Alaskans get snowmobile up to 106 mph on water

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Two Alaskan men said they beat a YouTube record by driving a modified snowmobile 106 mph over the water of the Knik River.

Rick Coffman, 29 -- who drove the snowmobile he prepared along with Anchorage Yamaha co-owner Andrew Smith, 30 -- said he reached a top speed of 106 mph while riding the modified snowmobile over the calm water of the Knik River, beating the YouTube record of 102.5 mph set by a man in Norway in August, the Anchorage Daily News reported Friday.

"For the record run I came onto shore at probably 80 mph -- just to get those extra miles an hour," Coffman said Thursday.

Coffman said the pair started with a 2008 Yamaha Nytro snowmobile and heavily modified it into a 430-horsepower vehicle.

"Basically, we beefed up the motor in order to handle the huge amount of horsepower we were going to put into it," he said. "Then we added a turbo, which basically is doubling your horsepower if not more, then the nitrous on top gave it that extra little kick. Or a lot."