Kumho Tyres and Volkswagen have teamed up with adventurers Rainer Zietlow, Marius Biela, and Aussie expedition member Brad Howe to achieve their second Guinness World Record in just two months. Their latest feat? The fastest crossing of 10 Australian deserts, covering 6412 kilometres in under a week.
10 deserts in 6 days
Driving a Kumho-equipped Volkswagen Amarok, the team pushed through some of Australia’s most challenging terrains, starting in Maree, South Australia, and crossing deserts including the Great Victoria, Simpson, and Gibson before finishing in Alice Springs. Maintaining an average of 1000 kilometres per day, the record-breaking trip put both man and machine to the ultimate test.
Despite the punishing conditions, the Kumho MT71 tyres performed with remarkable durability, suffering just one puncture during the entire journey. According to Zietlow, the puncture was caused by “a silly move from me, and I am sure no other tyre could have survived it.”
“The Kumhos were superb and gave us confidence during what was a very rapid 6400km journey across ten deserts,” Zietlow added.
Proven performance across two records
This isn’t the first time Kumho Tyres has been part of a Guinness World Record. Two months prior, Zietlow and Biela drove a Volkswagen ID.4 GTX electric SUV on Kumho HP71 EV tyres to set the record for the largest GPS drawing ever made by a Battery Electric Vehicle. Over 23,849 kilometres, the ID.4 inscribed “70 Year of VeeDub” across the Australian outback. You can read all about it here over on RVDaily.
Kumho Tyres’ director of sales and marketing, David Basha, highlighted the performance of the tyres during both record runs. “In both instances, the tyres were straight out of the rack, just as any member of the public can buy at their local tyre shop. That gives confidence to our customers that our tyres will stand up to the beating the Australian environment will throw at them,” said Basha.
Supporting partners and future plans
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Ryan Davies acknowledged the support of key partners, including Kumho, ARB, Club 4×4 Insurance, Volkswagen Financial Services, and MotoKinetic, who provided critical assistance during planning and execution.
The Amarok proved its toughness on the journey, consuming 1,199 litres of diesel and just 0.5 litres of oil over the trek. Both Amaroks carried four spare tyres, though only one puncture occurred, further showcasing the reliability of the Kumho MT71s.
Next year, Volkswagen plans to release a limited-edition Amarok model, the 10 Deserts Limited Edition, inspired by this record-breaking journey. Based on the Amarok Life model grade, this edition will be limited to just 300 units.
This achievement is a testament to the durability of Kumho Tyres and the capability of Volkswagen vehicles, pushing boundaries in off-road performance and endurance.
