Tractor driving level: Pro.
JCB’s Fastrac has set a new British speed record for tractors — and it did it in amazing fashion. The tractor hit 103.6 mph at Elvington Airfield, with TV presenter and engineering guru Guy Martin behind the wheel. How significant is that speed? Well, the previous mark stood at 87.27 mph, which was set in March 2018. That’s a difference of more than 16 mph!
A team of JCB engineers has been working on the secret project to develop the tractor over the past few months.
“We’ve long harbored a dream to attempt a speed record with the Fastrac and the whole team has worked tirelessly to achieve this amazing result. I’m extremely proud of what they have achieved in such a short space of time,” said Lord Bamford, chairman of JCB. The project was Bamford’s idea.
JCB is no stranger to land speed records. In 2006, its DieselMax streamliner set a new diesel land speed record when it reached 350.092 mph on Bonneville Salt Flats in the U.S., using two JCB DieselMax engines. It’s a record that still stands to this day.
Based on the Staffordshire maker’s Fastrac farm tractor, the record-breaking tractor is powered by JCB’s 7.2 litre, 6-cylinder DieselMax engine produced at its factory in Derbyshire. Capable of delivering 1,000 hp and 2,500 Nm of torque, the Fastrac had been put on a diet and had its aerodynamics enhanced with the help of Williams Advanced Engineering.
