A blind man has sped into the record books after driving a truck at 120 MILES AN HOUR.
Mike Newman, 53, set a world record after clocking up 120.04 miles an hour in the 5.5 tonne specially adapted racing truck.
Mike, who has been blind since birth due to glaucoma, was alone in the truck’s cabin, but received radio instructions by radio from British truck racer Dave Jenkins, who followed behind the speedster in a car.
Dad-of-two Mike, spent the morning carrying out a series of practice runs with co-drivers alongside him, but began racing on his own in the afternoon at Elvington airfield, near Pocklington, East Yorks.
Although Mike’s glaucoma meant he had to have his eyes removed when he was young, the Guinness World Record rules said he still had to wear a black-out helmet during the runs.
Before attempting the record setting run, Mike said: “I’m attempting the land-speed record in a racing lorry for the first time. I’m respectfully optimistic. Confident but not blasé.”
After the trial runs went well, Mike ploughed on to try and hit the golden 100 miles an hour target.
But his runs went better than planned as he hit a top speed of 120 miles an hour.
After his record-breaking run Mike said: “It’s a great privilege to do this, and it’s a great privilege to be surrounded by these fantastic supporters.”
Dave said: “It’s not to be underestimated, the complexity of the challenge. But it’s also so rewarding to achieve something that is so…ridiculous, in a way.”
The latest achievement is Mike’s eighth world record, seven of which are Guinness World Records, having already flown a plane, ridden a motorbike at 89mph, raced a boat at 93mph and driven a car at more than 200mph.
Mike runs the charity Speed of Sight, which organises driving days for disabled people and their families.
Gina Campbell, the women’s world water speed record holder, and daughter of Donald Campbell and granddaughter of Malcolm Campbell – both land and water speed record holders, was part of the small crowd that watched Mike smash the record from the sidelines.
She said: “It is something quite extraordinary.”
