Record Attempt Will Cover Almost 29,000 Kilometres Across 16 Countries and Five Continents in Under 20 Days.
Two-time Dakar Rally bike champion Sam Sunderland aims to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle when he sets off from London on September 5.
Riding a Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer, he will need to cover almost 29,000 kilometres across 16 countries and five continents in less than 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes to complete his quest.
Here is all you need to know:
– Briton Sunderland won the Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest off-road race, for the first time in 2017 while riding for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. He followed it up with another Dakar victory in 2022 and claimed the inaugural FIM World Rally-Raid title that same year before retiring from competitive racing in 2024.
– His first attempt at this record was postponed after he broke his back during training; however, after months of rehabilitation, the 37-year-old is feeling strong and ready to take on the challenge.
– He revealed: “Breaking my back reinforced why I want to do this. Challenges don’t always happen when everything is perfect, they’re about how you respond when things don’t go your way.”
– Sunderland needs to ride further than the length of the UK every day, departing from London across Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and North Africa before returning home to London.
– He will battle changing weather conditions, unfamiliar roads, physical exhaustion, and the mental strain of spending up to 16 hours a day in the seat. He will ride a Triumph equipped with Michelin Anakee Road tyres and a large 30-litre fuel tank, with any urgent maintenance relying on Triumph’s global network of dealerships and aftersales facilities.
– The remarkable record has stood since 2002, when fellow Britons Kevin and Julia Sanders set the current benchmark, but Sunderland hopes to inspire others to pursue adventures of their own, overcome setbacks and push past the limits of what they think is possible.
– Kevin and Julia Sanders have supported his feat by providing insight into their journey and the parameters required to make a true circumnavigation.
– Kevin said: “Records are meant to be broken. We did this more than 20 years ago. Sam’s going to face a whole set of new challenges compared to back then. We’re really keen to see how Sam does.”
– The demanding six-leg route heads to Istanbul first, then Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur. From there, he will cross the Australian outback from Perth to Sydney before riding the entire length of New Zealand.
– Sunderland will then tackle the longest section of the journey across North America, from Vancouver to Montreal, before completing the final leg from Casablanca, Morocco, back to London.
– Along the way, he will take in iconic landmarks such as the Bonneville Salt Flats while also navigating up to six long-haul transfers, multiple time zones and the unrelenting pressure of racing against the clock as he attempts to touch two antipodal points – locations on opposite sides of the Earth.
– Sunderland said: “I know exactly how difficult this is going to be. This isn’t just about riding a motorcycle. It’s about managing sleep deprivation, making decisions when you’re exhausted, adapting to whatever the road throws at you, and continuing to move forward every single day.”
