The new Jaguar XE 300 SPORT has made its debut by setting a unique lap record. The special edition sports saloon became the first car to complete a flying lap of the world’s longest artificial outdoor ice circuit, at Flevonice in the Netherlands - but it had to beat a Winter Olympic gold medallist skater to set the fastest time.

After anchoring Hungary to gold in the 5,000m relay at the 2018 Winter Olympics, speed skater Shaolin Sándor Liu set a tough benchmark, negotiating the track at Flevonice Sports and Funpark in 4 minutes 4 seconds.

To give the icy time trial an extra edge, Shaolin’s girlfriend – Team GB skater Elise Christie – was part of team Jaguar. With Elise in the passenger seat, the XE 300 SPORT took full advantage of Jaguar’s advanced all-wheel drive and sophisticated traction technologies to maintain its composure. Jaguar Stability Development Leader Sean Haughey lapped the track in 3 minutes 3 seconds at an average speed of 36mph.