 On 4 April 2006, John and Helen Taylor will drive into London, and draw to a halt after 78 intense days of driving as the Shell Fuel Economy World Record Challenge comes to an end. As they switch the engine off, after one of the most gruelling attempts, they will have a Guinness World Record to their name together with Shell: for the most fuel efficient circumnavigation of the world ever undertaken in a standard car, completed using only 24 tanks of Shell petrol/gasoline with the new Fuel Economy Formula The Taylors left on 17 January, and they return having covered 18,001 miles/ 28,970 kms, across 25 countries, in 78 days of driving. But the most significant number of all is this: they have done so using just 344 gallons(US measure)/287 gallons(European)/ 1303 litres of fuel. Which means they’ve averaged 52.3 miles per gallon(US measure)/ 62.7 miles per gallon (Europe measure)/ 22.2 kms per litre – a surprising and phenomenal performance considering the official VW figures over the combined cycle (a combination of urban and extra-urban cycles) for the VW Golf FSI1.6 is 40.4 mpg (imp) or 7.0 lt/100km (14.3 km/lt). During the journey they’ve encountered every extreme of temperature, climate and terrain - from minus 15 degrees Centigrade/5 degrees Fahrenheit in Macedonia to plus 46 degrees Centigrade/114 degrees Fahrenheit in the Australian outback; through hail, tropical storms, cyclones, torrential downpours, snow, ice and flood; in the teeth of roaring gales; across plains, mountains, and rutted miles of pitted tracks. However, despite these intense conditions, the record was achieved through a combination of the innovative new Shell Fuel Economy Formula and fuel efficient/Fuel Stretch driving practices. They’ve been welcomed by ministers of state, entertained by dancing camels, rap artists, and Maori warriors. They met monkeys in India, speedy "tuk tuk" (motorized rickshaw) drivers in Bangkok, and they’ve been feted by the public and media cameras alike wherever they’ve travelled. They’ve encountered a variety of beautiful and iconic backdrops along the way: from Lake Lucerne in Switzerland to the snowy mountains of Czech Republic, the Sydney Opera House in Australia to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA. John Taylor says “Getting this trip together was the realisation of a great ambition for Helen and myself. It’s been the trip of a lifetime – absolutely unforgettable. A true technical challenge for the fuel, and a real test of endurance for all the team involved. I am so proud to have set the record with Shell”. John and Helen shared the driving time around the world and claim countless memorable experiences, but say they are glad to be back in the U.K. with the Guinness World Record in hand. Helen Taylor comments “It’s a tremendous thrill to be back, having travelled so far … and on so little fuel. This has been a fantastic team effort.” “We are committed to delivering better fuels around the world and have been working for a long time now to develop fuels which address motorists’ needs for greater fuel economy, and are specifically designed to take drivers further,” explains Roger Cracknell, Shell Fuel Economist. “This venture gave us the perfect platform to subject our latest lab work to the ultimate road test. That they’ve come in at such a incredibly low number of tanks is testament to the new Shell Fuel Economy Formula, and to the principles of fuel efficient/Fuel Stretch driving - that Shell has improved with the help of the Taylors. We’re deeply proud of what the achievement represents for the Taylors and our newest formula”. For Shell, the end of this adventure reflects their commitment to customers, literally the day after achieving the record Shell will start to launch the new Shell Fuel Economy Formula to drivers in a number of countries around the world. Shell spokesperson Nick Allen, Global Head of Fuels and Forecourt, comments “In the spirit of the Taylors’ accomplishment, we’re looking forward to helping everyday drivers around the world to achieve greater fuel efficiency no matter where they live or what they drive -- setting their own personal records.”
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