TAMING THE DRAGON ROAD
Hybrid Range Rover makes epic climb up fabled Chinese mountain
seen IS A this hybrid a car the do? craziest Range thing Rover you’ve Sport ever has climbed mountain 999 stone to become steps up the a Chinese first vehicle to ascend one of the natural wonders of the world – Heaven’s Gate. And that was after completing a dizzying 99 turns on one of the most challenging mountain roads in the world. The new Range Rover Sport PHEV, a petrol-electric performance SUV, made the gravity-defying journey up a 45 degree slope to reach the famed natural rock arch. The Dragon Road and 999-step challenge was completed to show the plug-in hybrid SUV’s breadth of capability on one of the world’s scariest driving roads before tackling the epic climb to Heaven’s Gate. The vehicle was driven by Le Mans class-winner and Panasonic Jaguar Racing reserve and test driver Ho-Pin Tung, who looked both excited and relieved to reach the top. The challenge began at the bottom of the legendary 11.3km Tianmen Mountain Road – known as the Dragon Road. The showroom-standard Range Rover Sport P400e started the challenge on the Dragon Road with the Range Rover Sport’s Terrain Response 2 system in Dynamic mode. At the summit of the road HoPin Tung optimised Terrain Response for the second part of the challenge, conquering the towering 45-degree staircase of 999 steps leading to Heaven’s Gate. For the challenge, the vehicle used a combination of its Ingenium petrol engine and electric battery power. Ho-Pin Tung said: “I’ve experienced Formula E, Formula 1 and won at the 24 Hours of Le Mans but this was without doubt one of the most demanding driving challenges I’ve ever faced. The Range Rover Sport PHEV performed brilliantly as it inspired real confidence on the mountain stairs up to Heaven’s road and Gate climbed effortlessly.” the The new PHEV powertrain gives the Range Rover Sport a zero-emission EV range of up to 50km when fully charged but Ho-Pin Tung used its 300PS Ingenium petrol engine and 116PS electric motor to make short work of the road section of the challenge. The performance SUV then showed its uncompromised all-terrain credentials by climbing the steep staircase to the natural rock arch. Land Rover Experience expert Phil Jones said the scale of the 999step challenge should not be underestimated, with no guarantee the car would get to the top. In filming the feat, a number of Chinese people interviewed said it was impossible. Phil said: “This was the hardest Range Rover Sport challenge I’ve ever been involved with because, until we reached the top, we couldn’t categorically say we would succeed. “By making it to the summit, we’ve proven the phenomenal capability of the Range Rover Sport plug-in hybrid like never before – with a genuine world first.” The Dragon Challenge is the latest in a series of adventures completed by the Range Rover Sport after the PHEV model made its debut in a race against two-time open-water swimming world champion Kerianne Payne and endurance athlete Ross Edgley in Devon. Previous exploits include a record-setting hill-climb at Pikes Peak, USA, a record crossing of the ‘Empty Quarter’ desert in the Arabian Peninsula and a 2,170m descent of the legendary Inferno downhill course in Mürren, Switzerland.
This was the hardest Range Rover Sport challenge I’ve ever been involved with. Phil Jones