Sam Sunderlanddouble champion of the Dakar Rally and Athlete of Red Bull, will try to become the fastest person in Circunnavar the world on Moto. The British pilot has proposed to beat the record Current 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutesestablished in 2002. To achieve its objective, Sam will have to travel the equivalent of the length of the United Kingdom every day, with An average of almost 1,600 kilometers a day for 19 days.
This resistance challenge tests both physical and mental force, since Sunderland will fight against bad weather, the conditions of the road and unknown land. He will travel more than 15 countries on the five continents, starting and finishing his trip in London, the United Kingdom.
When talking about the project, Sunderland mentions its desire to create a legacy that extends beyond the world of the Raid Rally and the offroad races and aims to inspire other people to pursue their own dreams, overcome their limits and redefine what they think is possible. “I know that this challenge will test me to the maximum, physically and mentally,” declares Sunderland.
Sam Sunderland will embark on a return to the epic world
The Dakar, the scene of the last victories of Sam, is famous for being the hardest race in the world. It develops mainly outside the asphalt and its route is around 8,000 kilometers within between 10 and 15 days.
Participants travel between 480 and 900 kilometers per day. Taking the Dakar as a reference, to break the record of the fastest global circumnavigation world, Sunderland will have to travel twice a day of kilometers a day and for more days.
Sam adds: “There will be days in which I will be running 15 or 16 hours under cold and rain, heat and humidity, fighting against wind, exhaustion and mental fatigue. This, added to the jet-lag and the jumps of the hourly zone, will be brutal”. Sam Cruce 13 different time zones is expected throughout his trip.
He concludes: “But precisely, that’s why I do it. I am passionate about the unknown, discover things on the march. I am not here just to beat a record. I want to establish a new reference, which forces the next candidate to look for life, as I am doing.”
Sunderland’s trip will begin in his native England. From there, Europe will travel towards Türkiye and then enter the heart of the Middle East, traveling about 1,900 kilometers from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates. After a long transfer, the expedition continues through the inner remote of Australia and the impressive landscapes of New Zealand. From there, he will return to the northern hemisphere to explore the vast territories of the United States and Canada.
Subsequently, the route will take him to Morocco, his gateway to Africa, before returning to Europe in southern Spain and, finally, undertake his return home, to the United Kingdom. Sam’s challenge will remain faithful to the record parameters established twenty years ago. Under these conditions, the time you try to beat excludes the ocean crossings, during which the official stopwatch will be in pause.
To complicate it more, the Sunderland trip must be continuous and follow a single direction around the world. You must start and finish in the same place, touch two antipodes (diametrically opposite places on Earth) and travel a minimum of 29,000 kilometers. All this must do so at the controls of the same motorcycle: a Triumph 1200 Rally Explorer.
Paul StribuCommercial director of Triumph Motorcycles, says: “We are facing a huge challenge for Sam and the Red Bull team trying to beat a record that has remained intact for more than twenty years. The determination and concentration of Sam will live up to the performance, as well as the capabilities of the Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer, the ideal motorcycle for such an epic adventure. We wish you much success in this trip around the world.”
The record that Sam plans to beat was established by the British Kevin and Julia Sanders, who hold the official title of Guinness World Records. Upon knowing the feat, Kevin Sanders commented: “The records are to break. We did it more than twenty years ago and Sam will face new challenges compared to those of that time.”
The Sanders have collaborated in Sam’s feat sharing information about their route and the necessary parameters to achieve a true circumnavigation. These have said: “As professionals from the motorcycle world, it is always exciting to see other pilots assume new challenges or overcome the ancients. We really want to see how Sam does.”
Sam starts his trip in September. To follow Sam’s challenge you can visit the official Red Bull website.
