InfraStructures - August 2011 - World Speed Record on Ice Broken Twice in 2011

World Speed Record on Ice Broken Twice
in 2011

Nokian Tyres test driver Janne Laitinen set a new world speed record of 331.610 km/h driving on the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia close to Oulu.
The new record was set on March 6th on a 14 km track in a Nokian Tyres test car.

The speed of 331 km/h means the car travelled more than 92 m/s. Nokian Tyres equipped the record-breaking car, an Audi RS6 with Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 studded tires (255/35R20 97 T XL). The tires are under immense pressure at these high speeds, and their diameter can increase by 15–20 mm. As the air resistance increases, more traction is needed in order to pick up speed.

The previous record was set just a few weeks earlier in February by four time world rally champion Juha Kankkunen who set the record. He raced over the ice of the Gulf of Bothnia in a Bentley Continental Super Sport, shod with Pirelli SottoZero II tires, at 330.7 km/h.

The Guinness World Records organisation outlines detailed rules for ice driving world records. The time for the one-kilometer distance is taken for driving in both directions of the track, and the world record time is the average of these two results. The vehicle takes a flying start. There is a total of one hour to complete the record attempt.

The ice has to be natural and it may not be roughed up or treated with any chemicals. The tires must be commercially available and approved for road traffic in the country in which the record attempt takes place.
Testing at high speeds in demanding conditions forms an important part of our winter tire development. “Testing our boundaries can teach us new things, which can then be reflected in all of our products,” explains Matti Morri, Nokian Tyres' Technical Customer Service manager.

Nokian Tyres developed the world’s first winter tire in 1934. The company tests and develops tires at its own test center in Ivalo, Finland, 300 km north of the Arctic Circle.

Source: Nokian Tyres Plc

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