Volvo Trucks‘ The Iron Knight is the world‘s fastest truck – twice over – beating the speed record in the standing-start 500- and 1000-metre categories.

The Iron Knight, driven by Boije Ovebrink, now holds the official speed records for the 500- and-1000 metre distances. Ovebrink 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.

“Volvo Trucks‘ The Iron Knight can be summarised in one single word: perfection,” said Ovebrink. “It‘s beautiful to look at and is an unparalleled powerhouse when you floor the accelerator. This is the third record-breaking truck I‘ve driven, and I can‘t think of a better follow-up to Wild Viking and Mean Green.”

With an average speed of 169 km/h and a time of 21.29 seconds, The Iron Knight beat the international speed record for 1000 metres from a standing start. It also beat the corresponding record for the 500-metre distance, at 131.29 km/h 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.

The runs were carried out at Skellefteå Drive Center a former airfield in northern Sweden. The speed record was monitored and approved by the international motor sport association, the FIA. The truck covered the distance in both directions. Based on these two runs, the average time and speed were calculated. The record result that the FIA presents is the average speed of the two runs.

Volvo Trucks‘ previous record-breaking trucks were ‘The Wild Viking‘ (1600hp), which in 2007 beat the world record for the standing-start 0-1000 m distance, with an average speed of 158.8 km/h. In 2010 the record for the same distance was beaten by ‘NH D16‘ (1800hp) which reached an average speed of 166.7 km/h. In 2011 the hybrid truck ‘Mean Green‘ (1800hp diesel engine plus a 300hp electric motor) set new records for 0-500 and 0-1000 metres from a standing start, at an average speed of 115.3 km/h and 152.2 km/h respectively. In 2012 ‘Mean Green‘ took on the 1000-metre flying-start category and set a new record with an average speed of 236.6 km/h.

See the world record runs CLICK HERE