From hospital bed to 200mph in 18 months
ZEF EISENBERG became the first man to break the 200mph barrier on sand on a motorbike when he recorded a top speed of 201.572mph at Pendine Sands in Wales yesterday.
His triumph comes just over 18 months after breaking the land-speed record for a turbine bike at Elvington in Yorkshire, which resulted in him crashing at more than 230mph, and being hospitalised for more than three months.
Mr Eisenberg attempted to break the 200mph barrier on sand last year, but his attempt was cut short by bad weather.
‘What can I say? I’m elated,’ said the founder of sports nutrition brand Maximuscle.
‘My team and I knew that if the conditions were right and our custom-made bike performed as it should then we’d have a chance of breaking what has long been described as the “holy grail” of sand-speed racing records.
‘I can’t thank my friends, family and team enough for their support.
‘It’s hard to contemplate how a little over 18 months ago I was lying in intensive care after narrowly surviving a near-death racing accident to this.
‘I definitely prefer breaking records to breaking bones, particularly when that record is achieved on one of the world’s most eminent off-tarmac racing venues on the planet.
His record achievement comes as a result of months of preparation at his workshop in Guernsey, where he is supported by a dedicated engineering team, who designed, altered and prepared his Madmax-supercharged ‘Green Monster’ Hayabusa bike to command high speeds on sand.
Racing quickly on sand is notoriously difficult, and very different to racing on Tarmac. That is because at higher speeds it is possible for the bike to lose grip or dig the front wheel into the sand and throw riders.
n Pendine Sands has a heritage of famous record-breaking racing. The beach has hosted record-breaking attempts since the 1900s.
The first person to use Pendine Sands for a world land-speed record attempt was Malcolm Campbell.
In 1924 he set a world land speed record of 146mph on Pendine Sands in his car Bluebird.
Enthusiasts and professionals have used the beach for record-breaking ever since.
Serial record-breaker Mr Eisenberg holds several existing records, including the world’s fastest turbine bike (234mph), the world’s fastest turbine-powered ‘streetfighter’ (upright bars, no fairings, 231.6mph), and the UK’s fastest no-fairing ‘naked’ bike (225.6mph).
