The UK’s motorcycle stunt champion, Jonny Davies, is gearing up for a Guinness World Record attempt where he aims to ‘ski’ behind a motorcycle at over 160 mph later this summer.
The 32-year old from Peterlee, County Durham, already has two world records under his belt. His first came in 2020 after setting the ‘fastest motorcycle handlebar wheelie’, sitting on top of the bike’s bars at 109 mph whilst pulling a wheelie. This was followed in 2022 by the ‘most donuts (spins) by a car around a motorcycle performing a wheelie in one minute’ when Jonny and Paul Swift achieved 10 at The British Motor Show that year.
The current record of ‘Fastest speed dragged behind a motorcycle’ was set in 1999 by Gary Rothwell of Liverpool, who reached a speed of 156.3mph at Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicester. Jonny – aka JD Stunts – will be looking to raise that bar even further and has even enlisted the help of his hero, Rothwell.
In order to break the record, Davies will ride a specially modified Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX – a bike known for its incredible speed and stability. On a yet to be announced runway later this summer, Jonny will accelerate the bike and then climb off the back of it. Fitted to his motorcycle boots are specially made titanium ‘skis’ that produce incredible sparks but little grip. On the specially adapted bike, Jonny will have a secondary throttle to accelerate up to speed.
In order for the record to count, nobody other than Jonny can be on the motorcycle and once he achieves his terminal speed he then needs to get safely back on and get the bike stopped.
Jonny Davies said: “Growing up in the 90’s, Gary Rothwell was one of the main inspirations for me wanting to become a stunt rider. I can remember watching the video of Gary breaking the record as a kid and then getting on my bicycle to try it! I’d never have thought that 25 years later I’d be having a go for real. The record attempt is unlike anything I’ve done before, but early testing has been going well and I’m confident there will be a new record later this year.”
The final date and location will be confirmed in due course and Jonny will continue to update his website with his progress. Visit jdstunts.com for further information.