On 3 March 2017, on a salt lake in outback South Australia, a blind man from Sydney, Australia challenged the Guinness World Record for ‘Fastest Speed for a Motorcycle Ridden Blindfolded’.
On the final day, time restrictions for access to the Lake and unprecedented rain and storm conditions during Speed Week constrained Ben Felten and his navigator Kevin Magee from reaching the goal. Felten completed his last run reaching a speed of 251.46 kph before having to retire.
The current Guinness World Record for ‘Fastest Speed for a Motorcycle Ridden Blindfolded’ is 265.33kph (164.868 mph) and continues to be held by Billy Baxter of the UK.
Felten and Magee also competed at the Dry Lakes Racers Australia Speed Week 2017, held at Lake Gairdner, South Australia.
On a positive note, on 3 March 2017, Ben Felten successfully obtained his Dry Lakes Racers Australia (DLRA) 150 mph licence.
Further, on 2 March 2017, Kevin Magee smashed the Dry Lakes Racers Australia (DLRA) record for a 1000cc production motorcycle on the Pirelli Yamaha YZF R1M at a speed of 197.455 mph (317.772 kph). The previous DLRA record was 185.682 mph (298.825 kph) set by Grant Schlein in 2013.
Ben looks forward to returning to the Lake in 2018.
