Mikko Hirvonen is claiming a new Guinness World Record for indoor driving after reaching a speed of 140kph inside an exhibition hall in Finland yesterday.Hirvonen, who drives for the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi Team, used his own SpeedCar Xtreme Cross Kart for the attempt on the record, set by US Rallycross driver Tanner Foust in an American warehouse in September 2011.Foust recorded a speed of 139.98kph with his 560bhp Ford Fiesta Rallycross car. Hirvonen’s bid relied on his 750cc Suzuki-engined machine that produces a modest 150bhp but weighs in at just 312kg.
The polished concrete floor of the Helsinki Exhibition Centre made it difficult to get the power down, but eventually Hirvonen edged Foust’s speed by a slender 0.2kph.
“Honestly I thought it was going to be a walk in the park, but it was harder than I imagined – I struggled to get any traction,” Hirvonen said.
“I’d like to say a massive thanks to the whole team who worked so hard to get the setup right for me with the Cross Kart – pretty competitive Kart I reckon! With some fine-tuning, I can go faster.”