You have to feel for the handyman at Bentley’s head office. No sooner had he successfully hung the new certificate stating that the Continental Supersports Convertible holds the record for being the fastest car on ice, and he’s been ordered out to find the Polyfiller and picture of the Queen to fill the space.
While the top brass at Bentley were still patting themselves on the back over their new 330 km/h ice driving speed record, Finnish tyre specialists, Nokian were strapping a set of their Hakkapeliitta 7 studded tyres to a modified Audi RS6 and heading out to set the record straight.
Using the Gulf of Bothnia in Oulu, Finland, local test driver Janne Laitinen set a new world record by achieving a top speed of 331,6 km/h in the tuned Audi and, in doing so, rapidly depreciated the value of the 100 limited edition Continental Supersport models that have been produced to commemorate Bentley’s achievement.
The Guinness World Records organisation’s rules state that an average of two runs, in both directions, on a one-kilometre track is used to establish a new ice driving world record. The vehicle takes a flying start and there is an hour time limit in which to complete the record attempt. The ice has to be natural and it may not be roughed up or treated with any chemicals. The tyres must also be commercially available and approved for road traffic in the country in which the record attempt takes place.
Watch video footage of the modified RS6 “breaking the ice” above.
