To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Guy Martin Breaks The Record For World's Fastest Tractor At 135mph

Guy Martin Breaks The Record For World's Fastest Tractor At 135mph

He now stands alone in the field, ploughing a lone furrow

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

TV daredevil Guy Martin has obliterated the record for the world's fastest tractor by reaching 135 mph (217 km per hour) in his juiced-up JCB.

You wouldn't mind being stuck behind this tractor on a windy country road, that's for sure.

The lorry mechanic, motorbike racer, and all-around speed freak already holds a few records for speed.

Those records include fastest speed achieved on a gravity powered snow sled, fastest ever soapbox racer, and highest ever speed on a Wall of Death.

If you're not sure what the Wall of Death is, Google it. You'll not be disappointed.

JCB

In this new record attempt, Guy got behind the controls of a specially modified JCB tractor in order to break the record not once, but twice.

Now, the JCB Fastrac ordinarily has a maximum speed of 41 mph (66 km/h). That's pretty nippy for a piece of farm machinery.

However, this amped up version saw Martin careening along at 103.64 mph (166.79 km/h) on one run, then shattering that again at 135.191 mph (217.570 km/h) later on.

Guy and JCB have a history, too. Martin worked with the company not so long ago for a TV show in which he built a full replica of a World War One tank.

JCB

He told Guinness World Records: "There are some good folk there and they said about this idea of building the world's fastest tractor. So I said, 'if you want it piloting give us a shout' and that's where it came about."

So, once they'd built it, everyone met up at Elvington airfield in North Yorkshire on a three kilometre runway for Martin's attempt to overhaul Top Gear's record of 87.27 mph (140.45 km/h), set in 2018.

When they first attempted it in June earlier this year, Martin was solely focused on cresting the 100mph mark.

At the time, he explained: "I turned up this morning and had a look round.

"I went around [an area to the side of the runway] to get my eye in and get a feel for how it drives and what the clutch is like.

"It can't turn tight as it hasn't got a differential in the back axle. So just get used to how the gears change, how the engine behaves because it's fairly sluggish low down until the turbo comes in."

JCB

He took it for a crack, and three runs later he had the record.

Guy continued: "I think we did over 110 mph in one place. It doesn't feel that fast. It's a big open place you don't have anything to reference your speed. You could be doing 250 mph here and it doesn't feel that fast.

"I've known for ages [we could do it]. There are some clever people involved and I knew when they said it would break the record it was going to happen. I had no doubt today it was going to happen."

On 23 October, he came back and went even faster. That's the current record.

JCB

Of the tractor, he said: "It doesn't feel like a tractor [to drive]. From the outside it looks like a tractor but it doesn't to sit in and it doesn't go anything like a tractor.

"You have a five-point harness, there's no radio, there's no cup holder, no fridge. Most tractors have fridge and air con. It doesn't have autosteer on it."

It's disappointing that it doesn't have a fridge, but then again, it's probably never pulled a threshing machine either.

As for Martin's future record attempt, he said there'll probably be more.

He concluded: "I just like going fast. If it's something a bit risky I'm all for it."

That much is abundantly clear.

Featured Image Credit: JCB

Topics: UK News, Interesting, Weird