From Rental Equipment Register: A modified JCB Fastrac has set a new world tractor speed record of 135.191 mph, which was the average of two high-speed runs conducted at Elvington Airfield in the United Kingdom and ratified by Guinness World Records. On its way to establishing the record, the machine known as Fastrac Two achieved a top speed of 153.771 mph.
JCB’s Fastrac One set a new British tractor speed record in June, with an average maximum speed of 103.6 mph. Fastrac One and Fastrac Two are based on the commercially available JCB 8000-series Fastrac tractor, which is sold in North America and is the world’s fastest production tractor with a top speed of 43 mph.
“This has been a massive undertaking, so thank you very much to JCB and its engineering team, who got this tractor absolutely spot-on,” said British Motorsports personality Guy Martin, who piloted both JCB record attempts. “Just look at it, they get stuff done, it’s brilliant, and it is still a working tractor, so could have gone straight to the nearest field to put in a shift.”
“When we reached 103.6 mph with the Fastrac in the summer, I was convinced we could go even faster, and the JCB team has risen to the challenge by setting this new record,” Lord Bamford said. “It’s an amazing achievement delivered by a young and enthusiastic engineering team. Everyone involved should be very proud of the part they have played in showing off JCB engineering at its very best.”
The team engineered solutions to shed more weight, making Fastrac Two 10 percent lighter than its predecessor, while benefiting from greater strength and additional streamlining.
The unit is powered by a modified JCB 7.2 liter, 6-cylinder Dieselmax engine, outputting 1,016 hp with more than 1,844 foot-pounds of torque. Despite the machine’s power output, it achieves more than 5 mpg, allowing it to accomplish its high-speed runs with just a 5.2-gallon fuel tank. And while the engine can run on vegetable oil, a high-performance racing diesel was used for the record attempts.
“Fastrac One really proved to us that there are no limits to what a young and dynamic engineering team can achieve,’ said JCB chief innovation and growth officer Tim Burnhope. “The biggest challenges have included aerodynamics, reducing weight and improving performance. Getting a five-tonne tractor to safely reach 150 mph, and stop again, is not an easy task, but we’re all so proud to have not only reached these goals but to have exceeded them.”
JCB has set speed records in the past. In 2006, its twin-engine Dieselmax streamliner set a diesel land speed record of 350.092 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, a record that still stands to this day.