Nokian Tyres and Vianor Set New World Record for Fastest Car on Two Wheels at 115.742 MPH
The new world record was set when Nokian Tyres, Vianor and well-known stunt driver Vesa Kivimäki combined their strengths, on August 31, 2016 at Seinäjoki airport in Finland, where Kivimäki set the world record for fastest car on two wheels at 115.742 MPH. The tires on the record-breaking car had been reinforced with Nokian Tyres Aramid Sidewall technology.
The role of the tires was crucial in breaking the record, as the strength of the tires is very important at extreme speeds when driving on two wheels. Nokian Tyres Aramid Sidewall technology allowed for constructing a sidewall that is particularly resistant to wear and cuts.
“When driving on two wheels, the sidewall maintains the road contact, so we had to design a special tire for this purpose,” said Matti Morri, Technical Customer Service Manager for Nokian Tyres. “The Aramid fiber added to the sidewall rubber compound strengthens the sidewall and gives it substantially better tear strength. This unique sidewall compound technology combined with a special structure created a specification that is suited for speed records.”
The secret behind Aramid Sidewall technology is the extremely strong aramid fiber that is also found in aviation and defense industries. Nokian Tyres uses Aramid Sidewall technology in SUV tires such as the award winning Nokian Tyres Hakkapeliitta 8 SUV.
“The passion and creativeness required for this world record attempt are also an example of Nokian Tyres’ product development. We need to try new things and test our limits. Only this will allow us to develop safer, more durable tires in the future,” Morri says.
"We need to try new things and test our limits. Only this will allow us to develop safer, more durable tires in the future."
Vianor’s expert pit crew also participated in the record by taking care of the vehicle and its tires. The team changed the tires rapidly and report the condition of the car in real time to the driver.
“I have made earlier attempts to break the record for the fastest car on two wheels, but have not been successful” said Kivimäki. “At some point, I realized that the key to record-breaking speed is to have tires that are exceptionally durable. Cooperation with Nokian Tyres and Vianor made it possible to break the record.”
"I have made earlier attempts to break the record for the fastest car on two wheels, but have not been successful. At some point, I realised that the key to record-breaking speed is to have tires that are exceptionally durable. "
The world record for the fastest car on two wheels was set according to the rules defined by Guinness World Records. The car needs to be mass produced, not a prototype manufactured. Within one hour, the car must drive both ways through speed measurement gates that are located one 328 feet apart. The world record is the average of these two measurements.
The record run was made on a 1.2 mile long, 164 foot wide runway. The distance used for the average speed measurement was 328 feet.
The previous record was from 1997, when Swedish Göran Eliason drove on two wheels at a speed of 112.62 mph.
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