Nobody can say that we South Africans don’t know how to enjoy the outdoor life, and when we hitch up our caravans we don’t hang around. Eugene Herbert proved that this week when he set the Guinness World Record for towing a standard caravan with a standard production vehicle, by hauling a Gypsey along at 223.881 kph behind a Mercedes Benz S600. The previous record of 205,7 kph was achieved behind a Dodge Viper GTS, and the record for modified vehicles stood at 207,38 kph.
Herbert had an earlier crack at the record last year, reaching 174 kph in a Mercedes ML 500 with a Jurgens Fleetline hitched to its towbar. The venue used was too short, so the new record was set at Hoedspruit, which offered a 3km runway.