On September 22, 2003 Kevin and Julia Sanders rode into Ushuiaia on the southern tip of Argentina, 35 days after leaving Deadhorse in Alaska. The British couple had covered 16,974 miles in 35 days, setting a new Guinness World Record and knocking 12 days off the previous record in the process.
They founded GlobeBusters the following year, to help other riders enjoy overland expeditions on a motorcycle, and in 2005 led their first Trans-Americas tour. This July, 20 years after their record-breaking ride, Kevin and Julia set off leading a total of 40 riders on this challenge, the largest and most diverse group to date, from as far afield as Australia, Canada and South Africa. And, to make the anniversary really special, they are joined by Kevin's son, Rhys Lawrey, himself a double Guinness World Record Holder (Youngest Person to Circumnavigate the World by Motorcycle, and Most Consecutive Capital Cities Visited by Motorcycle), who will be the support van driver and tour manager. We'll be covering the anniversary ride in the next four issues of MSL, but first let's look at the route, and that initial recordbreaking ride...
The Record
Guinness World Records set out very strict rules to ensure that all records are verifiable and repeatable. In the case of Trans-Americas, the journey must start at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, and finish in Ushuaia, Argentina. You are allowed to fly over the Darién Gap that connects North and South America, because there is no road through it, but the clock continues to run. As well as maintaining a log book, signed daily by witnesses, the same rider must ride the same bike throughout, without any traffic offences (GWR can't be seen to encourage speeding).
This story is from the October 2023 edition of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
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This story is from the October 2023 edition of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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