Range Rover Sport Sets Desert Crossing Record

The new Range Rover Sport is becoming quite the record holder. Earlier this year, the model set the record time for a production model when it scaled Pikes Peak. A few weeks ago, the Range Rover Sport claimed another record: crossing Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter in 10 hours and 22 minutes.

If you are like us and find yourself wondering what the Empty Quarter is, allow us to drop some knowledge. The Empty Quarter is the largest sand desert in the world. It starts in Wadi Addawasir in Saudi Arabia and stretches east to the border of the United Arab Emirates. It is known as one of the harshest and most challenging environments in the world.

To tackle this vast stretch of desert, Land Rover took a production Range Rover Sport equipped with the 5.0L Supercharged V8. The only real modification was the addition of an underbody-protection plate. From there, Land Rover turned to Moi Torrallardona, a 47-year-old Spanish off-road racer with Dakar Rally experience to complete the challenge.

Torrallardona set off from Wadi Addawasir as the sun rose and made his way across the desert to reach the border of the United Arab Emirates. He made the jaunt in a mere 10 hours and 22 minutes at an average speed of 51.87 MPH.

"The challenge of the desert is like nothing else, it is a brutal, unforgiving and sometimes deadly environment. Desert driving requires a unique combination of speed, finesse and technical skill. It is crucial that you tackle the dunes with precision. Knowing the right time to go full throttle and the right time to slow down, takes experience and clear judgement. This unique way of driving requires a vehicle which has the same skillset – it must be both incredibly fast but also agile, responsive and well planted. The Range Rover Sport is exactly that. It is massively capable and is truly the best tool for conquering the desert,” said Torrallardona.