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 A blind father of two has claimed a new world land speed
record by reaching 167.32mph in a specially-made BMW M5.
Mike Newman, 43, from Sale, Cheshire, was hoping to become the first
blind person to break the 200mph barrier. But he ran out of room on the
track at Elvington Airfield, near York, and had to settle for breaking
his previous record of 144mph. (see Dowbrigade
‘03 article)
He said: "Hopefully I have raised awareness ahead of World Sight
Day and shown that you can achieve anything you want."
Event organisers said the record was set after the average speed was
taken from two runs.
Mr Newman hoped to break the 200mph barrier but was thwarted as he ran
out of room on the track. He said: "It has been a wonderful day."
The record has to be officially confirmed by the Guinness Book of World
Records. John Galloway, who helped organise the record attempt, said: "This
is a marvellous achievement.Mike drove totally unassisted. It is a fantastic
achievement and has been one of the most emotional days of my life."
from Ananova
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