Pub. 5 2016-2017 Issue 2

14 San Diego Dealer Land Rover Carlsbad Congratulates Denise Mueller, Named World’s Fastest Paced Woman on a Bicycle By Carrie Jones, MeadsDurket As one of three extreme female sporting events in the 2016 Hoehn Adventure series, this past weekend’s Project Speed was record-breaking S an Diego, Calif. – On September 10, 2016, Denise Mueller became the first woman in history to set the paced bicycle land speed record of 147.7 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. As an official sponsor of the event, Land Rover Carlsbad provided the pace vehicle for Project Speed – a 2016 Range Rover Sport SVR, the fastest, most agile Land Rover ever. To set this world record, Mueller was towed then paced by the Range Rover Sport SVR to allow her legs to turn the enormous gear under her power. In setting land speed records, it is customary that the vehicle assists the cyclist in getting up to a speed that permits the rider to pedal under his/her own power. With the Land Rover’s supercharged 5.0-liter V8 making 550 horsepower, the vehicle is able to go from 0 – 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. It took Mueller approximately 25 seconds to ride through the one-mile timing trap at her record-breaking speed of 147.7 mph. Motor pacing records have had a long tradition in elite cycling, however, men have exclusively accomplished them. Fewer than a dozen have attempted this feat, and some have ended in near disaster. Mueller’s coach, three-time Olympic racer and cycling Hall of Famer John Howard, set the world record of 152 mph in 1985. Mueller, a 2014 and 2015 USA Cycling national champion, set out to make history as the fastest woman on a bicycle ever – and did just that. This incredible achievement would not have been possible without the Project Speed team consisting of Cyclist Denise Mueller, Coach John Howard and Pace Car Driver Shea Holbrook and Jaguar Land Rover Carlsbad. Land Rover Carlsbad coordinated the vehicle preparation. “We knew the Range Rover had the performance and speed for the event so we focused on safety modifications and specialty aerodynamic panels” said Rick Blakemore, Vehicle Manager. Racing seats and five point seat belts were installed along with a roll cage and a fire suppression system. The exhaust was modified and re-routed to eliminate any fumes from the rider’s area. Spoilers and air dams were carefully designed to enhance high speed handling and to deflect salt debris away from the rider. Driver Shea Holbrook carefully tested the vehicle at Bonneville with successive drives beginning at 90 MPH and increasing to more than