A twin-turbo Ford GT has set the standing mile world record of 257.7 mph (414 km/h) at the Texas Mile high speed event in Beeville this past weekend.

Held at the Chase Field Industrial Complex, the Ford GT owned by Mark Heidaker and driven by Sean Kennedy was 4.6 mph faster than the runner up. The record setting run was conducted during cool conditions early Sunday morning.

The record-setting car is purpose-built for high-speed runs. The stock 5.4-liter V-8 has been replaced by an Accufab Racing engine, force-fed by a pair of Precision Turbochargers. Tuning was handled by Shane Tecklenburg of Tuned By Shane T, and Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) made the whole package work in harmony.

Kevin Kesterson of HPE said, "I knew when I saw 204 mph come up on the scoreboard at the half mile, that it was on."

Tecklenberg added: "We knew the car had it in it. Our task was simply to figure out a way to apply the power in the right places. Using the GPS system with the MoTeC we are able to map out a power management scheme which allows us to extract the maximum acceleration from the car at any given point on the course. I consult with many teams in all levels of motorsport worldwide and these guys are as dedicated as any I have worked with."

Conditions permitting, the team hopes to break the 260 mph barrier during the next Texas Mile event in late October.