Driving a Bentley at 200 MPH, on Ice

"Now I will be the most scared I have been since we started the project," says Juha Kankkunen. The four-time World Rally Champion clambers into the Bentley's passenger seat in the middle of the frozen Baltic Sea. We're only 60 miles south of the Arctic Circle, with Finland to the east and Sweden to the west.

I buckle up the six-point harness, adjust my HANS device and flick open my visor. This specially tuned Continental Supersports convertible is about to become the world's fastest ice-skate. Juha's here for an attempt on the Guinness World Speed Record on ice, and I'm about to sample his charge.

Hitting the Ice
I engage 1st gear and slip out onto the purpose-built track. Even with all-wheel drive, the traction is comically bad. You have to cajole the throttle like you might a reluctant child. In the real world this car will do zero to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, whereas here it might take 3.9 minutes.

Tweaks to the 6.0-liter W12 have increased output from 630 horsepower to "around 650," which is 600 more than you need when it's 31 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. It's powered by E85 ethanol, which is more potent than traditional gasoline, and the rev limiter's been raised to allow a higher top speed. There's a full roll cage, subtle spoilers front and rear, special wheel covers and a parachute that will only be used in an emergency.

First gear is hopeless so I short-shift to 2nd and start to gain some momentum. The ice is more than 2 feet thick and covered in a dusting of snow, which makes it hard to read. Roll cage or not, I've no wish to hit the snowbanks. At best we'd smash up the car. At worst, we'd be pitched into a terrifying barrel roll. I once set a world record for driving blindfolded at 155 mph. Scary for sure, but at least I had grip.

The Bentley's moving around on the bumps and I'm making tiny corrections to the wheel. The ice's natural camber is also throwing us to the left and right. Kankkunen admits he's brushed the snowbanks on a couple of runs. "You must be gentle with the throttle," he shouts through his full-face helmet. "If not the car will slide." Well, that's comforting.

It's a Slippery Sucker
Doing 200 mph on a test track in this car is easy, but this is different. This is unnerving. I'm not convinced I'm fully in control. It feels more like sledding than driving. It's fast and fun but I can't really steer and I'm not quite sure how I'm going to stop.

It's ridiculous, but it's a hell of a rush. The speedo needle swings past 100 and then 120 mph as I grab 4th gear. Now the adrenaline's flowing and I'm starting to feel the rhythm of the ice. We're skating together — the Bentley, Kankkunen and I — across a frozen sea at more than 2 miles a minute.

I hit 150 mph, then my bottle runs out. This is Kankkunen's toy, not mine and I don't want to break it. "You only really use the brakes below about 200 km/h [125 mph]," says my co-driver. As I press the middle pedal, it's not hard to see why. The rear end squirms and I have to apply a correction. The antilock braking system tries to help but it's all but useless. It takes miles to stop.

Swapping Seats
We reach the end of the run and swap seats. The original "Flying Finn" is incredibly laid-back. "I have been driving on ice since I was 7 years old," he says. "This is what I know." His test runs have regularly exceeded 200 mph.

During practice, telemetry revealed that Kankkunen held a constant slide for over 2 miles at 190 mph.

This is Kankkunen's second assault on the record. Back in 2006 his friend Kari Makela concocted a plan to break the existing record of 184.14 mph, set by a Bugatti EB110 in 1995. To succeed, they'd have to complete a flying kilometer in opposite directions. "It was a crazy idea," says Kankkunen, "so of course I said I'd do it."

The duo contacted Bentley, borrowed a Continental GT coupe and set a new record of 199.86 mph in March 2007. "It was a huge achievement, but we knew Juha wanted to average 200 mph," says Ash Mason, Bentley's special project engineer. "There was unfinished business."

Four years later and with a new model to push, Bentley is back on the ice. The choice of a 5,115-pound behemoth typically found in the hands of L.A. agents might seem odd, but there was some logic at work. "The ice is rough so air suspension is very important," says Kankkunen. "The weight of the car stops it moving around too much and of course, you have to have four-wheel drive."

