JCB’s Fastrac has stormed into the record books after being crowned the world’s fastest tractor with a speed of 135.191 mph. Charlotte Cunningham reports.
The Fastrac – designed and built by a team of young engineers in Staffordshire – secured the title at Elvington Airfield in York with motorbike racer and lorry mechanic Guy Martin at the wheel. The feat was officially ratified by Guinness World Records who presented the company with a special framed certificate minutes after the achievement.
The achievement comes after JCB set its first Guinness World Record for the fastest tractor at Elvington in June. Called Fastrac One, it reached a speed of 103.6 mph with Guy Martin in the driver’s seat.
JCB then embarked on an ambitious plan to break its own record and developed Fastrac Two – which was 10% lighter and was even more streamlined than its smaller brother. Fastrac Two hit a peak speed of 153.771 mph on its way to recording an average of 135.191 mph at Elvington.
Massive undertaking
Guy Martin said: “This has been a massive undertaking, and I was a very small cog in the machine. It was a proper privilege to be involved, so thank you very much to JCB and its engineering team, who got this tractor absolutely spot-on. Just look at it, they get stuff done, it’s brilliant, and it is still a working tractor, so could have gone straight into the nearest field to put in a shift.”
A team of JCB engineers have been working on the project to further develop the tractor over the last few months and have been praised by JCB chairman, Lord Bamford, for their “amazing achievement.”
He said: “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. 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.”
The record-breaking attempt was overseen by Guinness World Records, who confirmed that the JCB Fastrac completed two runs, in either direction through a speed trap set 1km apart, within the allotted time, to set the 135.191 mph record.
A tall order
Getting Fastrac Two on to the Elvington aerodrome in just a matter of months has been a tall order, but one that the team of young engineers has grabbed with both hands, said JCB
JCB chief innovation and growth officer, Tim Burnhope added: “Fastrac One really proved to us that there are no limits to what a young and dynamic engineering team can achieve. So we pushed boundaries and ideas, and looked at all aspects of the project to find solutions and make improvements.
“The biggest challenges have included aerodynamics, reducing weight and improving performance – getting a five-tonne tractor to safely reach 150 mph, and stop again, is not an easy task, but we’re all so proud to have not only reached these goals, but to have exceeded them.”
Record-breaking history
JCB is no stranger to land speed records. In 2006, its Dieselmax streamliner set a new diesel land speed record when it reached 350.092mph on Bonneville Salt Flats in the USA, using two JCB Dieselmax engines. It’s a record that still stands to this day.
Not content with merely nudging up the previous 103.6 mph record achieved using Fastrac One, the team drew upon all its knowledge and set about developing a more extreme machine that could put a clear line in the sand, when it came to tractor speed records.
“We used Fastrac One as a test-bed, which enabled us to move forward quite quickly and create a lighter, more streamlined tractor that could set an undisputed World record,” said Tim.
Fastrac Two maintained the same design principles and packaging, but was 10% lighter than its predecessor, reducing its weight to less than five tonnes. The tractor’s bonnet was changed from steel to aluminium; non-structural material was removed from the chassis, while the cab and roll cage mounts would be incorporated into the chassis design.
Streamlined bodywork also had a role to play, with aerodynamic analysis and development conducted by Rob Smedley, ex-Williams head of vehicle performance, and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) used by Williams Advanced Engineering, to give Fastrac Two a 10% reduction in drag over Fastrac One.
This saw the development of new cab air deflectors, a new rear cover, re-designed radiator covers, new side panels, front bumper and cab roof, would also help the tractor to cut through the air, on its way to the new Guinness World Record.
Extra shot of power
An extra shot of power was needed, and the 7.2 litre, 6-cylinder JCB Dieselmax engine produced at JCB Power Systems in Derbyshire, also received some extra attention. Working with engine specialists Ricardo, a new, larger turbocharger, was accompanied by water injection and charge-air cooling through ice tanks, which reduced intake temperatures by 50˚C.
An electrically driven supercharger system was again used, while a revised exhaust manifold contributed to improved flow. The adoption of a sophisticated anti-lag system would also keep the larger turbocharger delivering its maximum boost pressure while gear changes took place. The result of the power improvements was a peak output of 1016 hp at 3150 rpm, and over 2500Nm of torque, added the firm.
Despite the tractor developing 1016 hp, it achieved over 5 mpg and needed only a 20-litre fuel tank to make its high-speed runs. And while it has the capability to run on vegetable oil, a special formulation of high-performance racing diesel was used.
Fastrac Two’s driveline was also updated to cope. A multi-plate wet clutch was developed to improve torque management and create smoother gear changes for the six-speed manual transmission. An air-shifter reduces effort for the short-throw gear-lever, encouraging speedy shifts between ratios to encourage the Fastrac up to those record-breaking speeds. The tractor’s final drive capabilities were also improved.
“We still managed to use over 50% of standard Fastrac parts in the record-beating tractor, though tyres were an altogether different challenge,” added Tim. “At 1.3m tall and weighing 80kg, and usually rated for 40 mph, there was a lot of work to do to prevent them growing and heating up, from high-speed use.”
