A Farm Tractor Just Set A Record At An F1 Track

Finland's Valtra T236 posts a 3:36.4 lap and 54 mph peak at the Red Bull Ring, far beyond its 35 mph road-legal limit.

Valtra T Series Set Lap Record At Red Bull Ring

Photo by: Valtra

Brian Potter

By: Brian Potter

Oct 15, at 3:37am ET

Add Motor1.com as a preferred source in Google

Comment

Finnish agricultural machinery manufacturer Valtra sent a 245-horsepower tractor around a Formula 1 circuit, and the stopwatch did not lie. A sixth-generation T Series machine lapped Austria's Red Bull Ring in 3:36.4, hitting 54 mph on the main straight.

Red Bull Racing independently verified the speed, according to Valtra. The run, first reported by The Drive, turns a piece of farm equipment into an unlikely track star for a day.

Valtra Tractor Sets A 3:36.4 Lap At The Red Bull Ring

Valtra T Series at Red Bull Ring

Valtra T Series At Red Bull Ring

Photo by: Valtra

The tractor covered the circuit's 2.7-mile layout in 216.4 seconds. That is a full lap of the same track where Formula 1 cars, MotoGP bikes, and GT3 racers have chased records for over a decade. Just at a dramatically different pace.

Power for the new T236 road tractor comes from an AGCO Power CORE75 engine, a 7.5-liter six-cylinder diesel rated at 245 horsepower and up to 873 pound-feet of torque. That is the top output in Valtra's new sixth-generation T Series, a 170- to 245-hp lineup customers can order from October 1 with first deliveries due by the end of 2026.

Nokian Tyres filmed the attempt alongside Valtra, and the footage shows a speed-gun reading confirming the top-end number as the tractor crossed the line. Valtra describes the Red Bull Ring machine as a sixth-generation T Series tractor prepared for the attempt with setup tailored to run at high speed on a sealed, closed circuit.

None of this resembles how a T236 spends its actual working life. The lap exists to show what the drivetrain can do under controlled conditions.

54 MPH On The Main Straight

That 54 mph peak arrived on the circuit's main straight, the one stretch of track built for sustained acceleration. For comparison, Valtra's own lineup tops out at 35 mph on the fastest road-approved version, depending on model and regional certification.

What do you think?

View

Comments

That gap is significant. Nobody will see a T236 doing highway speeds on a public road. The Red Bull Ring result reflects a stripped-down test scenario with modified settings, not a configuration buyers can order or legally drive outside a closed course.

Valtra paired the stunt with a more grounded demonstration by running the sixth-generation T Series tractor towing a Väderstad Tempo 12-row seed planter in a working field. There, it reached 25 mph, considerably slower than its track run, while maintaining better than 95 percent planting accuracy.

More Broken Records:

Honda Revisits Its 241.428-MPH Lap Record In New Docuseries

Audi EV Sets Guinness Record With 831 Miles On A Single Charge

Praga Bohema Smashes Pagani's Spa Record

Hydrogen JCB Hydromax Crushes FIA World Record With 406.320 MPH

Source: Valtra via The Drive

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motor1.com?

Take our 3 minute survey.

- The Motor1.com Team

Share this Story