Sam Sunderland attempts world record circumnavigation
Words NZ Autocar | Images Red Bull
Two-time Dakar Rally Champion, Sam Sunderland, is attempting become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle. He hopes to break the current record of 19 days, 8 hours, and 25 minutes set by Kevin and Julia Sanders in 2002.
Sunderland will need to ride nearly 1600 kilometres daily for 19 days. That’s more than the length of the North Island every single day.
During the attempt he will take in 15 countries, five continents, and cross all the world’s time zones. His mount is a Triumph 1200 Rally Explorer and the journey kicks off in September.
Commenting on the impending attempt, Sunderland said: “I know this challenge will test me to the core – physically and mentally.” But he is used to long rides, with two Dakar rally wins under his belt. However, this will be harder.
“There’ll be days when I’m out there for 15 or 16 hours in the cold and rain, heat and humidity, fighting the wind, battling exhaustion, and the mental fatigue. This, plus jetlag, and crazy time zones – it’s going to be brutal.”
Sam is expected to cross 13 time zones during his journey.
The six-stage global adventure starts in London, and then he travels across Europe en route to Turkey. From there he rides into the heart of the Middle East, from Jeddah Saudi Arabia to Dubai in UAE.
Next, it’s a plane ride to the remote outback of Australia and then onward to New Zealand. From there, he’ll head north to tackle the vast terrains of the USA and Canada. His path then leads to Morocco, into Africa before looping back into Europe through southern Spain and the sprint home to the UK.
The time he’s trying to beat excludes ocean crossings, during which the official clock is paused.
The total journey is expected to take around 30 days. His attempt must be continuous and follow a single direction around the globe. It must also start and finish at the same location, touch two antipodal points (opposite sides of the globe) and cover a minimum of 29,000 kilometres. And it all has to be done on the same machine.
