Goodyear SA has partnered with German record breaker Rainer Zietlow and his second world record attempt to drive from Cape Agulhas, SA to Nordkapp, Norway in less than 10 days. The team set off on their journey on 11 September.
The team’s first attempt last year resulted in a record time of 21 days and 10 hours. But after an unlucky accident, through no fault of their own, the team lost 13 days before they could pick up their attempt on the same, undamaged tyres. This September, Rainer Zietlow, cameraman Marius Biela and Sam Roach, CEO of Volkswagen Racing UK, will once again attempt a new world record.
Zietlow, a multiple world-record holder in extreme continent-spanning journeys, will depart from Cape Agulhas with his team today bound for Nordkapp, more than 18,000 kilometers away.
In order to cross three continents in a record-breaking time, Rainer Zietlow’s Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI will be fitted with Goodyear Wrangler HP All Weather tyres for SUV and 4X4 vehicles. With the remarkable SmartTRED technology, the tyres are designed to withstand the demanding range of extreme climates and road conditions en route.
The world record attempt is expected to take around 10 days to complete and will see Zietlow and his Challenge4 team passing through 21 countries: SA, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland and finally Norway. To reach the European continent, the team will fly from Amman, Jordan.
For the second year, Goodyear has provided Zietlow and his team with its Wrangler HP All Weather tyres given their successful handling during last year’s attempt.
“Goodyear’s Wrangler HP All Weather tyres are particularly well equipped to handle the same varied climate and surface challenges that the Cape to Cape challenge faced last year,” said Tracy Maclear, marketing and brand Manager at Goodyear. “The basic off-road capabilities combined with a comfortable ride is the ideal tyre to navigate an 18,000 kilometer journey in under 10 days. With these tyres, we feel confident that the team is prepared and ready to tackle the challenges ahead.”
The car will carry a total of six tyres, four fitted and two spare. Other partners of the Cape-to-Cape 2.0 challenge include Volkswagen Slovakia, Hewlett Packard, Intel, Glysantin®, HBM, 3M, BORBET, IAV, Exide Technologies, Inmarsat and HELLA.
We’ll let you know if the team succeeds in reaching Norway in ten days.