Buggying Over 100mph !!!!

PTW Speed Buggy

Just a fun photoshopped picture of what the future of wind powered speed kite buggies may look like.

Arjen

Current World Record 133.40kmh / 82.89mph

Arjen van der Tol

Ivanpah Dry Lake Bed

2.7m Vapor

Apexx Buggy

Haans wheels

 

 

 

So 100mph+….who’s going to do it, someone will and soon.  Luk Stanek from Canada held the record, and stood alone for many years at 117.16kmh / 72.80mph.

Then along came the great Arjen van der Tol from Holland and smashed the record with a remarkable 124.00kmh / 77.05mph in 2009 at the NABX. Then in 2010 at the same event the bar was raised even higher to an incredible  133.40kmh / 82.89mph using a 2.7m Vapor and riding an Apexx Buggy with Haan wheels.

All these land mark records were broken on the Ivanpah dry lake bed 40 miles outside Las Vegas USA. This is fast becoming “The place to be to break wind powered records”.

Both were using standard buggies that anyone could buy, a Libre and an Apexx, both were using race kites, Luk on the Jo Jo’s and Arjen on the PL Vapor

Matt aka Windjammer from the UK set the fastest speed in the world on sand in 2009 with 109.59kmh / 68.10mph and Jay Taylor set 62.10mph on grass in 2011

Things are hotting up, and buggiers around the world are now starting to think the unbelievable speed of 100mph is now a realistic target. I believe 2010 will go down in buggying history as the year when buggiers started to think more about aerodynamics, more about wheels and more about the kites they are using. Kite manufacturers are using all their resorces, top designers with top pilots testing cutting edge kites, to have the tital as “The Fastest Kite” is marketing Gold.

Peter Lynn in 2010 introduced their PL Super Speed Buggy, and although very quick it failed to crack the WR on that occasion.

PL Speed Buggy 2010, Peter and Steve are the engineers that worked on the buggy design, the buggy was built by Gavin.

Steve Gurney "If our homework's correct, our machine is technically superior and nobody will be able to go as fast as us,"

The PL team from New Zealand tried their best and did indeed go very fast, but Arjen was having none of that and increased his previous WR to the speed you see today,  the team still to beat are the Dutch team.

Ozzy, Arjen and Ruudje

 

Arjen van der Tol aka fatsest Arie Holland 133.40kmh , 82.89mph using a 2.7m Vapor and riding an Apexx Buggy with Haan wheels.

Hi,

On 30th of march our team pilot Arjen van der Tol aka Fastest Arie reached a stuning speed of 133,4 km/h or 82,9 m/h, this was done on the Ivanpah dry lake at Primm, NV durig the first day of the NABX 2010.

Arie was driving a Xxtreme Apexx with special Haan wheels and the famous Peter Lynn Vapor 2.7.

We used 3 diferent GPS systems, and verified the lowest value, which was 133.4 kmh or 82.9 mph, only one GPS showed 83 mph and 134 kmh.

Good winds,

Ozzy

and not forgetting the World No2

Stephan van Bommel 118Km/h riding a MG Croozer powered by PDK Combat 3.9m

 How do you believe the 100mph record will be broken?

PTWs View.

For sure one day  the 100mph barrier will be broken, the buggies will be much more aerodynamic, special wheels and the right tyres, probably much longer and wider than what we are used to. Weight of the buggy in my opinion will not matter that much, but I still believe if you have the space a heavier buggy will be best.

I have my own theories on how the record will be broken…

The most dangerous part will be setting off

With the right conditions and space, and the right buggy, it will not be that difficult…remember you will almost be traveling down wind…just.

50+mph wind would be enough, and probably a 3m kite, like I said launching the kite and starting off will be the most dangerous, once traveling, there will be no side ways pull or very little, straight down wind to get the buggy up to around 30mph, then steer across the wind slightly to increase speed, as soon as you feel the slightest side ways movement on the buggy, head more down wind, the speed will keep increasing, with almost no side ways pull…you will need a round 3-5 square miles ideally to get, and allow for the perfect line, 1-2 miles to build the speed,and at least a mile to slow down safely, before you think about making a return run….The Ivanpah dry lake bed is around 35 square miles, with rock hard dry mud…..and flat.

I am also not convinced you will need a race kite….I believe with the right depower kite you have much more control…I remember the last time I was at BLS….Bladeaddict and myself were doing speed runs in about 25mph winds, we were not running straight lines, but more of an S shape runs, build the speed up on a reach then heading down wind, the after the run head up wind to slow down…and S shape, but we had limited space, but my point is, I was on a 4m Yakuza, Bladeaddict was on a 13m Venom…where I was at my limit with that kite size managed 57mph Bladeaddict was only on half power and hit 62mph….if we had had the space, he could easily have opened it up, remember, we are almost going downwind, trimmed out and pulled that bar all the way in….I am convinced he would have hit around 70mph that day….remember the wind speed was around 25mph…food for thought.

Another theory I have been told about is having a team of three people, one to launch the kite (about 2-3 sizes bigger than you would normally fly in those winds) and hold it on the breaks, when you are sat in the buggy ready he passes you the kite….you again set off down wind….build your speed running the perfect slightly down wind line, then at the end of the run just ditch the kite, the third member of your team would then catch the kite while you slowed down safely….

One thing for sure is you will need the biggest balls out there….without doubt, to achieve the speeds needed to break the 100mph barrier, most people would not even get out of their car let alone put a kite up, there are only a few people in the world out there with enough nerve to even attempt such a speed, and those people know who they are, I can assure you I am not one of them, I am way too old now for that.