In doing so, he set the record for that vehicle category, according to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the international governing body of motor sports. The 32ft (9.75m) Hydromax car, engineered by British manufacturer JCB, used engines adapted from those used in the company’s machinery, mixing pressurised hydrogen gas with air and igniting it to create bursts of power. The new record easily surpassed the previous hydrogen combustion world record of 185.5mph. It did, however, beat the land-speed record for a diesel-powered car – 350.092mph – which he set at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2006. The low-friction surface and dry desert air are conducive to speed and have attracted drivers since the first race there in 1914.