18,000 km world record attempt on Goodyear tyres

Goodyear has partnered with German record breaker Rainer Zietlow in his second world record attempt to drive from Cape Agulhas, South Africa to Nordkapp, Norway in less than 10 days, starting this Friday, 11 September.

The team’s first attempt last autumn 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 on Friday, September 11 bound for Nordkapp, more than 18,000 kilometres 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 their 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 ten days to complete and will see Zietlow and his Challenge4 team passing through 21 countries: South Africa, 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. The tyres, designed for SUV and 4X4 vehicles, combine solid year-round performance on tarmac and hardened roads with strong off-road abilities. They offer an aggressive grip in wet weather, strong aquaplaning resistance and a quiet, comfortable ride, delivering peace of mind to the team as they make their way to Norway.

“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 Alexis Bortoluzzi, Marketing Director EMEA at Goodyear. “The basic off-road capabilities combined with a comfortable ride is the ideal tyre to navigate an 18,000 kilometre journey in under ten days. With these tyres, we feel confident that the team is prepared and ready to tackle the challenges ahead.

“Last year Goodyear provided us with a safe and reliable tyre that performed very well. When I decided to make a second world record attempt, I immediately knew that I wanted to work with Goodyear again,” said Rainer Zietlow. “They have not only been great partners, but most importantly, the tyres carried us across the finish line flawlessly. I have no doubts that it will provide the same support to us this year as we make another world record attempt.”

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.