Two-time Dakar Rally Champion and Red Bull athlete Sam Sunderland has begun his extraordinary attempt to set a new world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by motorcycle, on Triumph’s Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer.
The Red Bull athlete will ride the Tiger more than 18,000 miles across five continents, averaging close to 1,000 miles each day and spending up to 17 hours a day in the saddle. The official record that Sunderland is attempting to beat – 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes of riding time – has stood unbeaten for more than two decades.
Sunderland’s six-leg route begins today in London before heading to Istanbul, followed by a section through Southeast Asia from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur. He will then cross Australia from Perth to Sydney, ride the length of New Zealand and tackle the longest section of the journey across North America, from Vancouver to Montreal. The final leg will take him from Casablanca back to London. Throughout the journey Sunderland will pass some of the world’s most iconic landmarks, including the Bonneville Salt Flats, and traverse the treacherous Australian outback.
The scale of the challenge places exceptional demands on both rider and motorcycle. Sunderland will encounter changing climates, unfamiliar roads, extreme temperatures and widely varying terrain, while managing fatigue, border crossings and multiple time zones with up to six long-haul transfers.
The official clock is paused during ocean crossings, but under the rules of the record, Sunderland and his Tiger must complete the entire riding route together, travel in a single direction, touch two antipodal points and be completed on the same motorcycle. Sunderland expects to spend around 17 hours riding on some days, with the cumulative effects of sleep deprivation, jet lag and mental fatigue becoming increasingly important as the journey progresses.
“One of the toughest parts of this challenge for me is definitely the miles that we have to cover,” Sunderland says. “I’m going to be riding for 17 hours a day, back to back, over many days. I feel like that accumulation’s going to build up and it’s definitely going to be tough.”
Nick Bell, Chief Marketing Officer, Triumph Motorcycles added: “The scale of Sam’s Red Bull challenge is extraordinary. Covering more than 18,000 miles across five continents in less than 19 days will place huge demands on both rider and motorcycle, which makes the Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer the natural choice for this attempt, and Sam has what it takes to succeed.”
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