An Australian couple that owns a Guinness Book record for getting best fuel mileage in a long-distance trip fueled up in Concord on Thursday as part of their attempt to break a record in a similar trip around the U.S. It’s too late to say hello, however - they’ve already made it to Ohio. (Here’s their Facebook page.)

John and Helen Taylor struck out from Chantilly, Virginia on Wednesday for a 23-day, 8,000-mile loop around the lower 48 states, trying to break the Guiness World Record for the lowest fuel consumption on a trip around the U.S.

The current record stands at 51.8 mpg. They’re driving a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, which has an EPA rating of only 40 mpg highway, but the Taylors think their experience with super-efficient driving will let them beat the record. In 2006, they set a record driving around the globe in a Volkswagen Golf on only 24 tanks of gas.

Tags: hypermiling