Valtra, Nokian combine for tractor speed record
With four-time World Rally champ Juha Kankkunen at the wheel, 80.88 miles per hour (130.165 km/h) was achieved.
It was an all-Finland achievement, with a Valtra T234 tractor electronically tuned to boost engine output.
And underfoot was the world’s first winter tyre for tractors, also from Finland, the Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI, taking the tractor safely along in sub-zero winter conditions on a closed highway in northern Finland, in February.
Normally rated at 250 horse power for farming purposes, the tractor weighs 7.7 tonnes.
“I have done top speed tests earlier in several cars,” said Kankkunen,
“This was the first time with a tractor, and we immediately achieved a world record.
“The tyres and tractor worked really well together even though the weather was challenging,”
Over ten years ago, Nokian Tyres became the first manufacturer in the world to introduce block pattern tyres for tractors.
The Hakkapeliitta TRI block tread pattern with its large number of edges is specifically designed to grip snowy and icy driving surfaces.
Driving at these speeds requires an extremely stable and smooth handling tyre.
The Guinness World Records organisation defines specific rules for the fastest tractor as the time for the tractor to travel through a 50-metre speed trap.
The tractor took a flying start, and speed is measured in both directions, and averaged.
Kankkunen grew up on his family’s farm in Laukaa in central Finland, near the route of the Rally Finland. His father had rallying and ice racing as a hobby, and taught Juha how to drive on an ice racing track.
Kankkunen currently lives in Monaco but also spends time in Laukaa, which includes a large country house and hundreds of hectares of land.
He was crowned the youngest-ever World Rally champ in 1986, and was the first driver to successfully defend his title, in 1987.
In 1991, he became the first man to win three drivers’ championships.
His fourth title, also unprecedented, came in 1993.
He won the Dakar Rally in 1988 and the Race of Champions in 1988 and 1991.
In 2007, Kankkunen set the world speed record on ice in a Bentley Continental GT.
In 2011, he set a further record of 330.695 km/h in a convertible Bentley Continental Supersports.
