The JCB GT, now officially the fastest digger on earth, takes a bow in front of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge with driver Matthew "The Dig" Lucas after achieving the record.
Photo: Courtesy of JCB

JCB GT has been crowned the fastest backhoe loader on earth after reaching speeds of more than 70 mph in Australia. The record-breaking loader was originally designed to perform high-speed wheelies at racing events, made the attempt in front of independent record officials in Bathurst, Australia, near Sydney. Guinness World Records confirmed that the powerful JCB GT was officially the fastest backhoe loader in the world with a speed of 72.58 mph. The GT has achieved even faster undocumented speeds of 90-100 mph when operated in the U.S., thus earning its nickname, "The 100-mph Backhoe."

To celebrate the win, the JCB GT went on a tour of Sydney and took a bow for photographers in front of other world-famous icons – the Opera House and Harbour Bridge.

The latest record is not the only one that JCB's backhoe holds; the machine has been the world's top-selling backhoe loader for 14 consecutive years. Since inventing the machine in 1953, the company has manufactured more than half a million backhoes.

"The JCB GT has always been regarded as the fastest backhoe around and now it's official," said Fab Carrettin, managing director of JCB Pacific. "It's fantastic to have achieved this record, which underlines the world-class engineering, power and performance our customers demand from the JCB backhoe."

Normally based at company headquarters in Staffordshire, UK, the latest JCB GT has a loader and digger end made completely out of aluminum. It went to Australia to perform at car events, including the Deni Ute Muster in Deniliquin, NSW and the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in Bathurst, NSW. With a lightweight steel chassis and JCB Fastrac tractor rear axle, the JCB GT was originally designed to do wheelies to thrill crowds at motor racing drag strips in the USA. For more information visit www.jcb.com.