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Myk "Mad Myk" Prescott (46) of Honeydew, Johannesburg will attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for solo kart driving this weekend.
Prestcott will attempt to cover at least 2 000 km at the Zwartkops Kart Raceway outside Pretoria, using a newly refurbished Rotax 125 cc watercooled engine and an eight-year-old Birel chassis. This is the same configuration he used to set his 24-hour solo mark of 1 152 km in September 2008 though the engine has been completely re-built to new specifications.
“The Guinness people approached me a while ago, asking me if I wanted to up the stakes. The 48-Hour record was decided upon, and their criterion is that I have to break the 2 000 km for it to stand," says Prescott.
"There have been two world-wide attempts at my 24-hour solo record so far, and none of them beat it, so if I make it I’ll hold two records at the same time.”
Prestcott has a light mounted to his helmet for the race and the Zwartkops Kart Raceway staff have organised floodlights for the record attempt.
Prescott’s 10-year-old son Daygin is already a keen karter and a front-runner in the junior Maxterino series in South Africa.
“My wife Debi uses lots of expressions to describe me, many of which include the word ‘mad’, but she’ll be on hand to support me, as will my son Daygin and daughter, Shaye, who has also raced karts."
He said the attempt has attracted lots of support from local kart racers and many of them will show up at the Zwartkops Kart Raceway to drive around the track with him for part of the distance.
“During my last record run, lots of guys showed up, they wrote messages on boards to keep me amused, and it was great fun. The Ed Murray Racing team will also be there to support me, keep me amused.
“I won’t go flat out, but I’ll run at about 85% speed, taking it really easy on the brakes. I have also been given two sets of Mojo racing tyres for the attempt, the hard compound, and this will be a good test for them.
“I’m trying to raise some money to support a South African racer Roman de Beer, who is competing in the Formula Abarth single seater series in Italy. “We have put up a karting hamper for a prize, and for a small entry fee, anyone interested can enter and win it, by predicting the distance I will cover.”
Prescott says he's not fazed by the lack of sleep and if all goes well he should crack the 2 500 km mark.
“I can take a small break, and I can also use a reserve kart if I need it. But the Rotax engines are ultra-reliable, with a life expectancy of 50 hours, so this should be a doddle.”
The attempt to set the world’s first 48-hour solo karting record starts on Friday, September 3, 2010, at 8 am, and will finish at 8 am on Sunday September 5.
Prestcott will attempt to cover at least 2 000 km at the Zwartkops Kart Raceway outside Pretoria, using a newly refurbished Rotax 125 cc watercooled engine and an eight-year-old Birel chassis. This is the same configuration he used to set his 24-hour solo mark of 1 152 km in September 2008 though the engine has been completely re-built to new specifications.
“The Guinness people approached me a while ago, asking me if I wanted to up the stakes. The 48-Hour record was decided upon, and their criterion is that I have to break the 2 000 km for it to stand," says Prescott.
"There have been two world-wide attempts at my 24-hour solo record so far, and none of them beat it, so if I make it I’ll hold two records at the same time.”
Prestcott has a light mounted to his helmet for the race and the Zwartkops Kart Raceway staff have organised floodlights for the record attempt.
Prescott’s 10-year-old son Daygin is already a keen karter and a front-runner in the junior Maxterino series in South Africa.
“My wife Debi uses lots of expressions to describe me, many of which include the word ‘mad’, but she’ll be on hand to support me, as will my son Daygin and daughter, Shaye, who has also raced karts."
He said the attempt has attracted lots of support from local kart racers and many of them will show up at the Zwartkops Kart Raceway to drive around the track with him for part of the distance.
“During my last record run, lots of guys showed up, they wrote messages on boards to keep me amused, and it was great fun. The Ed Murray Racing team will also be there to support me, keep me amused.
“I won’t go flat out, but I’ll run at about 85% speed, taking it really easy on the brakes. I have also been given two sets of Mojo racing tyres for the attempt, the hard compound, and this will be a good test for them.
“I’m trying to raise some money to support a South African racer Roman de Beer, who is competing in the Formula Abarth single seater series in Italy. “We have put up a karting hamper for a prize, and for a small entry fee, anyone interested can enter and win it, by predicting the distance I will cover.”
Prescott says he's not fazed by the lack of sleep and if all goes well he should crack the 2 500 km mark.
“I can take a small break, and I can also use a reserve kart if I need it. But the Rotax engines are ultra-reliable, with a life expectancy of 50 hours, so this should be a doddle.”
The attempt to set the world’s first 48-hour solo karting record starts on Friday, September 3, 2010, at 8 am, and will finish at 8 am on Sunday September 5.