World's fastest lawnmower reaches 133 mph in Norway

upi ^ | Nov. 6, 2015 | Ben Hooper |

[JoeProBono]

SANDEFJORD, Norway,- A Norwegian team brought their souped-up lawn mower to speeds of nearly 135 mph to take on the 117 mph world record.

The Norwegian Speed Factory team said they started with a Viking T6 lawnmower and rebuilt it into "The World's Fastest Viking" for the speed run at Torp Sandefjord Airport.

The team said the rebuilt mower features 408 horsepower with a V8 engine and has the wheels of a Formula 3 car. The reservoir for collecting grass clippings was converted into a fuel tank and cooling system.

The team said their record-breaking 133.5 mph run was initially in doubt due to weather conditions at the airport.

Driver Pekka Lundefaret said the runway was slippery during the initial test run and the engine filled with water, but he was able to exceed the former record of 117 mph during a subsequent run.

"This is so great, and I just have to thank Viking, our team and everyone who has believed in this project. I had never imagined that we might make a new world record today under these conditions," Lundefaret told Norwegian website Conpot.

The company said the record has been verified by Guinness World Records.

Paul Virik Nilsen, marketing manager for Viking, applauded the accomplishment.

"Today we are proud to have the world's fastest lawnmower. It was an exciting day because of the weather, but Pekka and the rest of the gang did a great job. This is going to get attention worldwide," he said.

[JoeProBono]

[onyx]

You “must have!”

[Yo-Yo]

OK, at what point does a lawn mower become a Sprint Car Midget racer?

[Lake Living]

Perhaps a more apt description is a race car that on rare occasions cuts grass.

Didn’t see a lot of grass cutting going on there.

[Ouderkirk]

“Ain’t nothin’ stock about a stock car.”

And what they produced is NOT a lawnmower.

[moovova]

Tim "Tool Time" Taylor approves...

[ZOOKER]

Ok, so how often do you need to mow a racetrack?

[Paladin2]

This might make a quick lawn vacuum....

[PhiloBedo]

Is that a picture of Jim Hall’s experimental, vacuum ground hugging Chaparrel?

I remember seeing him drive that at Laguna Seca, 1967 (i think).

[Paladin2]

Quickly banned for working too well.....

[libstripper]

I do't know about "working too well." Just try mowing your lawn at 130 mph and see what happens.

[biff]

The sucker car! On display in Midland, Tx.

[Doogle]

when the race car cuts grass

[JoeProBono]

[Old Yeller]

How does ZTR work at 133 MPH?

[G Larry]

How do you increase blade speed to ensure an even cut?

Besides, we have too many mole holes for those speeds....

[shibumi]

I've often said that these things look like they should have a mower deck mounted right between the front wheels -

[JoeProBono]

Need for Speed (1951) Starting in 1951, FilterQueen played a role in the pre-race cleanup of the brick straightway for the Indianapolis 500. In 1958, Distributor E.L. Baker Jr. gained national attention with his team when they took to the Indianapolis Speedway track as part of the annual clean-up event at the Speedway. Baker and his team organized an attack on dust, dirt and tiny pebbles between the bricks of the famous raceway. The FilterQueen handled the debris to help ensure the safety of the 33 drivers who were to drive over 100 miles per hour in the 500 mile race. In 1953, they removed 1800 pounds of dirt! Through the years, FilterQueen continued to play a role in the pre-race cleanup. It was an honor to be a part of the festivities and some Distributors even used it as a contest for their sales representatives to help with the pre-race preparation. Famous race car driver Wilbur Shaw thought so highly of FilterQueen’s role in protecting the lives of the 500 track drivers that he wrote a letter stating that the use of the FilterQueen Sanitation System was one of the most important safety measures ever introduced to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

[TalBlack]

If it doesn’t have a lawn mower engine block and working blade it AIN’T a lawnmower.

[ETL]