The well-known British television program Top Gear decided to take the “madness of records” even further by proposing to set a new one for the world's fastest tractor, and certified by the Guinness Book of Records.
The challenge began, right away, in the machine itself to do this. The chosen tractor received numerous changes and improvements, highlighting a Original Chevrolet 507 hp 5.7-liter V8 engine, four-wheel disc brakes, adaptive air suspension, 54-inch rear wheels, double hydraulic handbrake, huge rear wing and even start button . In addition to “a tin of orange Lamborghini paint” — without a doubt, a must-have element for success!
Remember beaten… by almost 10 km/h more!
With the super tractor ready, the Top Gear team took it to the limits on the well-known runway at the former Royal Air Force (RAF) airfield in Leicestershire, UK. Ending up being able to set 140.44 km/h as a maximum speed — a new record for this type of vehicle, registered and approved on site by the Book of Records.Remember that the British attempt aimed to improve the 130.14 km/h achieved, in February 2015, by a 7.7-tonne Valtra T234 Finnish tractor, driven by world rally champion Juha Kankkunen, on a road in Vuojarvi , in Finland.
Two passes, as per the regulation
As required by regulations, the tractor driven by The Stig was required to make two passes, in both directions, along the pre-defined route, with the first ending at a speed of 147.92 km/h, and the second, with a mark of 132.96 km/h. The 140.44 km/h mark results from the average made from the two speeds achieved.
At the end of the attempt and achieved consecration, it fell to Matt LeBlanc, current Top Gear presenter and proud owner of four tractors, to deliver the victory speech, stating that “when we are behind the wheel of a tractor, we practically cannot go side by side none with him. So what we wanted to do was to accelerate agriculture. So when Lewis Hamilton retires, that's what he's going to drive!”.
