An immense frozen lake in Siberia is the place where for the past eight years cars have gathered to try and break records, with 20 such achievements already scored in different categories. This year, the Baikal lake was the place where a new speed record for SUVs was set by a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.
During the annual Baikal Ice Motor Sports Festival in that remote part of Russia, the car managed to achieve a top speed of 280 kph (174 mph, 6 mph less than the maximum speed the SUVis capable of), as measured by GPS systems. The actual record-breaking average speed was however lower.
The Jeep did its run on a 12 km course (7.4 miles) to allow for enough braking distance, and achieved an average speed of 257 kph (260 mph) over a distance of 1 km (0.6 miles), under the rules of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), with a rolling start and an average speed starting from a standstill of more than 100 km/h.
Timing gates had to be passed in both directions and the average of the two speeds was made to determine the record.
To get the car in shape for the record-breaking run, some unnecessary pieces of equipment had to be removed – Jeep does not say how many and what they were – and extra fuel was added. Additionally, to cope with the challenges posed by the slippery surface, the car was fitted with a Brembo brake system.
The power for the Trackhawk comes from a 6.2-liter V8 engine that develops 710 hp and allows the SUV to accelerate from naught to 100 kph in 3.7 seconds.
According to Jeep, the top speed recorded during the run was confirmed by the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF) and included in the official Book of Records of Russia. The carmaker did not say who was behind the wheel of the car during the run.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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