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The JCB Fastrac Two is a stripped-down and performance-enhanced JCB
Fastrac tractor capable of reaching speeds of up to 247 km per hour
(153.8 mph).
If you’ve ever driven behind a tractor, you probably already know that
they are many things, but they certainly aren’t fast. Tractors are built
for power, not speed, but what if someone wanted to make a tractor go
really fast? Well, a few years ago, a team at English tractor
manufacturer JCB set out to do just that and managed to set a new
Guinness record for the world’s fastest tractor with a modified version
of the company’s Fastrac tractor. Over two two-kilometer runs, it
averaged a speed of 135 mph (217.6 km/h) and a peak speed of 153.771 mph
(247 km/h).
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Powered by JCB’s proprietary 7.2-liter, 6-cylinder Dieselmax engine, the
record-breaking Fastrac Two had a peak power of 1,016 hp backed up by
over 2,500 Nm of torque. Those are some impressive numbers, but keep in
mind that even in its stripped-down form, this thing weighed a whopping
five tons, so the team had to develop innovative solutions for improving
aerodynamics in order to achieve their goals.
“Getting a five-tonne tractor to safely reach 150 mph and stop again is
not an easy task,” JCB Chief Innovation and Growth Officer, Tim Burnhope,
said. “We’re all so proud to have not only reached these goals but to
have exceeded them.”
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Interestingly, another JCB Fastrac tractor had set a world speed record
only months before – an average speed of 103.6 mph (166 km/h) – but the
engineering team were certain they could do better, so after making some
adjustment they gave it another go, and in November of 2019, at
Elvington Airfield in the UK, they managed to break their own record.
“When we reached 103.6 mph with the Fastrac in the summer, I was
convinced we could go even faster and the JCB team has risen to the
challenge by setting this new record,” JCB Chairman Lord Bamford said.
“It’s an amazing achievement delivered by a young and enthusiastic
engineering team. Everyone involved should be very proud of the part
they have played in showing off British engineering at its very best.”
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