308 km by VW Up! in Reverse Gear
The night between 20-21 July, 2012, Vitoldas Milius, the automotive journalist, expert of economic and safe driving, well-known enthusiast of long and extreme car trips, overcame yet another challenge: he drove a standard VW Up! car in reverse gear for 8 hours 50 minutes on a racing track and, having covered as many as 103 track circles of extremely complicated configuration, drove 308 km.
He aimed to register a Lithuanian record of driving in reverse gear: a representative of the Lithuanian record agency, Factum, watched the drive among other spectators. V. Milius’ driving in reverse gear is unique because a totally standard (technically unmodified) car was driven in a very complex 8-formed track – at night.
Collecting information about world records of driving in reverse gear, no data was found on similar attempts; therefore, an application is to be submitted for registering a world record in the Guinness Book of Records.
The record was achieved during the largest automotive sports event in the Baltic States, Omnitel 1 000 km Race. V. Milius started driving late at night after qualifying races and other competitions on the track. In the morning, the drive was discontinued due to track preparation for races, when the traffic became quite intense.
The only technical improvement of the car were special spotlights fixed on the roof at the back of the car as the drive took place in the dark (there’s no lighting on the track) and the rare spotlights of the car couldn’t assure visibility.
About the track: Palanga race track is equipped especially for 1 000 km Race taking place in summer. The lap is formed of highway A13 (Klaipėda – Palanga – Šventoji) and A11 (Šiauliai – Kuršėnai – Telšiai – Plungė – Kretinga – Palanga) sections and a viaduct connecting them. It is an 8-form track, separated into two parts by a bridge. The ~3 km length lap of the 8-form track has two sharp 180° left turns; one fast 90° curve leading up a hill; a long 270° slope down and an S-form turn in front of the run-in. These turns are connected by two very straight stretches (highway A13), at the ends of which temporary breaking zones are equipped for safety reasons, where cars have to take sharp turns; they are formed from fibreglass blocks and are able to absorb hits; there is also an average-length stretch (highway A11) and a short section under the bridge.
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Several outstanding trips of Vitoldas Milius: 15-04-2009 – 09-05-2009: EX USSR; 15/26-04-2010: Lisbon – Vladivostok (15 200 km within a record-beating time); 6/9-07-2011: ecotrip around the Baltic Sea; 15/17-11-2011: Nordkapp – Tarifa (record – 52 h 20 min.).
Photo (in the light): Algimantas Brazaitis