Drive around Australia

Outstanding Performance Under Extreme Conditions
Drive Around Australia (DAA) was one of the most exciting things Mobil 1™ had done in Asia Pacific and we are proud of the results! During the drive we called in at selected Holden dealers, Repco stores, schools and other great events like the Deni Ute Muster. We completed 38,999 km, visited 371 towns, broke a world record and met lots of interesting people.
 
We have put together a couple of videos describing the Drive. Featuring former HRT champion driver Mark Skaife, you can select either a three minute (4.96MB) or a thirty second (772KB) version.
 
Travel 37,000km without an oil change
The Drive Around Australia (DAA) project was based on the amazing Drive Around the World journey. The plan was to drive a HSV Z Series Maloo R8 Ute (the Worlds Fastest Ute) 37,000 km on all kinds of roads using Mobil 1 in the engine, without a single oil change. The car's engine was sealed at the start by the Royal Automobile Club Victoria (RACV) and evaluated for condition at the completion of the journey to highlight the superior protection of Mobil 1.
 
The Maloo began its journey on May 12th, 2006 in Melbourne and endured a challenging 6 month trek around Australia. The Drive culminated in a triumphant finale at the Bathurst 1000 in October 2006 where, in front of the RPM TV cameras, the National Roads and Motorists' Association (NRMA) supervised the inspection of the top end of the mighty LS2 engine.
 
In laboratory tests, Mobil 1's SuperSyn Anti-Wear Technology keeps engines performing like new, even after 340,000 kilometres. But the real test is in the real world. DAA was a real-world demonstration of the outstanding protection offered by Mobil 1 when operating in extreme conditions, on highways, back roads, mountains, deserts and stop-go in peak hour.
 
These are the same conditions that ordinary motorists may face on a daily basis. This enables Mobil 1 to differentiate itself from all other engine oils by demonstrating superior engine protection. As you see from the results, Mobil 1 lived up its promise - providing outstanding protection under extreme conditions.
 
The performance reserve of Mobil 1 under all conditions is impressive. That's why we put the oil through its paces in all kinds of conditions. Cold starts, hot running, dusty conditions and peak hour traffic are just some of the conditions the Maloo experienced in its travels around this wide brown land. But that's not all. In addition to these everyday conditions, we wanted to put the oil to the test at the top of its performance range. At the Woomera test facility in outback South Australia on May 26th 2006, Holden Racing Team champion Mark Skaife led the Maloo over the flying kilometre to set a new Guinness World Record for the world's fastest production utility.
 
Note: The Drive Around Australia was being performed under controlled conditions. Regular oil sampling and oil filter changes at intervals recommended by manufacturers meant that we kept track of how the oil was performing. Unless you have access to an oil sampling program that will alert you when a change of oil is necessary, we recommend a change of oil and oil filter at intervals recommended by manufacturers. The world record run was conducted by experts on closed roads under carefully controlled and supervised conditions, with the full sanction of the authorities concerned. Mobil does not endorse excessive speed or reckless behaviour.
Mark Skaife at Woomera
Red Car
Oil filter cap
Inside view
Maloo's LHS view

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