In June, BMW set out for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, ready to show the Lamborghini Urus Performante who’s boss and clinch a new world record for a production SUV with the XM Label Red. Unfortunately, their plans took a nosedive when driver Matt Mullins crashed the M model into a tree in pursuit of glory.
BMW wasn’t one to sit around twiddling its thumbs until next year’s event to take another shot at the crown. On September 21, they returned to the mountain. While they fell (really) short of the Urus Performante’s record of 10:32.064, they did manage to carve out a niche for themselves—a “new record for hybrid electric SUVs” at 10:48.60. The announcement of this record coincides with the release of a two-part documentary chronicling the XM’s journey at Pikes Peak.
“Congratulations to Matt Mullins and the entire team behind our inspiring journey to the top of one of the world’s most difficult and historic hill climbs in the unstoppable BMW XM Label,” BMW North America chief marketing officer Marcus Casey said. “Pikes Peak is the ultimate proving ground for elite performers, and we are thrilled to be named fastest hybrid SUV thanks to the world class pairing of an epic vehicle with an equally impressive driver.”
The first part of the documentary details its June record attempt with the XM and doesn’t just show the crash, but also what led up to it as well as all of the testing that was done prior to the event.
Read: BMW XM Gunning For Lamborghini’s Record At Pikes Peak Failed In Spectacular Fashion
Before the crash on the race day, the XM had been performing well, eclipsing the team’s expectations for qualifying. However, things quickly unraveled for Mullins on one of the hillclimb’s many sweeping left-hand bends. Onboard footage shows that almost as soon as Mullins turned the wheel, the XM began to understeer. Mullins couldn’t react in time to attempt to save the SUV from sliding wide and into a grassy ditch on the side of the road. The BMW then slammed into a tree and rolled over.
The documentary shows that members of the BMW team didn’t know immediately whether Mullins had crashed or if it was someone else on the course. Race organizers quickly sent EMS crews stationed halfway up the mountain to respond to the crash and before long, the XM was loaded on a flat-bed and brought back down the starting line. It was only then that BMW and spectators had the chance to see the extent of the damage done by the impact and the rollover. Fortunately, Mullins walked away from the crash without injury.