Most car enthusiasts have dreamt about driving a car more than 200 miles per hour or setting a world record for speed, but Mike Newman, 52, from the U.K. can actually claim he’s done both. And, oh yeah, he’s blind. Aiming to best his own previous blind land speed record and make it even harder for others to claim the title from him.
To do so, the former bank manager acquired a Nissan GT-R, which was tuned by Litchfield. This car is said to produce 1,200 hp (894 kW), but it has also received upgrades such as a beefier transmission, carbon fiber body panels and a full roll cage with racing seats and harnesses. Since Newman was alone in the car, this record run actually necessitated a second similar GT-R to be used as a chase vehicle, which gave him radio commands as to his position on the runway.
In order to break the record, Newman used the Elvington Airfield and its 1.8-mile (2.9 km) runway where he was required to perform back to back runs. At the end of the two runs, his speed was averaged to a new record of 200.9 mph (323.2 km/h) besting his previous record set last year at 186 mph (299.3 km/h) in a Porsche 911.
Aside from the bragging rights, Newman keeps breaking the blind land speed record in order to promote the organization, Speed of Sight. This charity makes it possible for people with disabilities to experience the thrill of driving a car around a race track. In addition to land speed records, the Speed of Sight website also says Newman has set a water speed record as well as a flying record, in 2011, for performing the most acrobatic vertical loops (aka, loop-the-loops). To watch him set the land speed record yet again, check out the video posted below.
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