Record-breaking racer Zef Eisenberg and the MADMAX Race Team return to Pendine Sands, South Wales this weekend (18-19 May 2019) to attempt set the highest speed ever achieved by a wheel-powered vehicle.
Eisenberg, better known for racing motorbikes, makes a switch to four wheels in hope of hitting the 200-mph barrier and beyond in a specially built, road legal 1,200 HP Porsche 911 Turbo! The record will not only supersede The Wire star Idris Elba’s Flying-Mile speed record (180.361 mph) set at Pendine in 2015 but also emulates his hero – Sir Malcolm Campbell. He first set the record at Pendine Sands in 1927 (174.8 mph) in the iconic Blue Bird – a record that stood for nearly 90 years.
Just last month Eisenberg established a Flying-Mile record racing a 400-horsepower supercharged Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle that was built and prepared by his MADMAX Racing Team. His record comes less than two years since surviving Britain’s fastest-ever (230mph) motorcycle crash. Since then, Zef has set numerous records including an ACU sanctioned Flying Quarter-Mile, Flying-Kilometer and Flying-Mile.
Over the past 12 months the MADMAX Racing Team acquired a 550 horsepower ‘15 Porsche 911 Turbo and has been carrying out extensive research and development in preparation for the record attempt. It’s now a 1,200 HP Porsche 911 Turbo!
Eisenberg said, “Sand creates a lot of resistance and tire slip, so we had to work out that we’d need at least 1,000 horsepower at the rear wheels, which equates to a crazy 1,200 horsepower at the engine, compared to just 550 horsepower from a factory car.”
The team has built a bespoke 4.1-litre engine with new internals, plus a new E85 fuel system and cooling setup. A lot of work was done to ensure that the monstrous power would come in as progressively as possible in order to limit wheel spin on the loose surface. To cope with such an extreme output, the transmission had to be upgraded, and the suspension modified to allow for different wheels and tires. Apart from a full FIA roll cage, competition seats and safety harness, the Porsche’s interior is completely standard.
“Weight is actually your friend on sand,” said Eisenberg. “It’s about stability – putting enough weight on the tires to increase traction. The car is also road legal, so I can drive it from the hotel on to the beach and hopefully to the pub after to hopefully celebrate.”
The MADMAX team has worked tirelessly on the engine to ensure that it can withstand 3 miles of full power with 1,000 horsepower at the wheels! Plus, many safety aspects have also been addressed. The recent testing at Elvington proved a great success – with just half the power the car was achieving 220 mph in the mile on tarmac.
For more information about the MADMAX Race Team and its accomplishments, please visit https://eisenbergracing.com/madmax-race-team/