
Images: Mad Media via JIMCO Racing
Taking the title of the fastest vehicle is a major deal in all areas of the industry. For manufacturers, its building cars that are the fastest in their class. For drag racers, it’s owning something that will beat the guy in the other lane. And for the variety of dry lake bed racers, it’s upping the anti to get the fastest land speed record.
For off-road enthusiasts, the appeal of going fast is there too; an appeal that propels competitors to use lighter equipment, heftier engines, and practice overcoming a number of off-road obstacles like no one else’s business. But for R&D Motorsports, working to be the best in competitive events just wasn’t enough. So they took to securing the land speed record for the Trophy Truck class this October, according to JIMCO Racing.
Equipped with a Kroyer Racing Engines small block V8, Kroyer transmission, and BFGoodrich tires, the R&D JIMCO-built Trophy Truck known as “War Machine” took to the dry lake bed Laguna Salada near Mexicali, Baja California in Mexico.
Restricted by weather, water and the U.S. government shutdown, Laguna Salada was the best location the R&D Motorsports crew could get in late October, even though the area had recently had rain, making the terrain less than optimal for traction. But still, Jay Reichert, driver of the R&D Trophy Truck, took to the dry lake bed with determination.
Before the R&D Trophy Truck ran, the Guiness Book of World Records recognized a land speed record for Trophy Trucks of 124 MPH. Not only did Reichert and R&D Motorsports want to break the record, they also wanted to give themselves some breathing room for competition that was sure to take their feat as a challenge.
With the help of Mad Media, Reichert’s attempt at the land speed record was fully prepped for and recorded, which is a good thing since Reichert did in fact set the new record. Even in iffy conditions, the R&D JIMCO Trophy Truck hit a record speed of 136 MPH on the dry lake bed. Of course, Reichert and R&D want to go faster, sure that they have the right equipment to go over 140 MPH in optimal conditions.
They may hold the land speed record for Trophy Trucks now, but we have a feeling R&D will be feeling the heat in the near future as more and more off-road competitors aim to prove their worth on the dry lake beds as well.
Check out the entire account of the land speed record attempt, with input from many key players on JIMCORace.com.