- Two British legends of land and sky engage for the first time
in a unique off-road race
- The All-New Range Rover Sport, Land Rover's fastest SUV to
date, goes head-to-head with the heroic Vickers Supermarine
Spitfire in a challenge organised by FortyOneSix.com ahead of
this weekend's Goodwood Festival of Speed
- First off-road challenge of its kind over the grass airstrip at
Goodwood Aerodrome, putting speed, agility and handling of both car
and plane to the test
- Race available to view now online at www.FortyOneSix.com
Monday 8th July 2013: Two supreme examples of British
engineering, the All-New Range Rover Sport and the legendary
Supermarine Spitfire, have engaged in a unique duel to measure
their off-road mastery.
The Range Rover Sport, the fastest production Land Rover to
date, representing the latest advances in all-terrain performance
has been pitted against Britain's most famous fighter aircraft in a
high-speed off-road race along the grass airstrip at the Goodwood
Aerodrome in Sussex. Land Rover was invited to take part in the
challenge, formulated by Goodwood's FortyOneSix.com website. It
provided a perfect curtain raiser for this weekend's Festival of
Speed, where the new Range Rover Sport will be making its UK
dynamic debut.
The race - the first of its kind at the airfield - involved a
straight drag run down and back on the runway, punctuated by a
nimble U-turn. It was particularly challenging being conducted on
the bumpy grass airfield, notorious for being a low traction
surface.
The Vickers Supermarine Spitfire lined up for the contest was a
1945-vintage model, piloted by Matt Jones from the Boultbee Flight
Academy. Powered by a 1,750bhp V12 Merlin engine, it has a maximum
airspeed of 640kph, and its typical acceleration on take-off is up
to 128kph before the wheels leave the ground, making it a strong
contender for victory against the Land Rover.
Mike Cross, Jaguar Land Rover's Chief Vehicle Integrity
Engineer, was at the wheel of the All-New Range Rover Sport, a
5.0-litre supercharged V8 model with 375kW on tap. Even though
grass is one of the most challenging terrains on which to gain
traction, for both acceleration and breaking, Cross still managed
to clock a top speed of 210kph before braking for the mid-race
turn.
The turn manoeuvre was helped by the Range Rover Sport's new
Torque Vectoring technology, which contributes to stable and secure
cornering by applying appropriate braking to the inside wheels.
Cross explained that Land Rover was pleased to take up the
challenge: "The team couldn't resist the challenge laid down by
FortyOneSix.com and to
race such a British icon.
"It's always difficult to find traction from a standing start on
grass, but the Range Rover Sport made a great launch off the line.
I was surprised by how bumpy the course was as I accelerated up to
210kph, and of course the other extreme challenge is to brake in
time for the turn-around, but the car felt composed throughout the
whole run."
To find out whether it was classic or cutting-edge British
engineering that won the day, the film and more details can be
viewed here: www.FortyOneSix.com. FortyOneSix.com is Goodwood's
online magazine and social media website covering news, features
and events in the world of motor sport, cars, motorbikes and
aircraft. The film will also be available on Land Rover's social
media channels: Facebook - www.facebook.com/LandRoverAustralia
and YouTube -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQqK4NUfYv4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUPrwlTjUjxzLyj6SfWYm1-A
For further information contact:
Editors Note:
- Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s
that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range.
Defender, Freelander, Discovery, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and
Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors, with 78% of
this model range exported to over 140 countries.
- Land Rover is committed to addressing the challenges of climate
change and since September 2006 carbon dioxide generated by Land
Rover manufacturing activities and UK customer vehicle use has been
balanced through an industry leading offset programme run by
Climate Care.