Tianmen Mountain Road in the Hunan Province of China incorporates a dizzying 99 hairpin turns along the 7 miles of mountainside road. At the summit, this road leads toward 999 steps, all of which lead to Heaven’s Gate, a natural rock arch in the mountainside, mythically thought to be a link between the mortal world and the world of the gods.
Reaching Heaven’s Gate is no mean feat. The demanding road that leads up the mountain toward this spectacle is so formidable that there is no room for error. After the road comes the steps, which at their steepest sit at a towering 45-degree angle. While the drive up the 7 miles of winding road has been previously tackled, no vehicle has ever taken on the immense task of driving both the road and the 999 steps all the way to the summit, until now.
Reaching the top requires a vehicle with performance and capability in equal measure, and what better place than the epic Tianmen Mountain Road to demonstrate the power of Range Rover Sport? Behind the wheel, and ready to take on the challenge, is Ho-Pin Tung, Le Mans 24 Hour Winner and driver for Jaguar Formula E Racing.
It is time to see how Range Rover Sport SUV fares in this world-first challenge, testing its performance and capability while pushing the boundaries of off-road driving to new heights.
The journey started with a test in the UK, where Ho-Pin joined the team at the Jaguar Land Rover testing facility. After some calculations and consideration, the team began tackling a specially built test model of the 45-degree angle steps that were waiting for them in China. Not all aspects of the challenge could be tested, and doubts remained for the successful completion of the task.
"The Dragon Challenge is the hardest challenge I’ve ever been involved with because I can’t categorically say that we will succeed."
Phil Jones, Land Rover Experience Special Projects Expert
Despite the enormity of the challenge that lay ahead, the team set out to China and the day was soon upon them. It was time to take on the Dragon Challenge.
The first section conquered by Range Rover Sport was the epic mountain road, which is usually only used by ECO buses, with drivers who are specially trained for its 99 hairpin turns. Range Rover Sport combines power and superior dynamic characteristics, effortlessly handling the challenges presented by the initial stretch of the road.
Each hairpin turn was a trial of skill and capability, but the superior handling, boosted by the Terrain Response® 2 system, saw Range Rover Sport maneuver through all 99 turns with ease.
Once the slalom of turns was negotiated, the SUV carefully navigated the lowest set of steps, bringing it to the final leg of the challenge: an extreme off-road climb up the 999 steps.
Switching to Mud and Ruts mode and using its powerful engine, Range Rover Sport launched into action. The 4x4 made the world’s first attempt to reach the summit of the steps by car.
Disappearing into the fog surrounding the mountains during its final ascent, Range Rover Sport successfully emerged at the top after a powerful climb up the steps.
The SUV completed the previously unattempted drive that included 99 turns, 999 steps and the slow maneuvering at the bottom of the steps, in an impressive 22 minutes and 41 seconds. At the finish line, the Range Rover Sport Dragon Challenge team celebrated with a shared sense of accomplishment and relief at the successful completion of the latest in the series of Driven Challenges.
In a combination of true capability, the unwavering power of hybrid and the skill of the driver, the team successfully completed this monumental challenge.
It was the true power and performance of Range Rover Sport that allowed the team to successfully conquer The Dragon Challenge, making it the world’s first vehicle to successfully complete the 99 turns and 999 steps of Tianmen Mountain.
European models shown.
RANGE ROVER SPORT
RANGE ROVER SPORT – THE MOST DYNAMIC RANGE ROVER VEHICLE
