Goodyear sets off on world record-breaking journey across 3 continents
German driver Rainer Zietlow to drive 17,752 kilometers Cape-to-Cape in record time on Goodyear Wrangler HP tyres
Goodyear announces today that, German record-breaker Rainer Zietlow and his Challenge4 team have begun an epic drive in their Volkswagen Touareg V6 TDI from Nordkapp (North Cape), Norway to Cape Agulhas, South Africa today, aiming to cover the 17,752 kilometers in less than 10 days, in an attempt to set a new world record. The team left Nordkapp at 3.00am CET this morning.
Zietlow and his team will pass through 19 countries on 3 continents: Norway, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. To reach the African continent, the team will fly from Adana, Turkey to Cairo, Egypt.
The team of three will drive five-hour shifts in rotation, 24 hours a day, only stopping to refuel in order to meet their challenging schedule.
Their VW Touareg V6 TDI will be equipped with Goodyear Wrangler HP tyres for SUV and 4X4 vehicles, necessary to carry them through the extreme climates and road conditions they will encounter on their journey, ranging from the icy North Cape of Norway, through the mountains of Ethiopia and down the infamous ‘road to hell’ in Kenya – 400 kilometers of volcanic rocks and gravel.
“Extreme conditions call for exceptional tyres,” says Hans Vrijsen, Marketing Director EMEA. “Zietlow’s Touareg will be equipped with Goodyear Wrangler tyres offering excellent performance in all weathers and terrains thanks to their SmartTred Weather Reactive Technology that allows the tyres to adapt their behavior to road conditions. The Challenge4 team is in good hands!”
Rainer Zietlow, who has already set a number of world records for the fastest drive and for long distance driving, said “17,000 kilometers of adventure and challenge, that’s what we are looking for. I have spent a great deal of my life behind the wheel of a car. Thanks to the equipment provided by our partners we are well prepared for the hard journey ahead and confident that we will reach Cape Agulhas in less than 10 days.”
„At Goodyear, we believe that delivering peace of mind to drivers is our number one priority“, Vrijsen continues. „Rainer’s challenge is an exceptional one, but our view is no different – his challenge is to break the world record - our contribution is that we help empower him to succeed. We deliver that by providing him with the very best products, so his focus can be on the challenge, not the tyres!“
Zietlow will donate 20 Euro cents per kilometer driven to the charity SOS Children’s Villages in Zambia and Tanzania. Goodyear has pledged to double each Euro cent donated by Zietlow to his charity.
