Tanner Foust Breaks Record: Fastest Street-Legal Minivan
Tanner Foust drove a Weistec and OPTIMA-powered Mercedes-Benz R63 AMG — packing a Stage 2 M156 Supercharger and 700 horsepower — to a record-breaking 165.5 mph, earning the title of Fastest Street-Legal Minivan. The record attempt took place at the Sandhills Open Road Challenge in Arnold, Nebraska.
by Weistec Engineering
Weistec Engineering and Optima Batteries set the record of the Fastest Street-Legal Minivan. OPTIMA PowerPro Ambassador addition Tanner Foust drove a Mercedes Benz R63 AMG, powered by a Stage 2 M156 Supercharger producting 700 Horsepower, for a standing 1-mile stretch to the title of the Fastest Street-Legal Minivan on August 7th. Foust drove the minivan to a record speed of 165.5mph.
"I've raced in all types of car, but never a minivan. I can't wait to get out there and prove that minivans can burn some serious rubber too," said Foust, a four-time X Games gold medalist for RallyCross and Gymkhana, and a two-time Formula Drift champion. "I'm bringing my full book of dad jokes for this ride!"
The attempt at the title for the Fastest Street Legal Minivan will take place this year at the Sandhills Open Road Challenge 1-mile Shootout on August 7th. The Sandhills is a remote location that also includes a 55-mile rally-style open road race through the scenic sandhills in Arnold, Neb.
"We can't wait to see if this minivan, powered by Weistec and OPTIMA Batteries, has got what it takes to make the new record for the Fastest Street-Legal Minivan. It's been a big year for OPTIMA and to further showcase all the power our products have on the performance of your vehicles with this latest example in the new record-breaking minivan attempt," says Cam Douglass, Director of Marketing, OPTIMA Batteries, Clarios.
In addition to attempting the title, OPTIMA Batteries will be hosting two Ride Shotgun winners, a promotion that offered enthusiasts a once-in-a-lifetime chance to "Ride Shotgun" with their racing heroes. Two lucky winners will get to ride out their experience the weekend of the Sandhills Open Road Challenge. Winners were announced last year at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas.
The Ride Shotgun winner, Skip Reagan, will be traveling from Texas to ride shotgun with OPTIMA PowerPro Ambassador Mike Weiss. Weiss leads his California-based Weistec Engineering team in Mercedes-Benz research, development, and design to break records and set high performance standards.
The events at Sandhills come amidst OPTIMA's new website launch and the release of OPTIMA's H7 battery later this year. 2020 hasn't slowed OPTIMA Batteries down.
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The exact upgrade behind the 700 HP powering this record-breaking minivan. Full forced-induction system for the M156 6.2L V8.
A lower-cost entry point into forced induction for the M156, with a clear path to Stage 2 later.
The calibration every supercharged M156 needs to run safely and make the most of the added boost.