Even though it's the middle of April, we can still show you high-speed action on snow and ice, and it's probably something you've never seen before. Tractors are not something you associate with snow or speed, but tire manufacturer Nokian decided to collaborate with tractor builder Valtra and change that with a daredevil speed run that went down in the record books.
Most people don't have the skill to drive fast on snow. You need a Scandinavian person for that, and they got one in the form of rally ace Juha Kankkunen. If the name doesn't ring a bell, he's the one that claimed the outright ice speed record in 2011, by driving the Bentley Continental GTC Supersports with Pirelli 275/35ZR20 ultra high-performance tires up to 205.5 mph (330.7 km/h).
The tractor record proved to be much trickier. The Valtra T234 had plenty of power but couldn't put it down, so the initial runs only got to about 100 km/h or 62 mph. After Kankkunen told the team the banked corner before the straight wasn't wide enough, the extended. This lead to an eventual trap speed of 130 km/h or about 81 miles per hour.
The world record attempt took place back in February on a 2.3 kilometers (1.42 miles) long track that had been plowed into the deep snow near the Arctic Circle. The previous record was 121 km/h set by a modified tractor in Russia.
While the Valtra T234 was stock, it had received more power through an ECU remap, and is is specially designed for winter condition. It has a well-insulated cabin, shields for the exhaust pipes and wide tires that have been studded for more grip.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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