In a head-to-head battle for speed domination, Jake Hughes (UK) came out on top, claiming the record for fastest speed achieved by a vehicle indoors.
He clocked in at an impressive 218.71 km/h (135.58 mph) in an event at Excel London, UK on 25 July 2023.
The attempt was organized by Formula E, officially the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars.
Jake, of the NEOM McLaren Formula E Team, competed against rival Mahindra Racing team driver Lucas di Grassi (Brazil) to set the record.
His drive comfortably beat the previous record of 165.20 km/h (102.65 mph), achieved by Leh Keen (USA) at the New Orleans Convention Center, in Louisiana, USA, on 18 November 2020.
@guinnessworldrecords Fastest speed by a vehicle indoors 🏎️ 218.71 km/h (135.58 mph) by Jake Hughes 🇬🇧
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The pair went head-to-head in the ‘Duels’ format used in qualifying for Formula E races to see who could clinch the title.
Each driver was allowed three test runs before the official attempt, and to keep things fair between the two, they were only allowed one official attempt.
The vehicle used in the attempt was GENBETA, a new development by Formula E’s all-electric GEN3 race car with 400 k/w of power and modifications.
Due to the limited length of the main straight, the attempt relied on the drivers starting round a corner.
This meant the attempt had to be taken as cleanly as possible to achieve the optimum speed before reaching the end of the main straight.
Jake was first to go with his three practise drives and reached speeds of 214.80 km/h (133.47 mph), 215.05km/h (133.63 mph) and 217.65 km/h (135.24 mph).
During his official attempt, he achieved the top speed of 218.71 km/h (135.58 mph), seemingly earning him the world record title… all he had to do was fend off rival Lucas.
Despite being more experienced, Lucas’s official attempt came in at 217.65 km/h (135.24 mph), slower than Jake’s.
I didn’t realize how much I wanted it until I got out of the car and watched Lucas make his attempt. I cant believe that I’m now the fastest driver indoors – that’s so cool! - Jake Hughes, British racing driver
The attempt took place ahead of the 2023 London E-Prix, running the weekend of 29 to 30 July, on the same track constructed specially for the championship.
Congratulations to Jake on his fantastic achievement!
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