On 10 February 2011, I was in Oulu, Finland, to witness Juha Kankkunen’s attempt to break his own Guinness World Records achievement for the fastest car on ice. Mr Kankkunen - four times world rally champion- was attempting to break his own record, set in 2007 of 199.83 mph (321.6 kmph) in a Bentley Continental GT. For this record attempt, the chosen car was a Bentley Continental Supersports convertible.
With temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celcius, sudden snow blizzards and potentially dangerous crosswinds, reaching the required speed and keeping the car under control was going to be a tall order. A 16.5 km track had been cut in the frozen sea, with 1 km precisely measured halfway along, over which the maximum speed would be recorded. To allow for favourable winds in either direction, Mr Kankkunen would have to drive in both directions along the track, with an average speed taken.
After some tests had been performed, the attempt was underway. I watched in amazement as Mr Kankkunen brought the car up to speed. As he passed the start of the 1 km the sound was more like that of an aeroplane than a car! At that extreme speed, the kilometre was quickly crossed, and Mr Kankkunen turned the car around for his second run to complete the challenge.
A few moments later Mr Kankkunen returned to the camp to hear the verdict. The speed recorded was a breathtaking 205.48 mph (330.695 kmph)!! An amazing new Guinness World Records achievement!
Source - Guinnessworldrecords
