Jeep Trackhawk sets 257km/h ice record

The Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk has set a new record for SUVs driven on ice, at the 2019 leg of the annual Speed Days of the Baikal Ice Motor Sports Festival in Russia.

Adjudicated by the Russian Automobile Federation (RAF) using timekeeping equipment approved by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the powerful SUV achieved an average speed of 257km/h over a 1km proving ground. The maximum speed during the record run, according to GPS trackers, was a staggering 280km/h.

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The slippery feat was achieved with the assistance of the Jeep's Quadra-Trac on-demand four-wheel-drive system, which harnessed the 530kW of the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 beneath its hood.

On normal surfaces Jeep's most powerful SUV should blitz to 100km/h from standstill in just 3.7 seconds and reach a top speed of 290km/h.

The rules dictate that a set of timing gates needs to be passed in both directions for judges to measure the average result.

The Speed Days on the Baikal Ice festival were first held in 2011. Over eight years, more than 20 speed records have been set on the Baikal ice in different categories of vehicles.