The RAC and Audi have set a new Guinness World Record for the most countries driven through on a single tank of fuel. After setting off from Maastricht in the Netherlands, an unmodified Audi A6 TDI Ultra was driven through 14 countries in a journey that clocked up 1,158.9 miles (1,865.1 km) and took nearly 28 hours.
The drivers for the record attempt, motoring journalist Andrew Frankel and racing driver Rebecca Jackson, left Maastricht at at 9:48 am (GMT) on Tuesday, June 9, and finally came to a standstill at 12:44 pm (GMT) yesterday in Hungary.
Frankel and Jackson traveled through Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. The route had been planned by the RAC to avoid built-up and congested areas and mountains. There were diversions along the way, however, due to heavy traffic and a closed tunnel, resulting in an unplanned mountain detour.
"The last few miles of the record attempt were nail-biting as the A6 Ultra’s computer was reading 'zero miles' with 16 miles (26 km) to go to reach Hungary to make it 14 countries," explains trip coordinator Simon Williams.
Nonetheless, the A6 TDI Ultra made it through using a mix of technological efficiency, prudent driving and careful route-planning. Low rolling resistance tires contributed to the success, as did ensuring optimal tire pressures during driver changes.
Source: RAC, Record Road Trip
