Less than three months after the Jaguar E-PACE barrel rolled into the record books, and two years after Terry Grant achieved the iconic loop-the-loop stunt in the F-PACE, the vehicle manufacturer has smashed yet another Guinness World Records title.
This time, Jaguar Land Rover sought the help of a former Olympic skier to help the brand achieve a new record for the fastest towed speed on skis.
It was decided that Britain’s Graham Bell was the man for the job – an athlete who reached a personal best top speed of 121 mph (195 km/h) on skis during his career.
Pulled by a XF Sportbrake driven by Jaguar Land Rover European Engineering Operations Manager Philip Talboys (UK), Graham needed to reach an average speed of over 69.99 mph (112.65 km/h) to set the record.
Not only does achieving such a high speed require a huge amount of strength and skill, it is also potentially very dangerous.
However, the daring skier achieved an unprecedented speed of 189.07 km/h (117.48 mph) during the official attempt.
Guinness World Records adjudicator Anna Orford was on hand to verify the record, ensuring that the attempt was measured using a ‘speed trap’, consisting of electronic timing lights placed at the start and finish of the course.
After the event Graham Bell said: “I’m really proud to have achieved this new Guinness World Records title, but it was a real team effort with the engineers at Jaguar supporting me every step of the way. The XF Sportbrake stayed perfectly composed throughout and gave me the confidence to not only beat the record but smash it by a great margin!”
Nick Collins, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar XF, added: “The XF Sportbrake builds on the success of the saloon and has all of the advanced all-wheel drive (AWD) technologies and aluminium-intensive architecture that have made the XF a multi-award winner. Superb handling, plentiful traction and great high-speed stability made it the perfect choice for this record attempt.”
The challenge took place at Jaguar Land Rover’s Revi Test Centre in Arjeplog, Sweden, and saw the team endure temperatures of -28°C (-18.4°F).
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