The Opel Astra 2.0 CDTI sets a speed record

When people talk about speed records, the first thing that comes to mind is the desert flats of Bonneville and their impressive machines with engines rivalling those of jets. In this case, we are going several thousand kilometres away from there, to the Millbrook test track in Great Britain, where several Astra 2.0 CDTIs achieved a record average speed over 24 hours, nearly non-stop.

All of this resulted in an incredible average speed of 201 km/h, in the attempt to achieve the World Record for production-based, naturally aspirated diesel cars in the FIA class, between 1,600 and 2,000 cm3. The 24-hour sprint required the cars to be fitted with a roll cage, competition seats and safety harnesses.

The two Astras began running on the high-speed ring at Millbrook, near Milton Keynes, at 4 p.m. on 5 October. The Astras ran continuously, with only 22 minutes of rest for refuelling. Nine journalists shared the cars with three specialists from Opel/Vauxhall. Volker Strycek, former DTM driver and current Director of Opel Performance Cars & Motorsport, acted as team captain.

Michelin supplied the tyre sets, providing Pilot Super Sport tyres from the Astra’s standard equipment, the same tyres a customer receives with a new car. Over the summer several tests were carried out, as well as a 500-mile test at Millbrook, to check the durability of the rubber. During the run, each car had a tyre change, simply to ensure there would be no problems with the tyres.

Finally, both Opel and Vauxhall are awaiting FIA homologation confirming that this attempt was carried out successfully. If the attempt is successful, the German brand and its British counterpart could claim 18 new high-speed records.

Source | Opel