A lawn mower from Austria-based gardening power tool manufacturer VIKING recently set a new world record in an attention-grabbing campaign. On 5 November 2015, Norwegian driver Pekka Lundefaret used a converted VIKING T6 Series lawn tractor to achieve a speed of 215 km/h on the runway at Norway's Torp-Sandefjord Airport. This makes VIKING the new title holder for the lawn mower land speed record.
The average speed of 215 km/h was achieved over the regulation distance of one English mile (approx. 1.6 km). Although the first attempt failed and it looked like the event would have to be called off due to rain and fog at the airport, which is located south of Oslo, the record was finally broken. The airport safety personnel provided the perfect backup, coordinating the attempt between the scheduled take-offs and landings.
This extraordinary project took several months of preparation between VIKING, its Scandinavian distributors STIHL and the Norwegian Motorsports Association and was headed by Marius Gjevik from the "Norwegian Speed Factory", who contributed valuable advice from professional motorsport.
The rules require that the lawn mower should also have a mowing deck and a grass catcher box. After all, a lawn mower must be able to cut grass. With 408 HP under the bonnet, a Formula 1 paddle shift and Formula 3 tyres, the Scandinavian team was extremely well equipped and driver Pekka Lundefaret had cause to celebrate in the end: "I can't believe that we managed to set this world record despite less-than-ideal weather conditions. I would like to thank everyone who supported this crazy idea."
VIKING GmbH, based in Langkampfen/Austria, produces and sells lawn mowers, robotic mowers, ride-on mowers, scarifiers, garden shredders and tillers. VIKING is a member of the STIHL Group and achieved a turnover of €179.3 million in 2014 with 350 employees. Sales partners are service-providing specialist dealers.
To see a video of the record-breaking run click here.
Photos:
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Caption: As of 5 November 2015, the fastest lawn mower in the world is a converted VIKING T6 Series lawn tractor. A speed of 215 km/h was achieved.
- "VIKING_world_record_lawn_mower_team.jpg"
Caption: After the world record, the mood among the members of the racing team around driver Pekka Lundefaret (3rd from left) was jubilant.
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Caption: The new fastest lawn mower in the world also looks good when parked on the grass.
(Photos: VIKING, printing free of charge)