New 4WD European Record
17.12.2007
 
Sunday October 7, Toyo set a new European Drag racing record with Sumopower. Using a Nissan Skyline GTR R33 known as FUUJIN (Wind of God), Andy Barnes rocketed to a new European 4WD record of 8.408 seconds and 162.48mph for a quarter mile. In fact, Andy’s Skyline went even quicker claiming an 8.27 second pass at 164.9 mph but under the rules, to claim a record, a second run within 1% has to be made and this was not possible on the day as the track deteriorated a little. Nevertheless, Andy is still the very proud owner of what is officially the quickest four wheel drive car in Europe. Incredibly, the car has only run four times since it was built a year ago. In consultation with TOYO UK, Andy specified 26 x10.5 - 15 Proxes DRR1 drag slick tires for the car. TOYO UK have been prominent in the development of the car working with him to establish the correct pressure to ensure optimum performance. Owner and Driver, Andy Barnes, President of Sumopower said after the record breaking run. ‘I’m blown away. My 60 foot time is the quickest it has ever been at just 1.23 seconds showing that the tires are giving me far more grip at launch than anyone else.’ Neither Sumopower nor TUK are resting on their laurels though. The car is capable of going quicker still as its 900BHP will rise to 1.200 BHP in future stages of development. A seven second quarter mile is the target for next year, bringing the car ever closer to the world record.
|
