Italian Driver Sets Speed Record on One of the Most Dangerous Roads in a Ferrari

You can now add one more to the list: the "Heaven-Linking Avenue" on the Tianmen Mountain in Zhangjiajie in central China's Hunan Province. This twisting strip of asphalt stretches over 11 kilometers (6.8 miles) and counts no less than 99 turns. Most of which are 180-degrees hairpins. It also covers an altitude difference of 1,100 meters or 3,600 feet.

An event called "China Speed World Record" was organized a few days ago, but unlike the racing competitions we're used to, this one only had one contender, and his name was Fabio Barone Mihaela. The Italian racing driver is the president of the "Ferrari Club Passione Rossa" and a man that likes to go really fast on the world's most dangerous roads.

Last year, he put together something similar in Romania on the Transfagarasan highway. The road was made famous by the regretted trio of Top Gear when they shot an episode of the show there seven years ago. Jeremy Clarkson then called the Transfagarasan "the most beautiful road in the world," but he was probably just being nice to his hosts. Even though that's very un-Clarkson, now that we think about it.

After completing that challenge, Fabio got in touch with the Chinese authorities and began setting up his next one. Over one year later, his Ferrari 458 Italia still sporting the Dracula fangs from the Transfagarasan event was lined up and ready to go up the "Heaven-Linking Avenue."

It took Fabio 10 minutes and 31 seconds to complete the route which saw him go through 30 hairpins and 13 sharp turns with only the barriers separating him from a very long fall. The summit of this road sits at 1,300 meters (4,200 feet) above sea level, but once you get there, you'll probably forget everything and just focus on the views.

We feel a disclaimer is in order here. These World Speed Record events that Fabio takes part in are organized with the help of the local authorities. The roads are closed for traffic, and everything is done with tremendous care for the safety of everyone involved. People are strongly encouraged not to attempt breaking these records under any circumstances.