What is the TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge?

Renowned adventurer and off-road driver, Rainer Zietlow, and his team will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Pan-American Highway with the ultimate endurance challenge – a fast, two-week drive from Argentina to Alaska on the longest road in the world. The team will cover 14 countries and nearly 16,000 miles in a 2011 Volkswagen Touareg TDI® Clean Diesel SUV.

VW announces TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge

Remember the time you and your friends piled into a VW and drove across the country together? Well, this is sort of like that, only with 14 countries, dense jungles, arid deserts and frigid mountain passes, all being traversed in world record time. [...]

Rainer's team approaches starting line in Ushuaia

Rainer Zeitlow agrees: there’s nothing like getting out of the city for a little weekend drive. Compared to the grueling 16,000-mile TDI-Panamericana Endurance Challenge that lies ahead of them, this 1,300-mile leg of the journey before the journey must have felt like a Sunday drive to Rainer and his team. [...]

Continued snow pushes start time back

While North America swelters through record-breaking summer temperatures, the world’s southernmost city has become a veritable winter wonderland. Sure, there are worse places to be stuck than the beautiful city of Ushuaia, Argentina, but Rainer Zietlow and his team are anxious to hit the road ... [...]

Rainer and team cover ground in South America

And they’re off! Rainer and team cover serious ground in South America It takes more than snow to stop driver extraordinaire Rainer Zietlow and his team. While it’s true that severe weather conditions delayed the kickoff of the TDI-Panamericana Challenge , the crew is now on the road ... [...]

The TDI-Panamericana Challenge hits North America

If it seems like Rainer Zietlow and team were just in South America, it’s because they were just in South America. But this event isn’t called the TDI-Panamericana Sunday Drive—it’s called the TDI-Panamericana Challenge, and these people are pushing their Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel to the limit. [...]

Rainer & team drive from Texas to Alaska in 2 days

Rainer Zietlow and team love the States. No, really. The excellent road conditions, abundance of Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel filling stations, friendly faces and lovely weather this time of year make driving their Volkswagen Touareg TDI Clean Diesel a joy. [...]

Reaching their destination ahead of schedule

What can’t Rainer Zietlow and his team do? Actually, the answer to that question may be “arrive fashionably late.” These intrepid travelers braved snowy passes, scorching summer heat and less-than-stellar road conditions to drive from Ushuaia, Argentina to Deadhorse, Alaska in a Volkswagen Touareg TDI ... [...]

16,000 miles, 14 countries, 3 people, 1 record

By now, you know that Rainer Zietlow and his team Carlos Fernandez and Marius Biela completed the TDI-Panamericana Challenge ahead of schedule. But did you know that they also set a new world record for driving the length of the Pan-American Highway? [...]

Three-man team breaks world record in a Touareg

Earlier this week, we celebrated the news that Rainer Zietlow, Carlos Fernandez and Marius Biela completed the TDI-Panamericana Challenge in world-record time, traveling nearly 16,000 miles and passing through 14 countries in under 12 days. But the team didn’t make the trip on a bicycle built for three ... [...]

 

11
17
22
00
New World Record Time
Old World Record Time: 15 Days (2006)
Total Kilometer Driven: 22.731km
Start: Ushuaia/ARG (End of Route 3) 07/13/2011
Finish: Deadhorse/AK/USA 07/02/2011
Flight: Cartagena (COL) – Panama City (PAN)
Watch all recorded live streams here.
Tour video

Final Stretch Alaska
11/09/13