At 11 45, Simon left Town W for Town X, driving at a speed of 64 km/h. At 12 45, Tom also left Town W for Town X driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 16 45, both of them passed a playground that was 128 km away from Town X. How many minutes earlier did Tom reach Town X than Simon?

Distance that Simon travelled
= 5 x 64
= 320 km

Distance between Town W and Town X
= 320 + 128
= 448 km

Since Tom passed the playground at the same time as Simon, it means that Tom travelled 320 km in 4 hours.

Tom's speed during the journey
= 320 ÷ 4
= 80 km/h

Duration that Tom took to reach Town X after passing the playground
= 128 ÷ 80
= 1.6 h

Duration that Simon took to reach Town X after passing the playground
= 128 ÷ 64
= 2 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town X
= 2 - 1.6
= 0.4 h

1 h = 60 min
0.4 h = 0.4 x 60 = 24 min

Tom reached Town X 24 minutes earlier than Simon.

Answer(s): 24 min