53-Year-Old Blind Daredevil Mike Newman Makes New Guinness World Record For Driving 5.5 Ton Truck at 120mph Top Speed
53-year-old Mike Newman, who has been blind since birth due to glaucoma, has a new Guinness World Record for driving a 5.5 ton race truck at 120 miles per hour.
Newman set the record at Elvington airfiled near East York where he also conducted his practice runs.
Prior to making the attempt to set his new record, Newman told the Salford Star, "It's just constantly different and this is right up there I can promise you" he explained "We're not blasé about what we are trying to achieve, that would be very dangerous but we're hoping for in excess of 100mph. It's doable; I'm not saying it's easy but it's doable."
Newman's goal was to reach the 100mph target, Daily Star wrote Wednesday. At the event, he hit a top speed of 120.4mph, qualifying him for a new Guinness World Record.
The father-of-two is the founder of Speed of Light, a charity that gives people with disabilities driving experiences "to show them that the impossible can be possible."
"I hope we were able to raise a lot of money for our charity to enable us to do the amazing work that we do...this has given me the dream that I always wanted when I was a little boy," Newman said.
Together with the press, sponsors, supporters and family members who witnessed Newman's latest speed feat was Gina Campbell, daughter of legendary speed record break Donald Campbell.
"He's one incredible man," Campbell said. "He goes from one step to another step and each time he surpasses what he has done before. He'll have something up his sleeve for next time. It was just fantastic."
Mike Newman currently holds eight world records. Seven of them are Guinness World Records, the Yorkpress reported Tuesday.
After his record-breaking drive, Newman said, "It's a great privilege to do this, and it's a great privilege to be surrounded by these fantastic supporters."
