Around the world on 24 tanks of petrol

John Taylor is no stranger to setting World Records, having driven from Singapore to Genting Highlands, and back, on a single tank of petrol. John and his wife Helen have just set another record by driving around the world. In an exclusive e-mail interview with Oneshift.com, John answers some questions by Justin Lee.

OneShift Editorial Team

12 Oct 2006

1. How was the route chosen? And how much preparation was required for the drive?

For the attempt to qualify as an official Guinness record, we had to travel in one direction only, covering a distance of at least 28,970 km, but no more than the full length of the Equator. The car needs to be a standard production model and in this case we used a standard Volkswagen Golf FSI 1.6. There are eighteen other strict rules and regulations covering antipodal points, East/West co-ordinates, independent adjudication, log books, witnesses, pre-travel engineering checks, and driving times.

It took eight months to organize the complex logistics for the Shell Fuel Economy World Record Challenge in order to abide by the strict Guinness World Record Guidelines.

2. Why was a VW Golf used for the drive?

The VW Golf FSI 1.6 was used for the Shell Fuel Economy World Record Challenge because it is VW 's standard car and is representative of cars you can find on the road. The VW Golf is a widely recognized brand and one of the world's largest-selling mainstream cars – the perfect vehicle to test Shell 's new Fuel Economy Formula. By using the VW Golf car for the test, we are able to demonstrate to everyday drivers that fuel efficiency is not about what car they are driving, but really, it is about how you drive and the fuel that you use in your car. For us, the combination of the new Shell Fuel Economy Formula used together with Shell' s FuelStretch tips were critical to our success, and we believe this will also help enhance the fuel efficiency of motorists and enable them to better manage their petrol costs.

3. For long distance drives, it is often that the right ankle starts to ache - what is your solution to this problem?

We had planned rest stops along the way every three to four hours and took turns to be in the driver's seat. This is a basic safety tip and it allows us to stretch and get rid of any aches and pains.

4. Having ridden with you up from S'pore to Genting Highlands, and getting an appreciation of driving without airconditioning, what happens in cold weather? Do you still drive with the window s open?

We experienced all sorts of weather conditions on our drive. In Szeged Hungary we hit the coldest temperature, this was - 14.5 degrees. The windows were up, and we had the heater fan on low to keep the windows visually clear. We were dressed appropriately for such cold weather conditions. Safety is always our number one priority!

5. Were you able to recce the route before hand?

No, we weren't able to do this. The route was very carefully planned all the way., and then we started our Shell Fuel Economy adventure.

6. How was the driving shared? Who is the better driver?

The driving was split 50-50 between us. There really isn't a better driver between us; we have our own unique and individual driving styles.

7. How did you plan for a refuelling stop? What if there wasn't a petrol station (not to mention, a Shell one) to fill-up in?

We refueled at specific Shell stations in every country from specially transported Shell drums. The reason for the Shell drums is we were road testing the new Shell Formula petrol in the ultimate road test 'around the world'. Based on the results of this test Shell would decide whether to make changes to the formula, or alternatively launch it into the market places around the world. History now shows it was a success, and the petrol is available in the pump in Shell stations Singapore!! Depending on the distance traveled and the amount of Shell Formula petrol required, each drum had a specified amount of fuel. 10 litre, 20 litre and 50 litre drums were transported from Shell ' s Chester England headquarters to these locations in each country, which were 900 to 1200 kilometres apart.

8. Now that you have driven around the world, what is next?

Our mission is to pass our very important message to the general public around the world. That is, with the right fuel in your tank, and fuel efficient driving techniques (Shell Fuel Stretch Tips), everyone, in any car, anywhere in the world can save......in turn saving fuel, money and the environment. There is something very exciting happening in 2007, however we are not at liberty to discuss it at this stage......Please watch this space, we will be excited to share it with you and the people of Singapore!!

Follow the Taylor’s entire journey on: www.fuelchallenge.com

Credits: Justin Lee