FRESH from breaking a reversing world record back in July, Nissan is at it again – and this time Insider gave a helping hand.
Smashing the record for longest convoy of electric vehicles – previously at 218 – the attempt took place at the iconic Silverstone race circuit near Northampton, where Nissan managed to squeeze nearly 230 Leafs in a moving line.
It wasn’t easy – lining up such a large number of cars brings with it a number of different problems, the first of which is fitting them all on the track in the first place.
‘It’s going to be a tight fit’, Nissan briefed us. ‘We’re allowed no more than two car lengths between each car, and ideally a bit less than that – by our maths we’ll all make it on to the track with just a metre or two to spare.’
And tight it was. In car number 20, we weren’t far from the front of the lineup – and we could see the enormity of the challenge. Heading out onto the track behind 100 or so other Leafs, it became clear just how tricky the task was going to be.
As we circled around for the end of our first lap, the end of the line of cars only just made it out in front of us – which was lucky.
It was quite a sight to behold, too. It’s one thing seeing nearly 300 Leafs lined up in the pit lane, but it’s something else watching them circle one of the world’s most famous racing circuits.
We’d been told that around 20mph was the goal speed to hit but, as with any perfectly planned event, things never go quite as they’re supposed to.
In the end it was around 5-10mph with a few stop-start moments thrown in, and quite a few gaps here and there as drivers didn’t keep up with the car in front.
From where we were sitting it looked dicey – and we found ourselves desperate to know if the record had actually been broken, or if the spaces in the line-up had voided the attempt.
It’s unsurprising that there was more than a sigh of relief when it was announced, back in the conference hall, that the record had been smashed. Participants were even handed a certificate each in recognition of their help – putting the icing on the cake of an eventful day.
We were honoured to be a part of the record here at Insider, and we hope there will be more attempts to come!