Double Dakar winner Sunderland chasing round the world record
He has raced across Saudi deserts, been slowed by gun-toting soldiers in Morocco and stood alone at the pinnacle of Dubai's half-mile high Burj Khalifa, but says this latest adventure may top them all.
The bid, launched on Thursday, targets a record of 19 days, eight hours and 25 minutes set in 2002 by Kevin and Julia Sanders for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by motorcycle.
To beat the feat, which is no longer recognised by Guinness World Records because of the dangers involved, the 36-year-old will have to ride 1,000 miles every day and on public roads across Europe, Turkey and into the Middle East.
A flight will take him on to the Australian outback, New Zealand and the Americas. From there, he and the Triumph Tiger 1200 go to Morocco and loop back through Europe to Britain.
What could possibly go wrong?
"I don't think you can ride around the world and cover that many miles a day without having a few hiccups along the way," Sunderland told Reuters with a grin.
"When I try and compare it to the Dakar it's going to be probably, in some sense, tougher. Not physically but mentally.
"In the Dakar you've got a heap of adrenaline, you're super focused, things are changing quite often which makes you have to react. And this is like: 'Right, those are your miles for the day, get them done'. It's more like a mental fatigue."
ONE DIRECTION
The target time excludes ocean crossings but the journey, starting in September, must go one way around the world and start and finish at the same location on the same machine.
Two antipodal points must be reached on a journey through more than 15 countries and 13 time zones. The Dakar rally covers 5,000 miles over two weeks.
"I was trying to put it into perspective for my mum the other day, and my mum lives in Poole in the south of England, and I was like 'Mum, it's like you driving up to Scotland and perhaps halfway back every day for 19 days'," said Sunderland.
"I'm on the bike for around 17 hours (a day). I set off at 5 a.m. and arrive around 10, 11 p.m. most nights. So definitely later into the day you feel that sort of mental fatigue setting in, and to stay focused and stimulated is not that easy.
"But at least I don't have dunes and mountains to deal with and other riders in the dust, and hopefully not getting lost either."
Dakar competitors, who now race entirely in Saudi Arabia, are also unlikely to get stopped for speeding or become delayed by traffic congestion.
"I need to behave, let's say, I need to follow the rules of the road and be a good boy with it," said Sunderland, who announced his retirement from professional racing last year.
Sunderland will have a support crew of six travelling behind by car, for security and assistance, but the Red Bull-backed rider expects to be well ahead.
He also hopes his bid will have a positive effect.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
2 hours ago
- CNA
Sailing-France edge rivals in thriller to win SailGP Germany
SASSNITZ, Germany :France secured their first SailGP victory of the year as Quentin Delapierre's team won the Germany Sail Grand Prix on Sunday, edging a nail-biting three-boat duel on the calm waters of Sassnitz. In a gripping finale that came down to the final metres, France kept their composure to edge out Australia and Britain, who finished second and third respectively. The French combined bold tactics with precision, sustaining their foiling speed while their opponents struggled to keep pace in Sail GP's thrilling fifth season. "It's an amazing feeling," said Delapierre, who picked up his first event win since the third season. "It's been a while since we won a Grand Prix - it's a super nice feeling. It was super shifty out there but we just enjoyed it. "It was super good fun; a good game playing with the shifts and the pressure. It will be a good memory." Flawless execution proved decisive as the race boiled down to who could stay on the foils, with France crossing first to lift the SailGP Germany title. Dylan Fletcher's Britain crew were forced out of race four in Sassnitz on Saturday after a collision with the U.S. team but returned to the start line following overnight repairs. Brazil missed the race after Friday's collision with France, which sent Delapierre to hospital for checks and disrupted their preparations for the Grand Prix. Australia lead the overall championship table level on 61 points with New Zealand. Britain are third with 58 points. The next round is in Saint-Tropez from September 12-13.
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
Newcastle sign midfielder Ramsey from Villa
Newcastle United have signed midfielder Jacob Ramsey from fellow Premier League club Aston Villa on a long-term contract, both clubs said on Sunday. Newcastle are expected to pay about 40 million pounds ($54.20 million) for the 24-year-old on a five-year deal, according to English media, though no fee or details were officially disclosed. The 2023 England Under-21 European Championship winner Ramsey will wear the No. 41 shirt for his new club. "His qualities will bring us something different on the pitch and he fits the profile of being young and hungry to develop, but also with a wealth of Premier League football under his belt," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said in a press release. ($1 = 0.7380 pounds)
CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
'Reborn' Marquez redefines MotoGP dominance as seventh title beckons
As Marc Marquez rolled back the years with a sixth straight win with a commanding victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, a six-times champion fittingly winning the 1,000th premier class race in history, the question on everyone's lips is who can beat him? Marquez had never won at the Red Bull Ring before, a track where he has been beaten to the chequered flag three times before by a gleaming red Ducati when he was collecting championships aboard the once-dominant Honda. But history does not bother Marquez, who reached a nadir after four surgeries on a broken arm, double vision and several broken bones between 2020 and 2023, before earning another shot at championship glory with a belated move to Ducati. "I always lost against red bikes... But now I'm riding that red bike," Marquez said on Thursday, a warning to the rest of the grid that he meant business on MotoGP's return from the summer break. Despite starting on the second row after a qualifying crash, there was an air of inevitability and a cool determination, with Marquez not even locking eyes with his old rival Valentino Rossi when they walked past each other in the pit lane. The feud has been simmering for years but even as Rossi sought to impart wisdom to his VR46 Academy protege and pole sitter Marco Bezzecchi, the Aprilia rider could not deny Marquez his first win at the Red Bull Ring. For 19 laps, Bezzecchi had clear air in front of him but Marquez stayed on his rear wheel, eventually slicing under him on turn one and though the Italian fought back gamely, Marquez had found another gear on degrading tyres - as he always does. 'I AM REBORN' With nine rounds to go and an eye-watering 142 points separating Marquez from his second-placed brother Alex, a seventh title already looks like a formality which would place him alongside Rossi in the pantheon of motorcycling greats. "I am reborn, I was 21 years old (when I won six in a row in 2014), now I'm older, I'm 32," Marquez told TNT Sports. "I'm just happy because from where we've come, it's something amazing, I just want to enjoy it and keep smiling." While Marquez marches on, other champions on the grid have faded away, none more so than his teammate Francesco Bagnaia. Twice champion Bagnaia was Ducati's poster boy and he was undefeated in Austria for three years, but now there is a new sheriff in town. The Italian has not yet come to terms with the new Ducati machinery to sit 197 points behind Marquez, while reigning champion Jorge Martin is nowhere close to competing on the Aprilia, the team that took him in after Ducati's snub. OLD GUARD Many riders have also complained about the technology aboard the thundering machines hindering their riding style, but Marquez has made speeding at over 300 km/hr look more like a question of attitude than the engineering. "The older generation still know what it's like to find grip, still know what it's like to ride ahead of the electronics," twice MotoGP champion Casey Stoner said. "Whereas the current generation, all they've known is: let the engineers set it up, you twist the throttle, the ride height device automatically goes down - there's nothing really manual about it. "Marc still has an idea of where the grip level should be, and so he's riding in front of that, he's predicting what's going to be happening. He's able to rely on those electronics and find pace that nobody else can."
