Going for a World Record #2

Going for a Guinness World Record is never easy, especially a Marathon/Endurance record over the span of 24hrs. It takes a tremendous amount of personal sacrifice, training, dedication and an unparalleled drive to succeed. Under my guidance as his coach/instructor and with a personal friend, Andrew Jordan, providing the professional medical supervision, Matthew Hayley is going for such a record. Specifically the longest distance set for indoor gokarting in 24hrs (individual). Currently the record is 733.6km and we’re aiming to smash it.

On Dec.4th, we did another 4hr test. We will have to do several of these shorter tests to find the failure points so that they can be addressed before the big day.

Some of the broken parts

Our last test was 5hrs and everything was fine. During this 4hr test…things broke. It’s to be expected though considering how fast Matt’s kart has been tuned to for these tests (the speeds he’s reaching are NOT normal and regular customers would never drive this fast). Knowing the failure points now will allow us to upgrade components that prove to be troublesome at these abnormally high speeds and higher G-Forces, as well as ensuring that certain components are brand new before we start the attempt. We will also need to be ready to repair the gokart during the record attempt. Time will not be on our side, so repairs will have to be done very quickly. Although Matt can use that time as an ‘unscheduled break’, too many mechanical failures will mean failing at getting the Record.

Damage for the day: Failed transponder, broken spindle, bent axle, broken rear sprocket, broken bumper bracket, and a blown bearing.

Giving some words of wisdom

As for Matthew…he just laughed it all off. He really is doing amazing and his stamina is remarkable. For our last test, we taped over a pound of weights to his helmet to condition and strengthen his neck. Turns out we will be adding more weight for next time because it didn’t faze him at all. I guess we will just have to push him even harder!

Matt continues to train five days a week at the track and our next big test day will be on Dec. 18th. We still need lots of volunteers to help Matt bring the record to Canada. If you’re interested in being part of this historic event, please contact me.

*Pictures of Matt provided by Rob Beintema, Courtesy of The Brampton Guardian

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