The Continental-supported Challenge4 team led by Rainer Zietlow set a new record in the TDI-Panamericana Challenge, completing the 16,000-mile endurance journey in only 11 days, 17 hours and 22 minutes – all on one set of tires.
Armed with Continental CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology tires, the 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel SUV left Ushuaia, Argentina, on June 2 and reached Deadhorse, Alaska, early on July 14, breaking the world record. The non-stop journey passed through 14 countries and varying terrain and conditions, including snow, sand, rain, mud, off-road and highway.
Zietlow, an off-road racer, and his Challenge4 teammates Carlos Fernandez and Marius Biela switched off driving throughout the journey, making no stops to sleep.
"This is an extremely proud day for Continental," said Travis Roffler, Continental Tire the Americas director of marketing. "We knew our tires were up to the challenge, but this great success confirms what we’ve known all along – our tires are the best. This was a debut event for the CrossContact LX20 with EcoPlus Technology and it proves to our engineers who have worked so hard to perfect this tire that it’s been a true success.”
The Challenge4 team will now embark on a road show through all of the Americas and Europe on July 31, during which they will visit CTA offices in Canada, South Carolina, Mexico City and Sao Paul, and plants in Mt. Vernon, Mexico, and Camacari, Brazil.
