Watch this Clare man break the motorbike sand speed record
Irishman James Toft is on cloud nine this week and with good reason.
The motorbike enthusiast smashed the world record for the fastest time ever recorded on sand in his class.
The amazing footage captures just how fast James was going, reaching a speed of 169mph.
However, James didn’t even start biking until just over seven years ago but his childhood was filled with tales about the racing legends like Malcolm Campbell.
“One of my earliest memories is speeding along in the car with my grandad and from then I just knew that I loved speed and from then the journey started,” James revealed.
James decided to pay a visit to the iconic Pendine sands in Wales - a venue used for car and motorcycle races throughout the decades.
It was here, in this place that he had heard so much about growing up, that he decided to tackle the record-breaking challenge.
Climbing aboard his Suzuki Hayabusa in the modified 1350 gas class, James never would’ve guessed that his first ever time riding on sand would result in him beating the old world record of 162mph.
James hasn’t forgotten his family and friends though, adding how without them he wouldn’t have achieved the world record.
“If I didn’t have my wife Imogene, my brother Phil and my best mates, Packie and Fergal, over with me in Pendine I don’t know if this even would’ve been possible.”
However, world record or not, James is still moving onwards and upwards and aims to reach the 170mph next year.
“I can’t describe it but the feeling of going that fast, the adrenaline, the taste in your mouth, it’s got me hooked.”
Safe to say, James has got no excuse anymore to be late to anything ever again.
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