Brown Clocks 162.579 mph in Kenworth T2000 Highway Hauler To Set World Land Speed Record

22 October 1999

Brown Clocks 162.579 mph in Kenworth T2000 Highway Hauler To Set World Land Speed Record

    KIRKLAND, Wash.--(BW SportsWire)--Oct. 21, 1999--A Kenworth T2000 highway hauler driven by Glenn Brown averaged 162.579 mph over two runs to set a new world land speed record for a heavy duty truck during this week's 1999 World Finals at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats.
    Brown, who is chairman and president of Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) in Joplin, Mo., clocked 162.665 mph in his first run, then returned with a nearly identical speed of 162.494 mph in the second run.
    Under the rules, a competitor must make two consecutive runs which average more than the current mark to establish a record. Brown's two runs averaged nearly 15 miles per hour faster than the previous Highway Hauler classification standard of 147.696 miles per hour set by George Neilsen in 1995.
    A Kenworth Truck Company and Contract Freighters Inc. (CFI) team supported Brown's record effort in now the world's fastest highway hauler, a 1999 Kenworth T2000 with 60-inch sleeper nicknamed "Red Racer - Flat Out". The Kenworth and CFI team competed in August at Bonneville, but narrowly missed the record.
    "It was a learning process for us the first time. We came so close that there was absolutely no doubt we'd be back to try again," said Brown, who was happy to finally surpass the record. "We came back with a lot of confidence and knocked the record right off."
    Brown was especially pleased by the performance of the T2000 highway hauler. "The T2000 performed flawlessly," he said. "It was amazing how very stable and controllable the truck ran at high speed. It was like going to the grocery store."
    Highway Hauler class vehicles come closest to a stock truck. This category is for diesel-powered trucks that weigh 14,500 pounds or more, have a fifth wheel pad mounted in the original location, and are capable of hauling freight. A stock cab, fitted with both driver and passenger seats, must be used and mounted in the original location with respect to the chassis.
    The Kenworth and CFI T2000 entry features a Cummins K-series engine with 2,200 horsepower and dual turbochargers, Bridgestone airplane tires made for the Boeing 737, a special racing fuel cell, and mandatory roll cage in the cab. The truck is equipped with parachutes to help bring it to a stop.
    The World Finals are sponsored by the Southern California Timing Association and Bonneville Nationals, Inc.
    CFI, an international truckload carrier based in Joplin, Mo., is Kenworth's largest customer. The company operates 2,000 tractors and 6,000 trailers and transports a variety of goods throughout the contiguous United States and Canada.
    Kenworth Truck Company, a division of PACCAR Inc, is a leading manufacturer of heavy and medium duty trucks. Kenworth's Internet home page is at www.kenworth.com/kw.