The original record car used studded tires that cut deep into the ice. This time, though, Kankkunen must make do with normal winter tires. "Studs might have offered more grip, but there's also more rolling resistance and that affects the top speed," reckons Makela, who's in constant radio contact with the driver. The Pirelli Sotto Zero II 275/40R20 tires are rated to 200 mph in normal conditions, but ice is different. Mason admits they're "taking a step into the unknown."

Trusting the Finn
With less ultimate grip, the team must rely on Kankkunen's otherworldly car control. In a practice run, the telemetry revealed he held a constant slide for over 2 miles at 190 mph. "The control is not a problem," says the coolest driver on the planet, "but every slide costs momentum and a few mph." In practice, Kankkunen has already raised the record to 205.48 mph, but now he's trying to go even faster. The team reckons a 208 mph average is possible...maybe.

It's all about working the margins. Even the temperature makes a difference. If it warms up a few degrees, the air density will diminish, the car's aerodynamics will improve and the humidity of the ice will change, offering more grip. The difference could be crucial.

The track is about 98 feet wide and is carved into the frozen wasteland normally known as the Baltic Sea. In the summer, the nearby city of Oulu is a beach resort, but if you're swimming in these temperatures you're in big trouble. Using snowplows the team carefully constructed a 10.3-mile track, only for it to be destroyed in a freak snowstorm. They built another, but it's not exactly straight. A subtle kink means the driver must change direction at 190 mph. "I think maybe they had one vodka too many," says Kankkunen.

My drive has thrown the rally star's efforts into sharper focus. The difference between 150 mph and 200 mph in these conditions is colossal. "At 200 mph you are travelling almost 90 meters [295 feet] a second so you have to look ahead, read the ice and then decide how you're going to react," he says.

The Finn might now be on the high side of 50, but he hasn't lost his mojo. I sit next to him as we hit 160, 170 and then 180 mph. He's making big corrections to the wheel, rotating it left and right through what must be 50 degrees. It's amazing to watch. Kankkunen admits he's experienced serious wheelspin at over 190 mph, so throttle control is everything. Below our feet, you can hear the tires doing battle with the ice. They're just barely hanging on.

He gently lifts off, lets the car's natural momentum subside and then leans on the middle pedal, stopping us neatly in front of the makeshift pits. He takes off his helmet with the air of a man who's been for a casual Sunday drive. I ask if he ever gets scared in a car. "No, never."

Going for the Record
I clamber out and stand on the sidelines as Kankkunen completes more practice runs. A huge digital display shows the average speed across the kilometer. The timing beacons were borrowed from the Finnish Traffic Police and then verified by the man from the Guinness Book of Records.

It flashes up 321 km/h (200 mph) as the Bentley blasts past. At these speeds on ice it produces what sounds like a sonic boom, followed by a huge rooster tail of misty snow. The team stands transfixed by the track, watching first the car and then the clock. One of those watching is Derek Bell. The five-time Le Mans winner and Miami resident is now a Bentley ambassador and is here to lend his experience and keep us entertained. "It's such a different thing," he says. "I'm just not used to a car moving around like that. In racing we correct the car as soon as it steps out of line. But in rallying you're happy to go with the slide. This is Juha's world, not mine."

Kankkunen completes a couple more runs and returns to the pits. He's not happy. The temperature's too low, the ice is too hard and the track's deteriorating. In these conditions, there's no hope of bettering the 205-mph average achieved earlier in the week.

There's a slight sense of anticlimax, but it's still mission accomplished. Kankkunen has topped 200 mph on ice and Bentley will celebrate by launching its "most powerful model ever" at the 2011 Geneva Auto Show.

As a stunt to launch a new car, the ice world record is undeniably silly, but it would be wrong to demean the skill, commitment and sheer bravery of those involved. Kankkunen might have spent his entire life driving on ice, but this is still an epic achievement. The "Flying Finn" is now an honorary "Bentley Boy."