A NEW world speed record for a car travelling on two wheels has been set by a Finnish stunt driver in a BMW 330.

Vesa Kivimaki clocked 115.74mph in his record breaking run along the runway at Seinajoki Airport in the south west of Finland.

It beat the previous record set 19 years ago by Swedish driver Goran Eliason who managed to achieve 112.62mph.

To complete the record run Kivimaki teamed up with Finnish tyre company Nokian which specialises in heavy duty tyres and has created a new super-strong sidewall technology.

The BMW 330 diesel was modified to pump out 400bhp and the tyres are reinforced with aramid fibres which are also used by the military to make bullet-proof vests.

Nokian already holds the world record for the fastest car on ice which it set in 2012 achieving 208.6mph with an Audi RS6.

"We need to try new things and test our limits, " said Matti Morri, Nokian's technical customer services manager. "Finding out how the tyre structures perform at the outer limits allows us to develop safer, more durable tyres."

Kivimaki, who is part of the Crazy Drivers stunt team, said: "When driving on two wheels, you can easily reach 150 kilometres per hour (94mph) momentarily on any high-quality tyres.

"Increasing the speed beyond this and maintaining it, however, requires a lot more from the car and the tyres. Tyre sidewall wear is at a completely different level at speeds of 180 to 190 kilometres per hour (112.5 to 118.7mph)."

The 41-year-old driver now says he has his sights set on breaking the 200kph (125mph) barrier on two wheels.