Zef speeds into record books
ZEF EISENBERG added to his speed record-breaking exploits at the weekend.
On his first pair of runs in his Porsche 911 at Pendine Sands, South Wales, on Saturday he recorded:
Fastest sand speed record ever achieved by a wheel-powered vehicle at 210.332mph.
Fastest flying quarter (one way) wheel powered record at 206.492mph
Fastest flying mile (one way) wheel powered record at 196.970mph.
Fastest flying mile (two way) 187.962mph
Only person to have achieved over 200mph on bike and car at Pendine
Only person to have achieved a flying mile record in bike and car in Britain.
Mr Eisenberg was behind the wheel of a 1200hp road legal Porsche 911 Turbo built and prepared by ES Motors and his MADMAX Race Team.
The record supersedes The Wire star Idris Elba’s ‘flying mile’ speed record (180.361mph) set at Pendine in 2015 and emulates Sir Malcolm Campbell, who first set the record at Pendine Sands in 1927 (174.8mph) in the iconic Blue Bird – a record that stood for nearly 90 years.
The Porsche was originally a standard 2014, 550hp 911 Turbo.
Mr Eisenberg's team built a 4.1-litre race engine with new internals, gearbox, clutch and drive shafts, along with an upgraded E85 fuel system and a charge cooling set-up to stop engine detonation.
To cope with the output, the PDK transmission had to be upgraded, and the suspension lifted to allow adequate ground clearance for the sand.
‘Apart from a full FIA roll cage, competition seats and safety harness, the Porsche’s interior is completely standard, as weight is actually your friend on the sand. It’s about stability – putting enough weight on the tyres to increase traction,’ he said.
‘The Porsche behaves very differently on sand than tarmac. The sand creates a lot of resistance and tyre slip.’
Pendine has an illustrious history. ‘Racers have been flocking here since the 1900s trying to set speed records. The world land speed record heroes of yesteryear like Malcolm Campbell and J.G. Parry-Thomas in the air have all raced here. It really is the holy grail of land speed.’
Last month, Mr Eisenberg also established a Flying Mile record at Pendine, racing his MADMAX 400bhp supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle. The records come less than two years since surviving Britain’s fastest-ever motorcycle crash at 230mph.
