Nine of the best motoring-based world records

Red Bull Racing showed Kwik-Fit garages everywhere how it was done with a 1.92-second pit stop at the American Grand Prix in 2013 – a far cry from the Ricciardo shambles at the recent Monaco Grand Prix.

Sadly, Top Gear's 2014 actual, real-life Guinness World Record - where fearless former staffer Piers Ward managed a then record-breaking 116mph at the IDIADA Proving Ground in Spain on a 109bhp Honda mower - has been beaten.

The fastest lawnmower record now stands with Per-Kristian Lundefaret's mower, which achieved a heady top speed of 133.57mph (214.967 kmh) at Torp Sandefjord Airfield, Vestfold, Norway, on 5 November 2015. Blast.

This badge of honour belongs to Michele Pilia, who in 2009 drove his E30 BMW 316i on two wheels constantly for 230 miles at Sant’Elia Stadium, Cagliari, Italy. Why on earth he didn’t just buy a motorbike and be done with it we’ll never know.

The Nissan Leaf is probably not a car you thought would feature in a “world’s fastest” round-up. But, in 2012, stunt-junkie Terry Grant drove one up the Goodwood hill in 1min 37secs, backwards, claiming the record for the fastest car driven in reverse over a measured mile.

If you thought that skid you did in Sainsbury’s car park last week was impressive, it wasn’t. Especially when compared to Masato Kawabata’s benchmark 190mph drift in a modified, 1,361bhp Nissan GT-R. The definition of fast and loose.

In October 2014, Mazda put three 2.2-litre Mazda6 diesels on the Papenburg test track, where they spent 24 hours being driven at an average speed of 137mph. Probably the most boring record when you’re setting it, but it’s reassuring for Mazda’s durability.

One hundred feet long, ten tonnes, in need of two V8s for motive power and two drivers to give it a chance of being drivable, Jay Ohrberg’s American Dream limo still wasn’t road-legal. But who needs roads when you’ve got a helipad on the boot?

Mini suggests the Cooper is a four-seater, but it appears it’s been pessimistic. In 2012, a total of 28 gymnasts managed to fit into a Cooper at the same time. 27 fitted in a classic Mini, proving that progress has been made in passenger accommodation.

Mike Kunz is not without sensibilities when it comes to driving a car on the back axle for a record-breaking 2,504ft. He had a viewing screen installed in his car’s floorpan to maintain visibility when riding on rear wheels alone. Very astute.