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World record drive kicks off in Chantilly, Herndon
A world-record attempt to use as little fuel as possible while driving through every contiguous state in America kicked off in Chantilly last week.Australian adventurers John and Helen Taylor are attempting to break the current world record for lowest fuel consumption on a drive across the 48 contiguous United States that began on Wednesday, Sept. 3.
According to Guinness World Records, the current record for lowest fuel consumption for a nationwide drive is 51.8 miles per gallon.
The Taylors already hold 80 world driving records, including 40 economy fuel records. They previously set a Guinness World Record for driving around the world on only 24 tanks of fuel while in a Volkswagen Golf in 2006.
This time, kicking off their more than 8,000-mile drive from a Chantilly Shell station, they will be behind the wheel of a manual six-speed diesel Volswagen Jetta TDI, and will be using Shell gasoline for the entire trip.
The Taylors will employ several fuel-saving techniques on their world record attempt but will have to adhere to strict Guinness World Record rules and regulations, including having to drive a minimum of 15 miles in every state and stopping at 12 official check-ins along the way.
They will drive a counter-clockwise route across the country that is expected to end in West Virginia on Sept. 26.
"This is only a 24-day trip," John Taylor said of the attempt. "When we did our 78-day world tour together, we did not have one argument, did not use one swear word and got a world record to boot. I hope for the same this go-around"
Helen Taylor said she became interested in fuel economy when she had a far-away job interview in her native Australia and only had 72 cents to buy gas for the trip. "I drove economically and got the job," she said. "That's how I got started."
John Taylor, also a native Australian, is a cancer survivor. He said his bout with the grim reaper made him "want to live life to the maximum." He met his wife at a Great Britain world record event and hired her for his team. "It eventually became cheaper for me to marry her than to pay her wages," he joked at the flag-off ceremony at Volkswagen headquarters in Herndon.
Through their Web site, the Taylors will be sharing details from the trip. For more information and regular reports from the road, go to www.fuelacademy.com.
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