If you look long enough and hard enough, you’re bound to find a record that could use some breaking. There is a record for just about everything, especially when it comes to setting land speed records. From steam-powered cars to motorcycles that weigh less than 100 pounds, if you can build it, chances are, there’s a record waiting to be broken.
Carbuzz reports that last week Jason Sands of Diesel Power Magazine hooked up a modified GMC 2500 HD pickup to a trailer and set off for the El Mirage lakebed, where he set a new speed record for driving while towing. It’s an odd record, but one that took a lot of effort and cajones to break. First off, any sort of land speed racing carries an inherent risk with it. Sand’s team had to modify the GMC HD 2500, and to that end they modified the diesel engine to make around 1,000 horsepower thanks to twin turbochargers and an intercooler system.
The trailer was also upgraded with stronger wheels and V-rated tires that could handle the estimated top speed. So how fast did Sands and his team go? Well they set the new record at 141.99 mph at El Mirage, which is kind of mind blowing when you think about it. In addition to this ridiculously fast heavy duty truck, there’s also a fully-loaded RV trailer being towed behind it. As Sands notes in the video, there is no such thing as a professional 100 mph towing driver.
But he did it, and in the process garnering a coveted (though odd) record in the Guinness Book of World Records.