Thursday, November 20, 2014

  Fastest digger: JCB GT breaks Guinness World Records' record (VIDEO)

SYDNEY, Australia -- The powerful JCB digger has been crowned the fastest digger on earth after reaching speeds of more than 70 miles an hour at Bathurst, near Sydney; JCB Demonstration Driver Matthew Lucas, 43 - nicknamed 'The Dig' during the attempt - was the man who steered the JCB GT to set the world record for the Fastest backhoe loader (digger), according to the World Record Academy: www.worldrecordacademy.com/ .

  Photo: The JCB GT has been crowned the fastest digger on earth after reaching a speed of 72.58 mph (116.82km/h) at Bathurst, near Sydney. Photo: JCB
( enlarge photo )

The Guinness World Records' record for the fastest speed achieved by a backhoe loader (digger) is 116.82 km/h (72.59 mph), in the JCB GT driven by Matthew Lucas (UK) at Bathurst Airport, New South Wales, Australia, on 21 October 2014.

  Guinness World Records also recognized the world record for the longest journey in an excavator; it is 5127.22 km (3,185.9 miles) and was achieved by Neil Smith (USA) on his journey from Tybee Island, Georgia to Ontario, California between 26 March and 20 April 2010.

   The latest record is not the only one that JCB's backhoe holds: the machine has been the world's biggest selling backhoe loader for 14 consecutive years. The company has made more than half a million backhoes in the past 61 years since inventing the machine in 1953.

   JCB Demonstration Driver Matthew Lucas - nicknamed 'The Dig' during the attempt - was the man who steered the JCB GT to its world record title. Matthew, 43, of Werrington, Stoke-on-Trent, said:    "It was great to be involved in such an exciting project and a real honour to be behind the wheel when we achieved the record."

    The latest JCB GT has a loader and digger end made completely out of aluminium.