GOTHENBURG: Volvo Trucks' The Iron Knight, driven by Boije Ovebrink, now holds the official speed records for the 500- and-1000 metre distances.
The record-breaker is custom-built apart from the engine and the series-manufactured I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission.
With an average speed of 169kph and a time of 21.29 seconds, The Iron Knight beat the international speed record for 1,000 metres from a standing start. It also beat the corresponding record for the 500-metre distance, at 131.29kph and 13.71 seconds. The record run was carried out at a closed-off test track in northern Sweden. At the time of publication, the records are being reviewed by the FIA, the international motor sport association.
With 2400 hp, 6000 Nm of torque and weighing 4.5 tonnes, The Iron Knight has a power-to-weight ratio above 0.5 hp/kg. Its mid-mounted engine is a significantly modified D13 unit with water-cooled intercooler and four turbochargers. The transmission maintains torque delivery during gear changes. Apart from a reinforced clutch (the discs and pressure plates are made of a sintered material), The Iron Knight uses the same gearbox that is fitted to series-manufactured Volvo FH trucks.
Electronics were kept to a minimum to lower the vehicle's weight and the software had been re-programmed to permit the high performance. The cab, made of fibreglass, was aerodynamically optimised with side-skirts having large air intakes to supply the engine with cooling air. During the record runs, The Iron Knight reached a top speed of 276kph.
"Specialists from several different Volvo Trucks departments worked closely together to develop a truck with unsurpassed performance. Apart from Volvo Trucks' powertrain, which is the heart and soul of The Iron Knight, we've hand-built the truck from the ground up. The fact that we succeeded in securing not just one record but two is absolutely amazing," said Olof Johansson, a technician at Volvo Trucks.
Behind the wheel is Ovebrink who has more than 30 years' experience of both car and truck racing. He has previously beaten five speed records and in 1994 was European Truck Racing Champion.
"This shows that our I-Shift Dual Clutch transmission has enormous potential and that it does not let you down under extreme conditions. The fact that the world record-breaker uses the very same gearbox that is found in our series-built FH trucks is something that we're really proud of," says Claes Nilsson, President and CEO of Volvo Trucks.
