With the help of titanium shoes and a slightly modified Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX, motorcycle stunt rider Jonny Davies added another Guinness World Record to his list of achievements in what is one of the most exciting events featured in the compilation.
For his third Guinness record, Davies, also known as JD Stunts, sent the Ninja screaming down a runway at Elvington Airport in Yorkshire, England, before sliding off the back of the bike and grabbing onto a specially-made rear grab rail. He then used a modified thumb-controlled throttle to accelerate the bike to an impressive 159.522 mph (256.725 km/h), enough to surpass the previous record for a man being dragged by a motorcycle. That record was set in 1999 by Liverpool's Gary Rothewell, who reached a speed of 156.3 mph (251.54 km/h) behind the bike.
Davies sped along behind the bike, thanks to a specially designed pair of titanium “skis” that he wore under his racing boots. The skis sparked as he rode, and the daredevil BBC accelerated so much that they even started to generate some lift.
“I felt my left foot go up so fast,” he said, “and I thought, 'I hope this breaks the record because I don't want to do this again.'”
The record-breaking attempt was actually Davies' second attempt on the track; on his first attempt he achieved an impressive, but not record-breaking, speed of 154.677 mph (248.928 km/h).
The Ninja H2 SX motorcycle he rode to set the record was supplied by Kawasaki and, beyond minor modifications to the rear throttle and handlebar, was fitted with a steering damper supplied by BG Motorsport. It also featured several crash protection mods from R&G to protect the bike in the event of an accident.
“It was great to have the support of Kawasaki UK, trusting me from the very beginning of the project and supplying a specially adapted Ninja H2SX that was the perfect tool for the job,” said Davies. “The bike passed the ultimate stability test of 159.522mph without a rider and pulled like a train, even with me dragging along the ground behind it!”
Once the new record is certified by Guinness, Davies will be able to officially add it to his other records, which include the 109 mph (174 km/h) “Fastest Motorcycle Handlebar Wheelie” in 2022 and the 10 in total with stunt driver Paul Swift for the “Most Donuts Around a Motorcycle”, also set in 2022.
You can watch all the action from the latest record-breaking event in the video below.
NEW WORLD RECORD!
Sources: MCN, Kawasaki, BBC, JD Stunts