Britain’s fastest snowboarder Jamie Barrow has broken his own Guinness World Record, clocking a new fastest speed on a snowboard while being towed by a vehicle on the frozen lakes of St Moritz.
Barrow previously broke the same record in February 2016, when he was clocked at a speed of 99.87 km/h while being towed behind a car across the same frozen lake in St Moritz. Despite breaking the record in 2016, Barrow was always confident that an even greater speed was possible, due to the track in 2016 being slightly shorter than originally planned and the soft snow not allowing the grip needed.
This time he returned to the lake with a powerful Maserati Levante SUV, a much faster car than the one used in his last record attempt, fitted with Pirelli Scorpion Winter tyres. The special studded tyres have 474 studs per tyre and are 4 mm long to allow the best grip possible on the frozen lake.
Maserati’s luxury SUV offers an array of high-tech features including the Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive System and the recently developed EPS producing a highly capable SUV. With its variable torque control, the Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system is always active and responds immediately to any variation in the driving conditions, providing premium performance for Barrow’s Guinness World Record.
In conjunction with the Q4 Intelligent All-Wheel Drive System, EPS improves the car’s handling and comfort, better supports the driving modes, and enables the newly-introduced active ADAS functions. The advanced technology allowed the Levante to perform on the frozen lake surface, without losing the razor-sharp steering feel expected of any Maserati.
With the record attempt taking place on a frozen lake, safety and preparation were a major factor when planning the project. The track was closed, fenced off and piste-bashers groomed the snow especially for the Guinness World Record attempt.
Strict criteria had to be met for the record to meet Guinness World Record guidelines. These included completing a timed run in both directions with specialist recording equipment, set at 100m by a Guinness World Records official. With 400m needed either side so that the Maserati Levante could accelerate and slow down safely on the snow, a total run of approximately 900m was prepared.
On the morning of Monday 19th February, the very first out run was recorded at 151.57 km/h. Due to the Guinness World Record stipulations, a return run back was recorded at 147.72 km/h. The two runs were then averaged to give the final Guinness World Record speed of 149.65 km/h.
