Apparently you can set a world record in autonomous snow plowing now

And that's exactly what Valtra and Nokian Tyres just did.

It happened in Finland, the breeding ground to some of the greatest snow-driving rally aces of all time. Like the guy you see in this video, Marcus Grönholm, who is a two-time WRC champion.

But, you see, his annoying 22-year-old son, Niclas, is distracted. He's not doing his job. He's supposed to be navigating for his old man, but he's playing on his smartphone like most millennials. 

But LOLs, he's actually monitoring the autonomous progress of the Valtra snow plow tractor, which is blistering as it smushes its way over the snowy course, hitting a top speed of 73.171km/h. Apparently that's a world record. Shame the acting isn't quite as earth-shattering as the result.

If you want all the nitty gritty detail, the tractor is the Valtra T254 Versa (winner of Tractor of the Year 2018, if you don't mind), and for this feat it was fitted with Nokian Hakkapeliitta TRI tyres. There was no driver on board, and this PR stunt was clearly to show what's possible in the world of autonomous tractoring.

The Valtra T254 Versa: winner of Tractor of the Year 2018.

Marcus Grönholm and his son Niclas.

This PR stunt was clearly to show what's possible in the world of autonomous tractoring.

"We are seeing growing demand for new technologies that help increase efficiency and that integrate with existing business systems," said Mikko Lehikoinen, marketing director of Valtra EME. The company says that interest is growing in autonomous solutions for agriculture and road machinery, and this kind of proves that the tech is getting better. Well, it's getting better at driving tractors fast, anyway. 

Oh, and this isn't the only world record held by these jokers. Juha Kankkunen drove a Valtra tractor on Nokian tyres on ice at 130.165km/h in 2015. Those Finns really know how to live.

What would you like to see a world record for? Let us know in the comments section below.