sessions and renewable fuel engine development.
Most extreme road-going Bentley
Regarded as ‘the most extreme road-going Bentley ever built’, the Pikes Peak racer will run on renewable fuel, initiating a R&D programme that aims to offer renewable fuels to Bentley customers in parallel to Bentley’s electrification programme. This two-strand strategy is set to maximise the pace of Bentley’s progress towards outright carbon neutrality, as part of its ‘Beyond100’ journey.
Upgraded twin-turbo V8 engine
From the start line at 2,834 metres, the course climbs to around 4,300 metres. As the altitude increases, the air becomes less dense, which has major implications in engine performance. The car’s engine – based on Bentley’s race-proven version of its 4-litre V8 road car engine – can cope with the reduced air density as it is turbocharged. It has been thoroughly reworked to generate more than 750 bhp/1,000 Nm at sea level for testing – and the engine will run even higher power levels for the race itself.
New pistons and conrods are installed to turn additional boost pressure (over 2.2 bar) into power, having to handle an increased dynamic pressure ratio. The carbonfibre intake manifold is thicker and reinforced versus the standard item, for the same reason. Custom, one-off Inconel exhaust manifolds have been 3D-printed via laser sintering by Abramovic, and lead to larger turbos paired with external wastegates, venting into very short exhausts and dedicated screamer pipes that exit behind the front wheels.
The high performance engine places additional demands on the cooling system and for Pikes Peak, the engineering team developed a secondary cooling system that’s installed at the back of the car. Air scoops replace the rear windows, and channel air through a secondary radiator that exhausts through ducts in the boot lid. The system runs via a dedicated secondary water pump.
RON98 eFuel
The engine runs on RON98 Renewable Racing Fuel. The fuel is a dedicated blend of advanced biofuels specifically designed for motorsport, and is a technological stepping stone to sustainably-created eFuel with a greenhouse gas reduction of up to 85%.
The gearbox is Bentley’s standard racing unit, already designed to handle the torque loads involved, but rear driveshaft diameter has been increased to provide additional durability. The gearbox runs a specially-formulated lubricant created specifically for the car by Mobil1, who have also supplied high-performance oil for the engine.
The chassis has been set up and tuned to suit the specific nature of the Pikes Peak course. Both front and rear axles run significantly reduced camber to the standard Continental GT3 setup, focusing the car on low-speed cornering performance. The softest springs and anti-roll bars from Bentley’s range have been fitted, to allow more movement in the body and so maximise weight transfer for braking. The brakes themselves are water-cooled, to handle the increased loads that an all-out attack on the course will bring.
Aerodynamic modifications
The aerodynamic modifications see a 30% increase in overall downforce at sea level, while maintaining the standard car’s aerodynamic front/rear balance – validated during the first track sessions. The biggest rear wing ever fitted to a Bentley dominates the rear of the car, sitting above a highly efficient rear diffuser that surrounds the transaxle gearbox. To maintain the aerodynamic balance front-to-rear, these devices are paired with a comprehensive front-end aerodynamic package comprising a two-plane front splitter flanked by separate dive planes. The majority of these parts were made with carbon nylon filament using rapid prototype, additive manufacturing techniques at the Bentley factory in Crewe.
To break the record, the car will have to complete the climb of around 1,500 metres at an average speed of more than 125 km/h to cross the finish line in less than 9 minutes and 36 seconds.
