CONNECT WITH US
EV & Mobility

EV & Mobility

A Finnish Farm Tractor Set a Speed Record at the Red Bull Ring

Car and Driver logo

Published on

Add as a preferred source on Google
A Finnish Farm Tractor Set a Speed Record at the Red Bull Ring

What's the point of setting the fastest lap record in a tractor? Um, we'll get back to you.

Austria’s Red Bull Ring is a nearly 2.7-mile track that hosts an assortment of big-time racing series, from Formula 1 to MotoGP, but it recently hosted a different type of motorsports spectacle: a towering farm tractor setting a record lap time.

Putting the track in tractor, it's a Valtra T Series enclosed-cab farm tractor, running a diesel 7.5-liter inline-six good for 245 horsepower. Hitting a peak speed of 54 mph on the straights, it's like the crossover episode of Clarkson's Farm and The Grand Tour we never knew we needed.

Is tarmac handling and top speed of importance in the farming world? In a word: no. In two words: absolutely not. Farmers are far more interested in reliability and running costs, keeping those margins as healthy as possible in an industry where the whims of the weather gods can still spell catastrophe.

However, as a stunt, Valtra does get to show off that its T Series tractor is a serious workhorse. It's also, surprisingly, not the only time a tractor has set a lap time at a racetrack. A few years ago, German enthusiast magazine Auto Motor Und Sport took one of the country’s most powerful tractors for a spin around the Nürburgring. The entertaining YouTube video shows 30,000 pounds of farming equipment speeding along the same arena dominated by lightweight Porsche 911s. Rally legend Walter Röhrl once also drove a vintage Porsche Junior tractor for a lap too (probably his slowest lap time ever).


Source link
Related Topics:EV & Mobility

Disclaimer

We strive to uphold the highest ethical standards in all of our reporting and coverage. We TheMorningPulse.fyi want to be transparent with our readers about any potential conflicts of interest that may arise in our work. It's possible that some of the investors we feature may have connections to other businesses, including competitors or companies we write about. However, we want to assure our readers that this will not have any impact on the integrity or impartiality of our reporting. We are committed to delivering accurate, unbiased news and information to our audience, and we will continue to uphold our ethics and principles in all of our work. Thank you for your trust and support.